Biking, Identity, and Belonging in Twin Cities Bike Shops

Systemic and cultural change is needed in bike shops for everyone to feel welcome. Even though cyclists may not spend much time in bike shops, these spaces can have a significant impact on the relationships a rider forms with their bike and with others in the community. Drawing from feminist and cycling studies, this project used a mixed-methods approach that included qualitative methods such as grounded theory to code interview transcripts and identify themes, and theoretical frameworks, such as poetic inquiry and intersectionality, to analyze content. Using these methods, found poems were created. This project’s collection of bike shop poems and experiences offers cycling perspectives to bike shop owners, bike shop employees, bike shop patrons, and scholars. From this research, bike shop leaders and workers may learn how to make these spaces more welcoming and boost relationships among cyclists in the local community, while simultaneously dismantling systemic oppression within biking.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies

Grantor

Texas Woman's University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Szotkowski, Anne

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Beins, Agatha

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Busl, Gretchen

• Women's studies
• Cycling
• Biking
• Feminist studies
• Cycling studies
• Poetic inquiry
• Bike shops
• Identity
• Belonging
• Poetry
• Found poems
• Twin Cities
• Minnesota
• Saint Paul
• Minneapolis

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/11274/17309

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:twu-ir.tdl.org:11274/17309