The Case for Bicycle Commuting By Jennie Bricker Photography: Julia Art . Art direction: Sunny Chao. Pictured: Ray Thomas at his Portland law office. “My, how good you feel! The red blood sings thru your veins, driving away those mean morning headaches and that old sluggish feeling! …The bicycle is the most economical mode of transportation. It is the most healthful.” T his 1920 advertisement from Cycle Trades of America formed part of the trade association’s “Ride a Bicycle” campaign, calculated to promote the bicycle for transportation by adults. The expected demand never materialized: Although U.S. manufacturers produced more than a million bikes in 1896, representing one of the country’s largest industries, in 1921 production shrank to less than a quarter million. CTA gave up its effort to encourage bicycle commuting, and youngsters became the target market for bikes in the United States. The explanation? Henry Ford’s Model T motorcar entered the transportation market in 1908, and by 1920 its annual sales more than tripled that of the bicycle. Frank Bowden, British businessman and founder of the Raleigh Cycle Company, found it “remarkable” that the U.S. produced fewer bicycles than England and concluded, “Everyone’s ambition in the States seems to be to have a motorcar.” 1 OCTOBER 2016 • OREGON STATE BAR BULLETIN 17