Christian Bagg shows us what a Handcycle has done for him and the importance of his commute to him. Short film called ‘An Ode To The Commute’.
Christian Bagg the Founder of Bowhead who has spent 20 years developing the Bowhead RX an Innovative Handcycle which has changed the way he and others can experience the world.
Christian says:
“When I was little, I did karate and I hated karate. I played soccer and did hockey, but I wasn’t a team sport kid and I really didn’t like those either. It was when I found biking that I fell in love with, and it became this freedom for me.
“As I got older and got my first job. I didn’t have a car, so it was my way to get to that place. And I got there, and I felt great and I got to do something fun on the way and it was at that job at the university of Calgary. Where I was doing my machining apprenticeship. That I would ride in, work all day and on the weekends, I would go snowboarding and it was one of those weekends when I broke my back.
“So, amongst all the other things that go away when you paralyze yourself bike riding went away. But cut to 20yrs later and I get too bike again.
“All these things I used to do flooded back and commuting was one of those things. And the time I spend commuting is by far the lion’s share of bike riding I get to do.
“Something I love about riding bike and the commute is exploring my city, the city of Calgary. And the Bow Valley of which bowhead is named after.
“The bow river flows from the mountains via the Bow Valley and the head of the Bow River is where the mountains we endeavor to play in are. So, there is this connection to the commute. Because the majority of it is along the Bow River and I arrive at Bowhead in Bowness.
“And there is just something sweet about it.
“I did do it on a conventional road hand cycle. But there was one bike pathway I could ride to work on.
“When the Bowhead RX was done, and I was able to start commuting on it. The one path to work which I still loved now blew up into a world of creativity, even on that path alone. Never mind the 5 other options or more that I had to get to work.
“Now if I was on the path and if there was someone coming, I could just pull off onto the grass and pass them. Whereas I couldn’t do that before or if there was a curb I could pop down and hop back up.
“Your mind opens up from the necessity of riding to work which I think that’s often-what people think about commuting is it’s this necessity to get from point a to b.
“Given this tool in the Bowhead RX I could have a road bike one day I could have an MTB ride another day. I could just pop off the side of the trails cause maybe there is a little thing that looks like a jump. I could ride through the rain I could ride through the snow and it’s not because I don’t have a car it’s because I like riding bikes and any opportunity to do that Is huge to me and an option I’ll take every time.”
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