Handlebars of happiness: stories about cycles

A 2025 Cyclonats Festival of Cycling Culture event, presented by Canberra by Bike Design Company and Smith's Alternative

Stories and songs about how cycles have made positive differences to people from all works of life across the ACT, and beyond.

Our November edition features cycles that differ from the traditional two-wheeled variety.

Storytellers Leela, Ulrike, Kevin, and Mike all ride recumbent tricycles. Sian can ride a penny farthing.

You'll also hear about the power of the Community Toolbox Canberra - a tool lending library - because you don't need a drill, you need a hole in a wall.

Make new friends and connect with old ones as we gather for the communal experience of storytelling. Got a story you want to share? Pitch your tale to us via email.

Our event is inspired by Bike Story Night, started in Texas USA by Valerie Ruiz.

Leela and Ulrike will share their stories of how they've replaced car trips with bike trips for their physical, mental, and financial health.

Mike uses a unicycle to play hockey, and a tandem he rides with his beloved, Cathy. Sometimes Mike takes his recumbent to Bunnings.

Siân’s talk is called ‘a life behind bars’. She’s been a cycling tragic for more than 60 years. Sian started racing in 1970 and is currently in the middle of the umpteenth comeback to competitive track cycling as a Masters competitor.

A successful coach of junior, elite and para competitive cyclists at state, national and world levels, Sian also helps children and adults learn to ride.

She’s a two-time winner of Cycling Australia female cyclist of the year, and also received an IOC Women in Sport Award for contribution to women’s cycling in the Oceania region. Sian’s an AusCycling coach education course presenter and assessor, and has served as Directeur Sportif for National and International Women’s professional and semi-professional road teams. And in her alleged spare time, she restores vintage bicycles, especially those built before the 1970s.

Kevin's talk is called “It’s definitely cycling, it’s definitely not riding a bike.”

He's a retired Canberra public servant who's been riding a recumbent tricycle for more than 20 years some 140,000 km across all types of paths, streets. and tracks worldwide. His most recent trike adventure in England and France began and finished at London Heathrow Airport this year. It stretched over 3,200 kilometres north to Cambridge, south to Bordeaux, west to Plymouth and east to the Loire Valley.

Kevin will share stories from the road shaped by his unique perspective with his “bum 8 inches off the road.”