Philly’s ‘bike life’ community knows their negative reputation. They say people thinking that way have it all wrong

When Isaiah Abbott rides his BMX bike around Philadelphia, it’s not performing tricks or the adrenaline rush from swerving through the streets that he loves most. It’s the other people around him.

“The community is what makes it,” said Abbott, 21, who is from South Philly. “If I was the only one doing it, it would be boring. But if I was with a bunch of people, trying different things, bouncing it off of each other, that’s what really makes it fun.”

Abbott, who goes by Zayy, is a fixture of the city’s “bike life” community, made up of mostly young people who come together to ride BMX and mountain bikes throughout the city. They ride in skate parks and through the streets, using their athleticism and creativity to perform wheelies and other acrobatic tricks.

Bike life riders are distinct from Philly’s community of dirt bike and ATV riders, but are similarly maligned by people who see them as disruptive and dangerous. Those inside of bike life hope that more Philadelphians will come to understand instead that they are a community of people dedicated to building each other up, united by their shared love of riding bikes.

“It’s just like a big family,” Abbott said.

After Mike Plasha was incarcerated for the eighth time by age 25, he was ready for a change. Living in Delaware County, he said, it was always “petty stuff” that kept getting him into trouble; a few months at a time outside, and then a parole violation or new infraction would send him right back.

A couple years after his final release, in 2014, Plasha saw some kids on their bikes practicing wheelies. He’d seen people do similar things on dirt bikes before, but never on ones powered by their legs. Plasha asked one of the kids if he could try out the bike himself.

“It just [was] attractive to me,” he said. “And then a month later, I started coming out riding with the kids.”

Plasha bought a Mongoose bike from Walmart, and started riding with the kids regularly. He got pretty good at it, and landed a sponsorship from SE Bikes, a BMX brand. More deals followed, and now Plasha has more than 140,000 followers on Instagram and has traveled across the country to connect with other riders.

But Plasha always kept his focus on the young Philly kids who introduced him to this community. With his platform, he started his own clothing brand, Hoodrich Bikelife, and uses it to organize free events, rideouts, and giveaways for Philly riders. And 10% of Hoodrich’s sales go toward getting new bikes for kids.

“I did this to give back and give the kids a platform and something to stand for that was positive and [to] actually be a part of something good. ... I just decided, OK this is serious now. I can really make the difference I wanted. So I have been putting everything into it,” he said.

Plasha wants his brand to make young Philly riders feel as if they belong to something successful and bigger than themselves, even if they aren’t able to get their own sponsorship deals.

He understands where the negative perceptions of bike life come from, but believes that every large community has a few people who act out.

“My experience, when everybody’s together, if somebody’s getting out of line, somebody there is gonna check on them and bring them back,” he said. Plasha wants the city to build a park where people can ride and practice tricks, and thinks that it would help keep riders safer and prevent traffic disruptions.

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Bike life riders don’t always follow Pennsylvania traffic laws, particularly during large rideouts. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, bikers on roadways must not ride more than two side-by-side, and must also follow all traffic signals.

But drivers are responsible for keeping bike riders safe on the roads, according to PennDOT. “Motor vehicles must allow four feet of distance when overtaking a bicycle and travel at a careful and prudent speed. It is the motorist’s responsibility to provide this distance, not that of the cyclist,” reads PennDOT’s website.

Philly’s Code and Home Rule Charter Chapter 12-800 concerns bicycle regulations and penalties in the city, and it states that any violation of these rules is subject to a $75 fine.

Plasha hopes that more people can actually talk with riders or come see a rideout, so that bike life and the rest of Philly can find a place for mutual respect.

“Bike life is a community of people who all come together for the same cause, of nothing but to ride a bike, no matter what you do, what your job is, your race, size ... none of that matters when we’re out there. What matters is you have a bicycle and you wanna be out here with us today. Everybody protects each other, looks out for each other.”

Milik Jeter, a 23-year-old rider from North Philly, has had plenty of experience running into police and other Philadelphians, while on his bike, who held a preconceived notion of who he was.

“They look at it like we criminals,” he said.

But he always knew what kind of positivity a community centered on riding could mean; his mother used to be in a motorcycle riding group, and they would hold cookouts and fundraisers. Connections he’s made through biking have taken him as far as Fort Lauderdale, and he said that he and his friends are constantly pushing each other to new levels with their tricks; his go-to is one has him fully standing on top of the seat of the bike.

Jeter wishes that people could see bike life how he does.

“It’s peaceful ... everybody show mad love. That’s all I can say. Everybody in the bike community show mad love. I can get a flat today and I can be riding with a flat and have no money in my pocket, and I promise you, a random person on a bike who I don’t even know ... will probably pay for me to get a new inner tube,” he said.

For more information on future rideouts and how to get involved, follow Mike Plasha on Instagram at @hoodrichbikelife.