Specialized Globe Boosts Black History Bike Ride

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement that gained prominence after the George Floyd murder, Talib Abdullahi wanted to do something to help build awareness about their city’s own black history. His solution was the Black History Bike Ride, a social ride with stops at various landmarks where volunteer tour guides share stories about the city of Austin‘s racial past — and the new Specialized Globe Haul ST cargo bike is playing a big role (more on that in a minute).

The Movement

“People were protesting what they had seen happening around the country,” explains Talib. “[They] started asking individuals if they knew about the unjust things that occurred right here in our own city. Most people hadn’t, so I decided to lead a social ride for anyone who wanted to learn about Black history while riding a bike.”

The first ride took place a week later. “I thought maybe a couple dozen folks would show up,” he says. “We had an estimate of over 400 cyclists arrive for our first ride.”

In the early days, Talib would lead the Austin bike rides from a pedicab loaded down with some 160 pounds of speakers and audio equipment, so he could be heard by all the riders. It worked, but the pedicab was heavy and slow, and generally slowed the whole group down, and that’s where the Globe St comes in.

Specialized Globe Haul Lives Up to its Name

Specialized Globe Haul ST loaded up; image by Leann Funk, courtesy Specialized.

“Drew at Specialized Austin kept raving about the Globe,” offers Talib (that’s true — I first met Drew during the planning stages for the Electrify Expo in Austin, and he is a True Believer in the Globe). “So (I) gave it a test ride and was quickly able to see that we could make the speaker set up work on it,” Talib continues.

Loaded up with gear, the Specialized-built Globe Haul ST is significantly more nimble and easier to maneuver than the big pedicab, and even offers enough carrying capacity that Talib is able to haul additional water, so his Black History Bike Ride group can stay hydrated in the Texas heat.

The Globe is also a lot faster than the pedicab, thanks to the bike’s Specialized 700W electric motor, which Specialized says is good for a 28 MPH top speed and up to 60 miles of pedal-assisted range thanks to its 772 Wh battery. That figure, obviously, doesn’t account for 160 lbs. of loudspeakers — but it’s more than enough to tackle the Black History Bike Ride’s “OG” and newer “East Austin Murals “routes.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Specialized Globe Haul ST, use this link to visit the company’s website, then let us know what kind of adventure rides you think the Haul ST could help you lead in your town in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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