Biketour 2013

2013 Overview

To come a summary from the Winter Meeting ...

Why do we keep doing it?

1. Because we believe in DIY, slow travel and Doing it Ourselves!
2. Because we have a legacy of creating incredible experiences together / skills sharing / self organising / experiential learning ... and we want to do it again
3. Because you know it will be the adventure of 2013

This Years Theme

• Borders
• Boundaries
• and beyond ...

2013 Route Ideas

This year the tour is likely to start in Berlin (tbc) and will go "east or south". During the Winter Meeting (see below) we will clarify, what "east or south" means. The theme (also to be confirmed at the Winter Meeting) is "borders, boundaries and beyond" (tbc) and we are now searching for projects and actions in Eastern Europe to join this summer.

To come: A map of route ideas. Please add any places, projects, action camps, ecovillages, contacts which we could visit along the way here: or send your suggestions and proposals to info@ecotopiabiketour.net

See the 2013 route page here:

2013 Visa Issues

• Bike tour will sign post people to appropriate visa options

Travel plans and advice

Page where people can share this if they would like to.

• to come: list with (cheap) travel opportunities for germany and the greater region

2013 Kick-off days

This is likely to be a weekend in the first weeks of july. (to be confirmed at the Winter Meeting)

What can we do during the kick-off days?

• Bike repair workshop
  • Regenbogenwerkstatt?
• Rocket stove workshop
• Organising Ourselves: BT 2013 structure
• First aid workshop / course? (Red Cross, THW, etc.?)
• Workshop planning
• Action planning
• City Critical Mass
• Coincide with exisiting bike or border event
• Organise a Bike or Border event ...

Keep your proposals coming ......!

Things needed for biketour

Biketour as a collective "has" some collective stuff (pans / trailers), which are collectively transported and used during the tour. During the rest of the year, these things are stored in different places and should all come together again by the start of the next tour. Things used in 2012 and planned to use in 2013 can be found on the 2013 Equipment page. Please update this page with the things you have and write how they can get to the starting point of the tour!

Every individual joining the tour will have to use some private stuff. See page what to bring for ideas about what participants need.

The tour lives from its different people and all the (material and immaterial) things that these people bring and share. On the 2013 Equipment page you can announce what kind of additional things you will bring to the tour. This can help us to make sure in advance that we won't find ourselves in the strange situations of having 25 guitars but no single bike pump ;). You can also find some inspirations on what to bring.

New 2013 Aim: Do you use FLOSS ? the Biketour does ...

Aim: To move towards only Libre and Open-Source communcation tools for Biketour, whilst telling people why!

Based on a key decision in 2012, a major goal of the 2013 coordination team is to further go towards a set of information and communication technology tools, which allow us to own our data, not "feed" transnational corporations, whilst protecting ourselves and others against surveillance, and empowering future generations of the incredible and usable "alternatives" online.

While for some people, data safety, privacy and conscious online communication has always been an issue - for others it is simply not considered. Out of a mainstream perspective, this can seem understandable - especially regarding technical knowledge. However, out of ecotopiabiketour's perspective, it seems paradox. If we use bikes instead of cars, eat tofu instead of meat, drink water instead of coke, cook communally instead of passing by the next McDonald's, visit grassroots communities and selforganised groups instead of shiny corporations: Why would we not act as "consciously" online? Here is a page with further arguments for FLOS biketour ICTs.

Here is a page with suggestions for FLOS biketour IC tools: Feel free to add your recommendations and knowledge about the suggested tools!

2013 Mailing List Communications

2013 Organization Call-out

2013 Call-out

2013 Host request

2013 Coordinator Call for 2014

2013 Print Material On the Road

• BT booklet 2013: including schedule, description of places
• small language book
• maps?
• stickers?

Propaganda

• Where to publicize it
  • some ideas on last year's page [Biketour 2012]
  • put new ideas here!

Needs Translation

These texts need to be translated into key languages (of countries we are passing through - in every case german and polish; maybe czeck, slovakian, hungarian, slovene, naš jezik; and any other language you like!). Please translate them into a new paragraph onto the page of the specific text linked below: (or email info@ecotopiabiketour.net if you can help with future translations)

Winter Meeting

Agenda topics (please help collecting before the meeting starts!): or email alternative points and agendas to info@ecotopiabiketour.net

• the route (general direction) - considering:
  • countries/regions/cities/villages/projects
  • theme/motto and "campaign slogans" (e.g. "cycling for ....."
  • theme related places
  • climate, topography
  • visa and legal difficulties
  • people/collectives available to help in specific places
  • safety (repression, police violence, aggressive people and groups, ...)
  • Documentation and dissemination along or after the tour
  • Legacy - what do we hope to achieve by the end of the tour?

• Coordination Scheme
  • Local coordinators? Teams? From the office and centrally email-based?
  • Pre-visits?

• Finances
  • overview: costs of a bike tour
  • status quo
  • scenarios and hopes
  • plan Bs and Cs
  • the edge fund application (deadline: April 22nd)

• reflection of the last bike tour (personal impressions and points) > formulation of improvement strategies

• Communication
  • Internet Communication, (a)'social' media, data privacy and free software @ biketour
  • comprehensive database of addresses to send out releases ("press list")

• Basic agreements
  • minimum advised length of participation (one, two weeks)?
  • vegan/vegetarian
  • expectations

• Future
  • Biketour 2014
    • Route proposals
    • Theme proposals
    • EVS (yes or no?)

• Travel costs for Wintermeeting (solidarian sharing)