How bicycling connects us at the speed of discovery | Jimmy Hallyburton | TEDxBoise

On a bicycle, destinations become journeys in which you connect to and are influenced by the surrounding environment. For some people, riding a bicycle is a choice, for others it is there only transportation option; regardless, the goal is to connect you to something or somewhere. What you don't expect, are the connections in between.
Jimmy spent most of his childhood exploring the Boise countryside on hand-me-down bicycles. With two wheels below and open roads in the distance, he discovered the freedom, opportunity and independence a bicycle can bring. After high school, Jimmy hit the open roads again, traveling all over the country fighting wildfires for the Idaho City Hotshots. With a Mass Communications degree from Boise state University and absolutely no experience in the nonprofit sector whatsoever, he launched Boise Bicycle Project. Nine years later, the project has been voted Boise's Best Local Nonprofit six times, and has recycled more than 10,000 bicycles back onto the streets of Boise.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@anneofcleveswithinternet]

I'm 37 yrs old and never learned to ride a bike, until this morning, at 4am I went out to practice in our block, I couldn't do it until my neighbor saw me and started to give me tips and encouraged me, two hours later, I am biking, a little shakey but still, I could bike now.

[@bentheben1145]

Congrats my dude I hope that you have many more years riding!

[@lanajohnson8014]

32 years ago I had to leave my bicycle behind when escaping the first gulf war. Would have been nice to have a Boise bicycle project. Now 32 years later a couple of days ago I got on my bike again. I started looking at you tube videos to overcome my fear of descending on a bike and came across this and now I know I am doing the right thing…just need to overcome my fear. And feel the freedom… great talk!

[@seattlegrrlie]

I live in Seattle and my coworkers don't understand why I got rid of my car to bike, walk, or bus. This video does a better job of explaining it than i can. Slow down, enjoy the journey, make a spontaneous stop

[@christopherbartlett1125]

Im also a cyclist in Seattle. We're gradually adding more bike infrastructure

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Ha! It's always hard to put it into words! Thanks so much for riding!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

@@christopherbartlett1125 Keep up the good work! Bit by bit!

[@mikeandpaulaclay6605]

Precisely so! The reason the bicycle is the best way to travel is it allows us to really see and meet our community. Well done!

[@istiundcaro]

I love my bicycle. Nothing makes me happier than riding my bicycle.

[@BIJOSEBASTIAN]

❤Andrew’s bike made me cry in my car…I had the same desire for a bike when I was a child.I bought my first bicycle when I was 36 years old.I got the same excitement of my childhood.I love my bike.I ride it everyday ❤

[@Durin_Son]

Jumped back on my bike a couple of days ago. The love for the bike is still there. Unfortunately, i live in one of those towns where the majority dont undetstand. I have made a pledge to myself to ride to work, i cant ride to school as its close to 2 hours away by car. Ive done this before and noticed more people riding after a couple of months. Hopefully we can encourage others to do the same. A side note: I rode my bike to work today amd a coworker mentioned how he has always wanted to ride to work. You never know who will be inspired.

[@Bertuzz84]

A 2 hour drive to school geez... in 2 hours i would be on the other side of my country lol. I also had this nagging feeling a few years ago that using the car for everything wasn't adding to my quality of life. In fact it was a more stress full mode of transport. When i ditched the car for my electric bike i discovered so many beautiful new places that i never saw before because of just driving the main roads. I rarely need a car for anything here though. The only places i would need it, is going to a small town that isn't connected by railroad.

[@douglasstraight3648]

One of Einstein’s favorite thing to do for pleasure and relaxation was riding his bicycle. Maybe that’s where he got his inspiration for relativity? Beautiful presentation bro. No more needs to be said. Thanks so much.

[@robertcraane7910]

Brilliant, Jimmy! We here in the Netherlands do really understand your mission!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Oh the Netherlands! It would be a dream come true to ride in the Netherlands! Thanks so much Robert!

[@futurecaredesign]

This guy is an amazing storyteller!

[@PaulaDTozer]

Masterful. Wonderful presentation!

[@ursoulspure]

12,000 bikes! Way to go Jimmy! 👍👍 Keep up the awesome work helping those who ride and hopefully inspiring others to begin or begin again.

[@bobgreenwald4649]

May god bless you, my bike was always my freedom. As a grew up it became such an enjoyment. In my 20s I began to do benefits and Racing. A busy world took over but now at 54 I’m headed back onto my bike. I’m from stark county as well and am proud to be from the same world as you. Pls continue making children’s dreams come true.

[@kirstyleitch863]

I just got a new-old bike and felt the freedom and connection of travelling at the speed of discovery! What a great speaker, though he made me tearful more than once.

[@jeffoffej]

Love the idea of "the speed of discovery." And, yes, I remember this story. Mine was Cumberland Ave on a banana seat.

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Yah! Thanks so much Jeffery!

[@gregorymason102]

Tears of joy when Andrew got his Bike

[@reneeskuban4377]

I get it! Loved your talk. Brought me a tear or two. Lucky Boise!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

So glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to comment. It means a lot!

[@caiofernando]

This is so insightful. I never thought about cycling from this perspective, but it all makes sense now. How you start to see things differently and closer when you're cycling.

[@neilmcmillan995]

Excellent talk and all true. I have had a bike since I was a small kid. I just bought myself a Brompton at the age of 64 and ride it as often as I can, and usually daily. I’m looking forward to taking this (folding) bike onto the trains with an elderly person discount ticket and exploring some places further away. When my body finally gives up, I’ll try an electric bicycle to continue. Again, great talk, carry on your fantastic work.

[@stevezak3663]

I was a bike freak until my 40's. Now at 67, I purchased my first Brompton.......I currently live in Hong Kong, a far cry from the flat land of Chicago. The hills are killer but the downhills exhilarating. Loving my Bromton

[@lisaleidy344]

What a great speaker. Moved me to tears. I’m going to get my bike out!

[@fernandomarquez3131]

Jimmy Halliburton, EVERYDAY IS A GOOD DAY TO RIDE, LOVE U ❤️ YOU AND everyone making it possible to SLOW things down. SLOW the pace of life be happy just to be there on a bike.

[@claytonjackson5709]

Gonna go ride my bike!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Yes! Love it!

[@joshboy0]

Beautiful talk!

[@OdinsSage]

This guy is a fantastic speaker. Very engaging.

[@tribalwarlord]

Wow! I didn't realise how much a bicycle can do. Amazing 👌

[@gmarkphillips]

Jimmy, I really enjoyed your TEDx talk!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Awesome! Thanks so much Mark!

[@saranbhatia8809]

Yes it's all about desire for connection is all what matters.... it's like all coming together making it a meaningful experience!

[@markharris5544]

Some people get bored even on a bicycle, especially on a long bike ride or when the scenery is familiar, If this happens to you, you haven't fully learned how to ride a bike yet; your still stuck in car mode. Car mode is to be stuck in a steel box, passing the time until it takes you to your destination. Bicycle mode is to be free, vulnerable and open to the world around you. Give your feeling-attention to the world around you, whether it seems attractive or not. Keep practicing this and at some point you will lose your head and become a participant in the great unanswerable Mystery of Life.

[@gelberlind]

Big thumbs up from Berlin to Boise! I loved your talk, and I do hope that you'll continue that great work of yours and empower many more disadvantaged kids. God bless you and them.

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Berlin! Wow, thanks so much for the huge compliment from afar! How's the bike riding in Berlin?

[@63bikemom]

Great job, Jimmy, and great message!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much Susie!

[@johnthompson16]

Awesome spirit. What a really nice guy. We need more Jimmy Hallyburtons in the World. I would like to do the same thing in Brussels, Belgium.

[@PeepalBaba-Givemetrees]

love this ☘️ speed of discovery

[@prabhub3829]

Thank you brother

[@BicycleCollective]

Awesome. Great work, Jimmy.

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks Bicycle Collective Friends!

[@Sir-Prizse]

I was also this little boy, but between 10 and 20 I did not ride a bike until I decided to buy a bike again and since then I cycle every day. I own a reasonably modern road bike and commute to work every day and into the landscape on weekends.

[@anthonycarfang9877]

This is such a great talk for igniting passion - both in inspiring others and reminding myself. Thank you for sharing!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thank you for taking the time to comment Anthony! Ride on!

[@annrostock148]

wow! Great Tedx Talk Jimmy! Boise is so lucky to have you and your amazing zest for life and awareness of others. Thank you!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks Ann!

[@Smilebenrod]

Loved it!!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much! Ride on!

[@JoeyBruce]

Excellent job Jimmy!!!! and great story about how BBP I wasn't aware of.

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much Joe!

[@mhagan8475]

I never had a bike as a child!

[@DougGrinbergs]

11:38 very touching story about shared moment: "I march for equality".

[@fmc6338]

so cool, i ride every day.

[@kookamunga2458]

I have both a car and several bicycles . The car is only used for interstate highways where bicycles are banned and traveling in really crapy weather. I bike in snow, rain and heatwaves but only in early mornings , when it's not too hot , just to avoid the heat . I bike on Christmas day , newyears day and on my vacation. I usually skip a day during the week .I never ride three days in a row and that's to let my muscles recover because I am not a teenager anymore.

[@perraccca]

That was great

[@awesumpowerz6805]

Great Presenter!

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much!

[@cmhooter]

The faster the vehicle, the smaller the world.

[@Zurich_for_Beginners]

He always talks about slowing down. I don't feel slow down comparing to the cars when I ride my bike through the rush hour of down town Zürich.

[@drjosekuri2315]

❤😮🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽I'm domingo my job in Mexico.👏👏👏🎉

[@chrisstoll6190]

So true

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much for watching Chris!

[@uniworkhorse]

Bikes all the way!

[@JustJake77]

As a child, I didn't learn to ride a bike. I learned that I needed to ride a bike......

[@mhagan8475]

I didn’t learn either as a child...we couldn’t afford one...I learned as a teen.

[@philutcher4302]

1h of commuting burns 500 kcal btw. 1h of training burns 700-900 kcal 1h of driving a car burns $10 in gas.

[@Derpster2493]

Great talk but why only 7k views?

[@omarquinones6769]

Because there's too many lazy people that dont ride bikes

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Thanks so much! Let's just hope it's a slow cooker and continues to grow!

[@TimpBizkit]

The thing with a bicycle is it's much easier to pause and pull off the road without creating a road block, which would happen if you tried to stop and talk to everyone in a car. Also there's the intimidation factor to a motor vehicle suddenly pulling up on you to say hi. Everyone's in their own closed off little room too. I suppose convertible cars are a middle ground. Also the pace of motor traffic is usually much faster, and the collective noise of multiple cars tends to drown out the smaller noises of nature. Cars have their uses but I think they are overused a lot of the time. I mean a 2 mile trip on the flat, you can amble along at book reading pace for 10 minutes on a bicycle and get there just fine, provided you don't need to carry anything. I mean I kept my car. It's nice on a soaking wet day but I just don't use it for every little thing anymore. Even if I'm feeling too lazy to pedal, the electric bike works wonders.

[@andrewkarl5174]

Commuted by bike most of my life, but f that I know Boise has the best sunsets anywhere on the planet.

[@DougGrinbergs]

9:57 Gandhi on a bike!

[@davidharris1562]

It doesn’t matter what you ride, how far you ride........as long as you ride......Eddie Merckx

[@Teapot-Dave]

It's paradoxical that cars - which are supposed to speed us up - actually slow us down when we get stuck in traffic-jams in every town and city, in every rush-hour, both on the way to work and on the way home again. I don't know why it's called "rush-hour" because it is the very opposite of that. Bicycles are much faster and more efficient at moving masses of people around, better for your health, your happiness, the environment, everything.

[@dhanushl4337]

I'm buying a e-bike for commute to my job... Yeah

[@GerHanssen]

You shouldn't have brought up the helmet. The spell was gone. I am Dutch. We don't wear helmets unless we race. We provide a safe infrastructure. That's the KEY.

[@two-eyedRoy]

Well, it's A key. 'People' is also A key. People being more aware, tolerant and not self-absorbed (like Jimmy puts it, too focused on the destination. Anything that comes between the destination becomes a hassle, and we all try to minimise hassle). Question: Do you wear a seat belt when in a vehicle? If so, By law or because safety against 'uncontrolled danger'? If latter, apply same thought process about bicycling. You might be a safe cyclist, but is everyone around you the same? I'm in Australia, grew up in a mandatory helmet country, but I'm not biased towards helmets because of law, but by Chance (ok, so maybe Murphys' Law? :P) and Cost Logic. Chance: If I crash on my bike, it'll more likely be due to something not of my doing... Can I control that? No. Cost Logic: $100 for a helmet vs a MUCH larger sum of money to cover cranial damage medical costs.

[@nicholaslipanovich827]

@Pontus Andersson Ride a bike in Amsterdam and you'll understand what Ger is saying. I live in San Francisco, CA and wear a helmet everyday when I ride because of CARS and lack of bike infrastructure. If my city had a protected bike lane network anything close to what Amsterdam has, I'd never wear a helmet. If you're a half decent cyclist who is used to riding in the city, you're not going to crash unless a car hits you. Protected lanes are the key to avoiding this.

[@metsamarsu7189]

I wear helmet always when I ride, it´s not because I consider my self a bad rider, it is because there is always a chance that someone else hits me or there can be a mechanical failure. For example, your front tire fails for some reason when you go downhill.

[@theisstrmming1794]

@@metsamarsu7189 If wearing a helmet makes you feel safer, that is fine. They are however not likely to protect you from or in a collision.

[@theisstrmming1794]

​@@two-eyedRoy Answer: Yes. because it is objectively safer without much hazzle. A great feature of the seatbelt is that it actually protects you in a collisions (with others). A bike helmet is not likely to protect you in a collision, and even when you do get throw off your bike and land on your head - you still need to land in the right way (or wrong) for it to make any difference. Better question: do you wear a helmet when driving in a car? Wearing a helmet in a car is at least as effective as on a bike. Bike helmets are inconvient, rarely effective, and even when - still ineffective: measures of protection

[@Kristiemaewolfe]

TEDx you should change the cover photo to a picture of the speaker so it's clear it's a Ted talk like the others :)

[@jimmyhallyburton5256]

Yah, it's a great photo, but I can see how it doesn't quite have the Ted Talk look/brand. I'll see if I can find someone to change it. Thanks @Kristie Wolfe!

[@TheMisterGriswold]

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride." - John F. Kennedy

[@GPBraaten]

I am now meeting the people that live around me.