Zine Archives: Critical Mass Chicago — The Derailleur Zine

The Derailleur — The Unofficial Publication of Chicago Critical Mass

Back in the early 2000s when bike advocacy in the United States was finding its footing and Critical Mass was the place to meet up and make the ideas happen, Chicago Critical Mass had a couple of year run of putting out semi-regular ‘zines under the banner of The Derailleur. These are time capsules of another more renegade era of city cycling when bikes track bikes were starting to break through to the cool kids and the crowds at Critical Mass had reached, ahem, a critical mass to effectively demand cycling accommodations. Remarkably well put together, in their day these were vital to organizing, educating, and motivating people to show up to the next ride.

Navigating complex intersections, winter riding tips, how to use the extensive mass transit system, basic bike maintenance tricks and tips, the list goes on. But maybe the most important takeaway from looking back at these zines is the focus on fun. In a time where the advocacy world was largely stuck on gas savings and heady environmental concerns the people behind The Derailleur realized that fun is what draws people in, everything else is bonus. Few ride bikes because they sat down and worked out the math on their gas vs caloric output savings, and while confrontational when necessary Critical Mass was on the party vibes as a way to bring people back and organize. Twenty some years on there is still work to be done, but the progress is amazing.