Why bicycle?

First of all, we like simple solutions. Bicycle is one of them. It allows you to get everywhere you want quicker and easier, and at the same time exploring new places. How many times were you wondering, “What is behind that corner”? But you were too tired, to force your feet, to take you there.

Personally, each new place we try to get to know on a bike. This gives us the feeling that we won't miss anything what we could miss, if we walked. Bicycle gives you more freedom when you plan your touring. You can stop whenever and wherever you want. Driving a car in unknown area is difficult very often. Whereas on bicycle, you don't lose your time for searching a decent parking space. While sightseeing on foot, sometimes you have to take a bus or a tram. But on bicycle, there is no stress concerning potential mistake and e.g. taking a wrong bus line. Thus there is no need to learn foreign communication system.

Warsaw is not a big city compared to other capitals, but its history is equally important. And because of the history interesting old buildings and places are located in a big distance from each other. That is why at ViaBike we like to call them „islands”. In fact this is the reason why we propose simple bicycles, which allow you to move from one island to another without a slightest problem. When we use word „simple” we really mean it. From our point of view the optimal solution is single speed (gearless bicycles - to avoid common problems connected to it e.g. falling chain).

Warsaw - how do we see it?

This city is full of contrasts. It's still changing and developing. City planning is not the strong side of it. Mixture of styles makes it difficult to put a clear border between old and new or rich and poor districts. After the Second World War completely destroyed the city, it managed to arouse like Phoenix from ashes. There are still bullet holes in walls of outlasted buildings and the scars are visible till nowadays. In plots after burned houses new ones were build, but mostly it was not a good combination. The communists wanted to erase old Warsaw traces and everything that was associated with it. Freedom, democracy and independence were uncomfortable memories. Thanks to “big hearted” people and their determination, plans to annihilate the past failed. But some things were lost forever.

Opinions of citizens about this town are divided. Probably because, part of them are new over here. Every year thousands of people move to the capital looking for their ”el dorado”. Although they live in Warsaw in order to earn more money than in other places, they still don't like this City. Inhabitants complain about noise, rush and how the place looks in general.

But still this is the city of big possibilities. The people are the biggest potential of the City. We strongly believe that we can be whoever we want. We can be proud of our City, not because of the way it looks, but because it still exists here in spite of its history.

At ViaBike we want to show, that this City has its good sides and it is still changing positively. We want to encourage visitors to get to know this place from our point of view.

That it is why we have decided to locate our posts in cosy coffee shops in different parts of the City. They aren't simple cafés, but places with souls. Their owners are people with passion, who often initiate interesting events. We are glad to support every action, which will make visiting and living in this City an interesting experience. We invite you not only to use our bikes but also to stay for a while in those places and to spend some time with us. The City is not only a bunch of buildings and streets, but it’s all about the people. The people are the City.

Ania i Jarek Cieliczko