More than meets the eye, a photo can convey why
I conjured up this week's rhyme after reading Ken's post about his business below. I've also been feeling particularly gratified about the community in & around Workspace 6 recently.
It's become such a hub of complementary businesses and like-minded people that the collective buzz throughout the week will keep you as energised as the dozens of carafes of Good Beans coffee relentlessly being brewed in our Moccamaster.
Coincidentally, yesterday marked 9 years to the day that I took over Workspace 6. Running a space intended to be a community hub came naturally to me. It is what I learned to do with my shop in Atlanta nearly 20 years ago after volunteering at bike co-ops.
The ripples from those years have created vast waves of serendipity throughout my professional and personal life ever since. Workspace 6 was, in itself, a beautiful and serendipitous continuation of that ethos. I only got to know Paul, WS6's former owner, because I had hosted an event at the space.
Yesterday, I discovered Laís de Oliveira's Engineering Serendipity: Collision Theory Applied to Community Building while preparing this issue, and her elements of serendipity made total sense to me:
- a. ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Frequency: keeping a cadence of encounters consistent over time.
- b. 🌫️ Density: curate and design spaces conducive to relevant conversations
- c. ⚗️ Catalysts: optimize for relevance by leveraging anything that accelerates trust and leads to successful connections
"To engineer serendipity, manage the variables you can. Let go of the rest." – Laís de Oliveira
I see the (a.) frequency at which we host events at WS6 is nearly monthly, the (b.) the congenial concentration of cycling-stoked or bike-adjacent entrepreneurs has reached critical mass (we have Amy of Amateur Hour custom bags moving in this week!) and (c.) catalysts for relevance ricocheting nearly daily from social media posts like the one that inspired Ken's post below or our regular surprise visitors who simply stop by to say hello!
The next time I take a photo Under The Tracks, what catches my eye will guide my aim, but for those in the frame, they may also see a place from which vital support, friendship and inspiration came! I'm grateful for that!
Speaking of serendipity, this week is Bespoked Dresden! I hope to see many of you there!
As always, thank you for reading & have a great week ahead,
Jon
p.s.
🎵 Some tracks on deck last week: Y.O.P.E., 'Music for Dogs', Lots of Trauma Ray, Труп Колдуна's Two Stars in the Sky and yes, also the Turnstile Versions album ; )
September
- 🇳🇱 9 Wheelrunner Wednesdays 6:30am
- 🇳🇱 10 Gregario Gossip Club Thursdays 7:15am
- 🇳🇱 10 The Mechanics of Joy with Tom Parr
- 🇩🇪 11-13 Bespoked Dresden
- 🇪🇸 18-20 Sea Otter Europe
- 🇳🇱 19-20 Open Nederlands Kampioenschap Fietskoerieren
- 🇫🇷 23-27 Concours de Machines ÉDITION MAURIENNE GALIBIER
October
- 🇫🇷 3-4 Cezanne Cyclo
- 🇳🇱 4 Pathfinder Giro Eindhoven
- 🇳🇱 12-13 International Cargo Bike Festival
- 🇹🇷 14-24 Taurus Mountain Race
- 🇯🇵 23-25 Bespoked Osaka
Bikes
Veloe® Debuts "Limited Espresso Edition" multi and multi lungo e-cargobikes
This cyclist challenged himself to ride every street in Toronto — 6 years later, he’s done
Matt Hansen
"He’d seen a friend, Donna Winters, post about Wandrer, a website that tracks the roads and paths you’ve explored. Laird decided to give it a try around his own neighbourhood in Leslieville. If you aren’t familiar with Wandrer, it’s pretty neat and really encourages riders to try new roads." Read the story here!
Bikes of The Alps Divide 2026
Ideas
Go Dharmic' Compassion in Action Fundraiser for
March for a safer Ronde Hoep after Nina's death: ‘We want to prevent the same thing from happening to another family’
The Moral Authority Of Animals
Jay Griffiths
"A troupe of baboons was reportedly near a mountain road in Saudi Arabia in 2000 when one was hit and killed by a car. The whole group gathered in grief and fury, watching every vehicle that went by for three days until the car that had killed their friend passed again on that stretch of road. They chucked rocks, forcing the car to stop, then shattered the windscreen. The driver, fearing for his life, had to flee." Quite the long read that will have you convinced if you weren't already!
Friends
Ken of LBO Koerier's Representation of Collaboration & Helping Each Other Out
Manu & Katrien's Full Package Holiday in Kyrgystan
The Bohemian Border Bash is underway!
Radness
Lowland Fixed Gear's 2 Year Birthday 14.11.26 at Workspace 6
Thank you for reading!
Here's to capturing more than meets the eye this week!