One bike, one wheel, one story: the journey of Tannus and "Bicicletas sin Fronteras"

Can a bicycle change a life? 

The answer comes from Palmarin, Senegal, where 12-year-old Anne Marie gets up before dawn to walk for hours to be on time for her 8 a.m. class. At the end of the school day, another 12km back home awaits her. She can sleep for a few hours and then it's back to square one the next day. Tomorrow she will be exhausted again by nightfall. No energy. Unable to study. No time for her daughter. No options. Until she showed up Bicicletas sin Fronteras (Bicycles without Borders). And a bicycle arrived. And then another. And then... Tannus.

Behind every great trip, there's a good story. And in this case, there is also a tire that never goes flat. Today we would like to tell you how the collaboration between the two companies began and how it has evolved. Tannus y Bicicletas sin Fronteras (BSF). A real story, of people, told with pride and that goes far beyond the bicycle: it speaks of opportunities, education and real social impact. 

This is not about numbers and figures, this is about Anne Marie and Mustapha Seck, who managed to study Portuguese and German at the University. It is also about Abdou. And of the more than 5,000 children to whom BsF has given a bike to date.00

2012: The starting point

Girona is the birthplace of Bicicletas sin Fronteras (Bicycles without Borders)BSF, an association that has been committed from the beginning to the bicycle as a tool for social transformation. Since its inception, BSF has focused on projects that use the bicycle as a means to generate opportunities. One of its most important projects was the "Bicycles for education".developed in Palmarin, Senegalwhere the need was urgent: many children walk for more than a day. 10 km per day The alternative to walking? The bus, where the price of a trip is the equivalent of a whole day's salary for the average parent. An unfeasible option. 

We're not just talking about distance: we're talking about fatigue, interrupted sleep, absences and, above all, absenteeism and missed opportunities. Of impossibilities.

2015: The problem is the road, not the school.

In 2015, BSF began direct action in Palmarin. They discovered that the tschool dropout was a barrier and led to dropout and poorer academic results.. They had clear the solution: give them a bicycle. But it could not be any bicycle. The conditions of the terrain and the lack of resources for maintenance made it essential to have a model that would not fail, that was robust and above all: not to puncture.

2017: Tannus enters the scene

At that moment, the following appeared Tannus. It was the beginning of a collaboration that continues to grow today.

A first donation of 220 anti-puncture tiresThe goal? To facilitate daily access to education by eliminating the most frequent obstacle: punctures. With Tannus Tires solid tires, the result was immediate and measurable.

Tannus puncture-proof tires significantly reduced school absenteeism by eliminating puncture-related problems, facilitating travel and reducing time and effort.

BICYCLES = RECORD ACADEMIC RESULTS

In the two years following the distribution of bicycles equipped with our tires, Palmarin's institute broke recordsThe highest pass rate in the BAC (university entrance exam) in the entire Fatick region.

And the best part: the students stopped skipping classes. Because there was no more fatigue and hours of commuting . Because the bikes worked. Because the Tannus tires worked. There was not only more comfort, but also more time and energy to study. More future. 

Reduces school absenteeism + Increases study time = Improves achievement  

A grueling hours-long drive turned into a 20-minute walk...

2018: More covers, more impact

The relationship did not take long to consolidate, and grew hand in hand.

With 500 more covers the project went further. The mechanics mounted them and made the bikes their own by mounting the Tannus tires playing with the colors of the Senegalese flag. In addition to a sense of belonging and community, it generated tangible benefits and new positive effects:

• The following were created local jobssome of them for women (not at all common).
  
• Women community members participated in the assembly of covers.
  
• The following were generated additional income in the area.
  
• The company consolidated a maintenance network and workshops.

BSF President Romà Boule said that the collaboration with Tannus also activated the project and attracted new partnerships: Decathlon, SEUR Foundationand more entities joined the project.

2018: How does the "Bikes for Education" project work?

The bicycles are delivered to the school at the beginning of the school year to students who have requested them for an annual fee of 9 €. This covers the cost of repairs, maintenance and mechanics' salaries. At the end of the school year, at the end of June, the entire fleet is returned to the Bicicletas sin Fronteras management center and is prepared for the next school year.

What criteria does "Bikes for Education" follow? A fundamental criterion is the distance from their home to the center, but each school studies the cases of the students to distribute it as fairly as possible. There were cases of students who lived more than 10 km away but did not apply for a bike. Why? Because they lived next to the busy national highway and never had the opportunity to learn to ride a bike. Programs were activated to teach cycling. Once the students farthest from the center are served, another criterion is to help the best students in each class, as a reward and incentive. The family situation of the students is also a determining factor.

2019: The Baobike is born: a unique bike.

Sometimes, to make big changes you need to start from scratch.

Until 2019, reclaimed or donated bicycles were repaired and delivered to students: e-bikesBrompton, brompton, touring bikes... All kinds. This variety complicates the life of the bike, repairs and management. Hence the BAOBIKE was born:

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It is the future. The Baobike represents a step forward in the project and a declaration of intent. Create your own bike and ride it in Senegal. Together with Momabikes and Tannus, BSF created the Baobike, a bike designed specifically for Senegal. No gears, no fragile parts. Just the essentials, back to the essence of the bike. Simple, robust and with puncture-resistant tires. Tannus Razorblade 26" in lemon color.

Why this model?

• Because it is light.
  
• Because it is long-lasting.
  
• Because it is stable both on asphalt and gravel roads.
  

And above all: because it is never punctured. No air, no inner tube, no maintenance. Just what you need when every ride matters and the most important thing is getting there.

A small assembly factory was established in Palmarin, creating jobs and training local youth in bicycle assembly and maintenance.

2020: Sponsor a bike, sponsor a future

In 2020, the program was launched Baobikes sponsorship. For only 180 €In addition, anyone could finance the manufacture, assembly, delivery and annual maintenance of a Baobike.

This money also helped to create infrastructure: workshops, training of school mechanics and, above all, the sustainability of the project.

The results were, again, impressive:

• The students arrive on time.
  
• Arriving less tired.
  
• Improves the academic performance.
  
• Lower the truancy.
  

2020-2024: Hundreds of bikes, hundreds of stories.

2020 started with a goal: to deliver more than 500 bicycles equipped with Tannus Tires. By June, 400 baobikes had already arrived in Palmarin, despite the pandemic. And the number continues to grow.

In 2023 alone, BsF delivered 412 new bicycles to continue adding strength to the project, to which hangars, workshops and trained mechanics continue to be added. Not only does it improve access to education: transforms communities. From local job creation, to technical training, to women's empowerment and sustainable development.

But 412 bicycles is not just a number. They are 412 boys and girls, with names and surnames, who thanks to a bicycle have more aspirations and facilities.

2023: THE BAOBIKE AT SEA OTTER EUROPE

The project continues to grow and, with the help of TannusBaobike arrives at one of the largest cycling fairs in Europe: Sea Otter in Girona. The baobike was presented in a crowded event and many visitors came to see first hand the features of the Baobike. A presentation that was a great success. 

SOME DATA AS OF TODAY

We have already said that this is not about numbers, but about lives and the future. However, some data can help us to become aware of the magnitude and impact of the project:

• 9200 students have benefited of the program Bicycles for Education
• With more than 2350 bicycles delivered in Senegal
• With +90 minutes of daily time saved
• 6km average distance from home to school
• 5 times more energy saved in students thanks to bicycles
• From 31% to 57%: percentage of access to the University
• 16 years old is the average age of students with bicycles. 43% girls and 57% boys.

2025: AND NOW... WHAT NOW?

The project continues to move forward, and you can continue to support it. Recently, Ciclosfera and BsF have set themselves the challenge of delivering 20 more Baobikes this year to Senegal.

It's been more than 6 years since the first Baobike, so, who knows if we will have something new sooner rather than later... What is certain is that Tannus will continue pedaling withBicicletas sin Fronteras. Because a bicycle changes lives. And a bicycle that never breaks down, does it even more..

DO YOU REMEMBER ANNE MARIE?

This project not only changed his life. It also changed her daughter's and her entire family's lives. Being a mother at the age of 16, it would have been impossible for her to continue her studies by having to walk long distances every day, as she could not take care of her daughter, and she was forced to drop out of school. With the bike that was given to her, her mother was able to take care of her granddaughter during school hours, and Anne Marie spent less than 1 hour a day on transportation. This allowed her to combine her studies with taking care of little Angélique. 

He was never late and finished his studies at the University of Dakar, and now he is an active part of the BSF project, and has become a fundamental pillar of the project. So he has become a key pillar of the project. a single bike did not change his life, but that of his daughter, his entire family and his family. and that of many other children who benefit from the project, which is supported by people like Anne Marie.

Can a bike change a life? 

The answer is already clear to you.