Did Bob Marley Ride a Bike?
I wear a picture of him around my neck, I drink his new beverage, I listen to many of his songs while riding, and I do what I can to carry his “Don’t worry about a thing” vibe within me….yeah, it should come as no surprise that I have huge respect and am a super big fan of the great Bob Marley.
But, Did Bob Marley Ride a Bike?
I know a lot about Bob, but the one thing I couldn’t seem to find the answer to was, “did he ride a bike?” I’ve done pretty much everything I can to find the answer. I’ve mentioned it to Richard at Cyclelicious (that dude seems to know absolutely everything about cycling), and he didn’t have the answer. I even wrote the Marley Family themselves, and got a reply saying they would ask the family and then post their reply on www.bobmarley.com. It’s been months now and I still haven’t seen it come up on the site.
So for now I’ve photoshopped this picture (thanks to my teammate, Myron) to show what Bob the Cyclist might have looked like. From what I know about Bob Marley, I’m convinced that he absolutely was a dude who liked to ride his bike. In fact, I can totally picture him rolling along the roads of Jamaica with a smile on his face.
So did he? Do you know if Bob Marley rode a bike? Send me anything you’ve got that leads to the answer.
Marley’s Mellow Mood
While I’m on the topic of Bob Marley, let me tell you about a great new drink that has been put out by his Family. It’s called Marley’s Mellow Mood and it’s not the easiest drink in the world to find….but so worth looking for. I first found out about it last December and have so far only located it in one location in Austin, but I sure hope it becomes more widespread.
In a world that seem to be pumping out more and more drinks to get you buzzed, Marley’s Mellow Mood is intended for the sole purpose of Calming your Soul, and Easing your Mind. And it works. When I drank my first can I immediately felt like I had just come back from an epic ride on the bike. I was totally relaxed and feeling good. I’m telling you man…this drink made me feel like the spirit of Bob Marley had just entered my body.
It tastes great, and the natural ingredients of Passion Flower, Hops, Chamomile, Valerian Root, Lemon Balm, and Melatonin put together one relaxing punch. Whether you’re a Marley fan, or just someone looking for a drink to put you in a Bob Marley state of mind, keep your eyes peeled for it.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to kick back with a Mellow Mood and crank up “Three Little Birds”.
Update:
Thanks to Michael Krause, I was able to find out about the photo posted below of Bob and a bike. We still don’t know that Bob was in fact a cyclist…but this is a great start. Any more updates or information are greatly appreciated.
The original of this picture bob is holding an acoustic guitar, obviously taken mid-late70s,the bike,the strange shadowing around the inner edge of the wheels is masking deep section rims…full carbon frame,external bb bolt through chain set,brake lever/paddle gear shifters,ergo drop bars on the other hand..not so easy to hide,a tad advanced technology for a 70s racer
As someone observed the right pedal is missing. Looking closely I do not see a chain but notice the saddle height, way up for a tall rider. It’s possible he posed holding someone else’s bike, but I think it’s much more likely there was a conversation about a bike project and he brought his out to show. How tall was he ? 6′ + ?
Merci Daryl pour toutes les belles choses et infos que recèle votre site.
C,
Etienne
Bonjour,
aussi fan de Bob, amateur de vélo. pour le peu que je sache, c’est juste pour une photo, pas de pédale ni de frein et encore moins sa taille vu la hauteur de la selle.
cordialement,
Etienne
Funny this pic showed up on a bicycle related forum recently and I noticed it had no pedals and also I cannot imagine Bob riding a road racing bike. A lot of Jamaicans road fixed gear bikes though back in the day. I could definitely see him on one of those.
No pedels on the bike. So how could bob ride this bike?
Yes when he was in England most of the band members an him moved around on their free time on bikes!!!
Fun article,and i’d guess he did ride a bike…but not one like you photoshopped…one with PEDALS lol ???
Funny pic! It sounds great!
Daryl; I could easily envision Bob Marley riding a bike, but in all likelihood not a drop-bar racing bike. I would envision an older, well-used bike with hi-riser handlebars and a basket on front and on the back.
He did ride bike and apparently made deliveries from his first record shop in Trench Town
he’s bicycle is located on the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston
That’s awesome, thanks for letting us know. Can’t believe it took 3 years for someone to give us information like this. We’ll have to check out the museum.
I am not sure the photo is real. That is Marley but the bike appears photoshopped into the picture. The bike may not be right for the period but I can’t say for sure. The sun is near high noon judging from the shadows on Bob’s face but the bike casts no shadow at all. Also the rims and wheels appear semi-translucent against the foreground. Look closely at the grass around the wheels and you will see the photo doesn’t look quite legit. Despite my questions about it the photo is an interesting image for sure.
Hi Matt, the photo is not real at all. I mention this in the article and explain about it being photoshopped.
Awesome Pic!!!
Oh, and Good luck with your search!
Man, I surprised you stayed awake after that drink! That is an herbal formula for helping people with sleeping problems.
Hahahaha, yeah it sure would be a great drink to get you to sleep. Thanks for checking out the post and for leaving your comments.
I received an e-mail today from one of our Loving the Bike Readers, Michael Krause, and he told me that there is a picture of Bob Marley riding a bike in the book “Exodus-Exile 1977” edited by Richard Williams. It’s located on page 55 and I’ve asked him to send it to me.
Through the power of blogging and social media, I was able to find my answer in less than a day. Thank you, Michael.
Soooo I asked my Dad (he taught me a lot about Bob and the culture of the Ratas when I was a kid) and he’s confident that since poverty was rampant and Bob lived for a while as an “outlaw” it’s more likely than not that he rode… I gotta say I agree with my dad – cause back home (a decade ago and earlier) it was just the thing to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIOwQ6SafUw
I really should have come to you when I was researching this. I didn’t realize that your Dad was such a Marley historian. If there’s anyone I know who can relate to what Bob would have experienced riding the roads of Jamaica….it’s you.
Awesome picture of Bob and the bike! I really hope you get an answer one day….I don’t know for sure, but I would guess that yes, he road a bike. I can picture him on cruiser in Jamaica.
Great post! 🙂
Yeah, Myron did a great job with that photo. I wish I had a real one of him riding, but even the Marley family doesn’t seem to have one.
Darryl
I’m also a big fan of Bob Marley and it would be great to think he shared with me a love of bikes. However, I think given the poor state of the roads in Jamaica during Bob’s time, he’s more likely to have ridden a mountain bike! But then again, Bob Marley would have made anything on two wheels look cool.
I’ve ridden a lot of roads in the Caribbean and I agree that back in the days of Bob the Jamaican roads were probably not all that great. I sure would have loved to ride with him.