SRAM, Shimano, and Trek Sound the Alarm on Federal Bike Infrastructure Cuts

A coalition of the largest names in cycling — SRAM, Shimano, Trek, and over a dozen advocacy groups — has formally warned Congress that federal investments in bike lanes, multi-use trails, and pedestrian safety are at serious risk in the next transportation bill. The stakes go beyond corporate self-interest. They go to whether the U.S. continues a 13-year trend of cycling safety improvements or reverses it.

The funding context

The federal funding mechanisms in question are largely from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed in 2021, which dedicated over $1.4 billion specifically for protected bike infrastructure and the Safe Routes to School program. As Congress drafts its next reauthorization (expected to pass before the BIL expires in 2026), early markup language has proposed substantial cuts to these line items — in some scenarios, eliminating bike-specific funding entirely and rolling cycling into a general "active transportation" pool with smaller total dollars.

The coalition's argument is straightforward: the current funding has demonstrably worked. NYC's protected bike lanes on 9th Avenue reduced all-user injuries by 58%. A 13-year analysis covering 17,000+ traffic fatalities and 77,000 severe injuries across major U.S. cities found that only physically separated protected lanes improve safety; painted lanes alone showed no statistical benefit. Cut the funding for the protected lanes, and the gains evaporate.

What the brands are actually saying

This is unusual territory for cycling brands. Most don't engage in transportation policy publicly — the typical lobbying focus is tariffs, trade, and component import rules. The coordinated coalition press release on federal infrastructure represents a shift.

SRAM's statement explicitly named the economic stakes: cycling-related retail sales, manufacturing, and tourism contribute over $80 billion annually to the U.S. economy, with significant local-economy impact in cities and rural areas alike. Cutting safety infrastructure makes cycling less appealing, fewer bikes get sold, and the downstream effects hit every link in the supply chain.

Trek's framing was more direct: "We can't sell families a $3,000 cargo bike and tell them to ride it on a road shoulder next to 65 mph traffic." That's a salesman's logic, but it's also an honest one. Demand for utility cycling — kids to school, groceries, commuting — has surged 4x since 2020. The infrastructure to make that demand safe has not kept pace, and federal cuts would widen the gap further.

The on-the-ground reality

Cities currently mid-build on bike networks are watching the federal debate nervously. Los Angeles is about to fill a critical gap on Marmion Way connecting two bike-friendly neighborhoods, with construction funded primarily by federal grants. Chicago is defending an aggressive bike-lane program that's added 50+ miles of protected infrastructure since 2023. Honolulu's bike lanes are already in degraded condition due to missing barriers and worn paint — the kind of maintenance that federal Safe Routes funding covers.

A coalition representative pointed out that bike infrastructure is, dollar-for-dollar, the most efficient transportation investment in any federal program. A mile of protected bike lane costs roughly $300,000 — one-tenth of a mile of urban highway. The throughput per dollar (people moved per hour per dollar of construction) is several multiples higher for cycling infrastructure than for any other mode.

What individual cyclists can do

The funding decisions happen at the federal level, but the political pressure that influences those decisions is local. A few concrete actions:

1. Comment during the reauthorization process. When the new transportation bill enters formal public comment (likely later this year), submit input via your House and Senate representatives. The infrastructure committees pay attention to volume. 2. Track your local advocacy organization. Groups like People for Bikes, Streets for All, and your state's bike federation are coordinating responses. Donating $50/year or attending one public hearing each year is a meaningful contribution. 3. Document near-misses and infrastructure failures. Most cities have apps or web forms for reporting unsafe bike infrastructure. Every reported issue adds data to the case that the current network is incomplete.

What this means for your riding

The infrastructure that lets you safely commute, train on quiet rural roads, or ride with your kids didn't appear by accident. It was built over the last 15 years by a combination of federal funding, state matching dollars, and persistent local advocacy. Cuts at the federal level would slow that build-out — and in many smaller cities that rely heavily on federal grants, would functionally stop it.

The cycling industry is paying attention because it has to. The question is whether enough individual cyclists are paying attention too. The next year of policy decisions will shape what the U.S. cycling environment looks like for a generation. Get loud, get involved, and don't assume someone else has it covered.