Sylvia Crum, Executive Director
Photo by Roger Courts
Sylvia loves to ride her bicycle. But it hasn’t always been that way. As a kid, she was a clumsy rider, with several memorable falls and scraps. As an adult, bicycling just never seemed like much of an option. But in her mid-thirties, Sylvia started riding around Memphis, with a small child in tow. One child became two, and Sylvia couldn’t wait to get the newborn out on a bike, too. After lugging two kids in a heavy trailer behind her light road bike, Sylvia and her husband, Teddy, decided they had to have a cargo bike. But where to get one? The opportunity arose to attend United Bicycle Institute, in Oregon. And while there, the Crums bought their first cargo bike and outfitted for their family.
In August 2014, Sylvia ramped up her involvement in the Memphis cycling community by becoming the first paid director of Revolutions Bicycle Cooperative, a community shop founded in 2002 and headquartered in the basement of First Congregational Church. One of her main goals for the group: boost outreach to folks who are where she was in 2012–sincerely interested in riding, but shaky on how to get started.
Sylvia’s preferred type of riding is for transportation. She likes to ride to the park and library, with her kids, or to one of Memphis’ new breweries or the grocery store. To help others learn how to ride this way, Sylvia added “Women’s Bike Chats,” slow group rides and Bike to Dinner rides to Revolutions’ calendar of events.
A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, where she majored in Chemistry and minored in Africana Studies, Sylvia also completed the course at United Bicycle Institute that resulted in her certification as a Professional Bicycle Mechanic. Sylvia has lived in four states and three countries. And though she still loves to travel, she and her family love that they found Memphis for their permanent home! “Wave if you see us out on our bikes. We hope you’ll come riding with us, soon!”
To contact Sylvia, please email: infoATrevolutionsmemphisDOTcom,
or call: 901-726-6409
Doug DuBose, Head Mechanic
Doug joined Revolutions in March of 2016. Doug says of himself, “I love bikes and I’ve been riding since I was five years old. It’s the easiest and most fun way to stay in shape. I’ve been wrenching, at the pro level, for five years, but I’ve worked with tools all of my life. I prefer road riding, mostly, because I can just walk outside and start riding, as opposed to going somewhere by car and then starting a ride.”
We’re pleased to have Doug in the Shop. He helps us raise money for our programs by overhauling bikes to sell, fixing up bikes for folks who don’t want to do it themselves and answering our hard questions.
Jon Pegg, Shop Manager
Jon joined Revolutions as Staff, in July 2016. He says, “Bicycling gives me the unique
opportunity to seek out new adventures where I can go 
places that are too far to walk or too narrow to drive. Whether that be in my local neighborhood, the city streets, or state parks in the wild outdoors. Cycling leads me to new paths, sights and sounds that I would otherwise never get to experience. By interacting with the environment around me, riding a bicycle creates a community that grows a love for people, neighborhoods, and the outdoor spaces that shape our city. My love of bicycles is to appreciate a functioning tool and design that is in itself an art form that meets our needs whether that be for leisure, exercise or commuting. It is my goal to encourage others in cycling by giving them the opportunity to be self sufficient and discover these same wonderful adventures.
