MEET SUPER COMMUTER: EMELA MARTINO

Emela Martino grew up abroad, lived in cities around the world and has experienced a broad spectrum of bicycle, pedestrian and public transportation systems. But it wasn’t until she moved to Missoula, Montana in 2021 for her senior‑year study abroad semester that she discovered the freedom and joy of navigating a city by bicycle. This fall, we invite you to ride through Missoula and learn how Emela’s global journey led her to become our newest Planet Bike Super Commuter.

Emela spent her early years in a small-town northeast of Barcelona in Catalonia. Cycling wasn’t a major part of her childhood, but movement certainly was. She remembers a culture shaped by slow pace, walkability, and human‑powered travel. “There were plenty of pedestrian/biking only streets, plazas and roundabouts,” she recalls. “I’d walk or rollerblade more often to commute to school, to do groceries or meet friends.” Those early experiences helped shape the way she connects with her surroundings today.

Her move to the U.S. in 2021 awakened something new. Within days of arriving in Missoula, she and a few international friends stumbled upon a community bike shop called Free Cycles where she instantly felt welcomed into the community. “I couldn’t believe how incredible of a place it was!” Back home in Spain, most amenities were within a five‑minute walk. In Missoula, she suddenly had more distance to cover, and the bicycle quickly became her tool for exploring, connecting, and finding her place in a new city. Missoula’s big bike culture had won her over.

When her study abroad semester ended, she returned to Barcelona with her newfound passion for cycling. In a much larger city, she leaned into multimodal transportation, combining public transit with daily bike rides. “I found a pretty good balance between spending time on a bus and moving my legs. I was so glad I was able to bike a mere 20 minutes every day; it was my favorite part of the day!” she recalls.

After time in Barcelona and a short stint in Germany, Emela felt Missoula calling her back. In 2024, she returned and began working at Free Cycles, the very place where her cycling journey began. Her daily commute is now an essential part of her day, “The commute makes me feel more alive, gets my blood flowing and my legs moving! I’m able to see what’s around me and interact with my surroundings, saying hi to friends, seeing squirrels run around, stopping to smell flowers or pet a cat, and parking is easy peasy, too.”

Spring and fall are her favorite seasons to ride. “Those seasons are just stunning,” she says, “and biking is the best way to discover the most colorful corners of town during these seasons.” For her, the commute has brought a kind of freedom she has never experienced in her daily life and she loves it.

True to her roots at Free Cycles, Emela’s main ride is a Trek 520 touring bike that came from a donated frame at the shop. A coworker spotted its potential, and it’s been her trusty steed ever since.

She has two favorite pieces of gear. The first is her saddle which she also found at Free Cycles. This yellow SMP Selle TRK saddle in her words “has quite literally changed my life!” At first, she was hesitant due to its strange touring shape, but after testing it for a few miles, she realized that it was “THE ONE. Oh, how comfortable!” The second piece of gear she loves is her BOB trailer that also came from the shop and has been huge in expanding what she can haul and allowing her to cut down on car trips around town.

Emela has two main pieces of advice for cyclists. First, it’s very important to wear a helmet, “Most of my friends or coworkers don’t wear helmets, which makes me scared for their wellbeing.” You can’t protect your head enough. Her second bit of advice is that if your bike feels uncomfortable, don’t give up on it. She gets a lot of people coming into the shop ready to donate their bike and pick out another one. But once she asks a few questions about what they’re experiencing, offers some guidance, and talks through simple adjustments, “they end up keeping the bike!”

Emela is a Bike Mechanic Educator and social media coordinator at Free Cycles, where she works one‑on‑one with people to diagnose bike issues and teach them how to fix their own bikes. She is grateful for her work and loves the challenge and connection to her community. In her words, she feels that Free Cycles is “such a unique place that’s doing such great work with increasing biking accessibility and education in the community.” 

Across continents, cultures, and cities, Emela has experienced countless ways of moving through the world. She now finds herself happiest when part of her day includes a bike ride. No matter the season, you can find her pedaling through Missoula: alive, connected, and fully in her element.

Congratulations Emela, you are a Planet Bike Super Commuter!