I'm not sure if this officially makes me an old fart or a sensible commuter, but I have entered the world of commuter bicycles. This is the Specialized Globe City 7.1. It is much more practical and easy to ride than my road bike, and I don't have to wear that silly spandex and the special shoes, which make walking a challenge, and public ridicule a social event.The Specialized catalog says the Globe is "for riders who believe that riding a bike is better than driving a car." Hey -- that's me!
The good people at my local bike shop (also less than a mile away) are ordering one for me, and it and me should be on the road by Friday. The owner is looking forward to seeing one, since they do not stock them - yet. I am part guinea pig in this, but it's more guinea than pig, I assure you. For a cyclist, a good shop is like a good auto mechanic. Trusted, honest and hard-working people are invaluable, and the Action Wheels group is as good as it gets.
There are way too many short car trips in my daily activities (especially on weekends), and every time I start the car to go a mile and back, I get a little more aggravated at (a) the price of gasoline (b) the "hidden" cost of starting and stopping the car on short trips and (c) the fact that it's just far enough to drive but too long to walk and carry bags and junk. So, the bike seems to be the best answer, and with the ever-increasing price of gasoline, it will only take about 200 miles for this little fella to pay for itself in both auto expenses and physical health. I'm 6 miles from my fitness center, 2 miles from a really good sandwich shop and about 4 miles from a town with a lot of restaurants and shops that would make perfect trips for a bike, but are too far to walk to. Plus, the bus that runs into Philadelphia has a rack on the front, so I can take the bike on a day-trip.
The good people at my local bike shop (also less than a mile away) are ordering one for me, and it and me should be on the road by Friday. The owner is looking forward to seeing one, since they do not stock them - yet. I am part guinea pig in this, but it's more guinea than pig, I assure you. For a cyclist, a good shop is like a good auto mechanic. Trusted, honest and hard-working people are invaluable, and the Action Wheels group is as good as it gets.I can't help but think that I am a little ahead of the curve here, but better to be ahead than to have to catch up. As gas prices inch toward $4, even the fat-ass crowd will start to see the practicality of 2-wheeled transport. The problems start when you realize that the roadway system is not made for bicycles and that people seem to feel the need for speed, since our lives are increasingly cluttered, requiring us to go from place to place as quickly as possible. Maybe ... just maybe ... the high price of gasoline will have some ancillary effect. That of making us, by necessity, slow down and economize our vehicle usage. Maybe. I have been wrong before, like when I thought that people would give up smoking when cigarettes reached a dollar a pack. That was 4 dollars ago, and they are still puffing, social anathema notwithstanding.
The fact is, we love our cars and they will be taken from our cold, dead hands. My problems will arise as I try to negotiate busy streets that were never constructed for bikes. While I am forced to respect anything that weighs 5,000 pounds more than me, there will undoubtedly be times when I will have to restrain myself from throwing a bottle or saluting with one finger the motorist who cuts me off or squeezes me into the soft shoulder because they cannot bear to be a second late for that big scoop of Dippy's ice cream.
Screw 'em. Four-dollar a gallon autoslaves.
5 comments:
I was going to hit you up for some more biking advice.....but until I do (waiting for finals to be over which will allow me to mold my mind around something else)......I'll comment. Awesome that you are moving toward biking for more activities. I myself want to, but I dread it around here. Savannah roads are SO not made for bikes and I try to give much way when I do see them because I would want the same in return. Although I must say some of those bikers just ride down the middle of the lane and will not move......
There are only two bikes shops around here, one gets better reviews than the other. I may wait until I return to Atlanta...but still I will be too far out from places I need to go to ride, but, G-man plans on riding through some trails with me which is a good sign (I'm trying to refrain from reminding him of his ever-growing tool shed...)
I doubt folks will rely less on their vehicle.....I simply don't see it happenin, although I wish they would.
I said in the next week i will start riding my bike to work. Why am I waiting? Because I drive home everyday and walk my dogs on my lunch, and next week the kiddies are out of school and they'll be able to walk the dogs and I won't have to. I'll get my exercise peddling and I'll be saving gas too.
I will no longer be a slave to the oil company. Take that. ha!
red: they probably won't. It's in my Utopian dream world that people react to change.
kimmyk: The seat on my road bike could be used to cut cheese, so it's funny to me when I see riders in our spin classes using seat pads. Those things are like La-Z-Boy's compared to what I ride. But, the more you ride it, the more you'll get accustomed to it.
Lots of bad things happen to cars on short trips. Water accumulates in the exhaust system, engines don't warm sufficiently and, of course, the gasoline. Riding to work is a great choice for a lot of reasons.
I'm still trying to figure a way to do it, but three bus transfers and 3 hours isn't a practical solution right now.
When I bought my bike about 3 years ago it had one of them ass-splitter seats as well. I now have a gel padded one, but even it gets tiring after more than an hour in the saddle.
As for safe riding, I avoid busy roads at all costs and will ride down the sidewalk when I can.
The only thing I don't wear is a helmet. If I manage to fall off and crack my melon then I only have myself to blame.
when you enter the Corestates, er Commerce Bike race, then you will be my hero
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