Rider, know thy bike.

As a rider, you must know the carnal insides of your bike. Take some time each week to explore the parts and movement of your steed. Buy a bottle of lube and give it some love. Make it a regular activity to check your bike over weekly if you ride most days. Check your brake pads, rims, tires, gears, and give everything a good wiggle. Curious about something you see? Do some research. Learn how it works.

Knowing, in this case, also implies a knowledge of how to fix your bike. Five miles may be a breeze on a happy bike, but throw in brake pads that are making love to your rim and the situation will quickly turn into the most miserable 5 miles of your life. These mishaps can be avoided by doing a quick inspection every time you get home, and before you take off. Carrying a basic bike tool kit with you (remember, you're already carrying lights around, right?) can work wonders for minor adjustments on the fly.

The better you know your bike, the better you'll be able to tell if something is off. You don't need to be an expert, but try to learn the simple repairs which only take ten minutes and a screwdriver will save you time hauling the bike around to shops. Riding an out of wack bike will cause more even more damage. Local bike shops carry an variety of bike tools--including multitools that fit very nicely in a frame bag, or wherever you stash your lights.

But, you ask, how do I learn how to fix my bike? Check your local bike shop for repair classes and join your local bike cooperative. Failing both of those, look into bike repair books and the interwebs. The resources are out there, the information is available, and you have the skill.

A mantra

"I will not feel bad when another cyclist passes me on the same trail."

Seems like people have begun to bike! I saw 5 other cyclists during my 1.5 mile commute this morning.

Yesterday morning's commute featured "biker vs. biker vs. jogger vs. goose". The goose won.

An ideal world

In an ideal world we can bike to all the things we need, and all year. We would live in places where work, grocery, entertainment, etc all all < 7 miles from you. The climate would be decent all year so that it would be comfortable to bike every day. In this world I would invest in an electric bike that would vastly increase how far I can bike and how much I can carry with me.

The origin of the Pink Monster

I've recently taken up biking again after many long years. That is, I haven't significantly biked since I was a kid. I attempted to bike in college, but I accidentally got myself into a resistance free lifestyle and was completely out of shape. I bought a $50 bike, rode it twice, and gave up.

This time is different. Last spring I was tromping through my family's garage and discovered 4 bikes: three I used as a kid, and one with a completely unknown origin. This I will call the Green Monster (GM). GM and its garage cohort were taken to the local bike cooperative to be inspected. All but GM were deemed scrap. GM turned out to be some sort of Schwinn from the 70s, and was back on the road after an afternoon of new tires, cables, and a few adjustments. GM and I bonded that spring, and I realized how much I still loved biking--even if I hadn't done it in 7 years.

This spring I broke out GM for a spring inspection and found some rust that I don't trust very much. Plus, it also needed some other overhaul work. That, along with the cruiser handlebars, led me to a search for a new bike.

My priorities for a new bike:

-something newer that I wouldn't have to worry about rust or the frame
-something that had the fittings for racks, fenders, etc.
-something with linear pull brakes since I know how to adjust and fix those
-road tires, or at least not knobby ones
-straight handlebars

I looked at all the nice new bikes at the local bike shops, and gagged at the $400 min for a 'good' bike. If local bike shops are out, then that left Meijer or WalMart. Yuck, and dangerous. So, where does a person of average means go to find a bike that doesn't cost as much as a month's rent? On a mission of last resort, I ended up at the bike coop again. Among all the nice fixed up road bikes and mountain bikes, there was a lovely little hybrid. Pulled it off the rack to find that it was pink and had Disney character stickers all over. Still, it was a newer bike that hit all of my specs. $75 later, it was mine.

I figured, now that I've actually spent a decent chunk of money on a bike, I'd better darn well start riding it.

It's not about the fast...

It's about the going.

This is my journey into replacing my car with a bike. To me, biking isn't about the fast, but instead about the journey there and back.