Bike Week
The Chico ER has had several articles of late about bicycle commuting. The combination of "Bike Week" and the unprecedented price of auto fuel has created the "perfect storm" for the bicycling advocates to get their point across. As a devoted bicycle enthusiast, I have read with interest the various tips and motivations for getting out there to ride. I haven't yet read anything that really gets at the objections most people have to bicycle commuting. So I thought I might file a series of blog entries with tips to someone thinking about using a bike to replace their car. I think the news articles have missed a lot of important information which could be helpful.
Tip 1: Don't ride a shiny, new expensive bike. You know, like the person on the cover of the ER today. Even if it doesn't get stolen the first week, you will stress out over it every time you ride. Next time you are downtown, take a look at some of the bikes you see in the racks. The best commuter bikes are converted old road and touring bikes with slick tires and ugly, scratched up paint jobs. I'm not talking about junk here. The key is to have an ugly, older bike that rides really well. This can be achieved by scouring the newspaper or ebay. Find an old road bike (say, 90's vintage) in good shape THAT FITS YOU. Then take it to your local bike shop and say you want to convert it to a "townie". They'll know what you mean. Mid-size slick tires, upright handlebars, comfortable seat, rack and pannier. If you shop wisely it won't cost much money, and it can be fun picking out the pieces. Put stickers all over it or give it a nasty spray paint job to repel thieves....I'm telling you it really works. You will still have to lock it to discourage "joy riders", but the drug addicts won't see your bike as a quick score, so a cheap lock is all you need.
I'll continue this discussion at a later date.