How Has A Bike Changed Your Life?

[Riley Casey]

The obvious question here Ann is, was anything else in your life covered in rhinestones before you took up biking?

To answer your real question however I’m on my second life in adult biking. I bought a Raleigh Tourist when I was thirty with a kids seat over the rear fender to take my new son around. I continued to ride with him across Rock Creek Park and around the neighborhood as he grew up and rode his own bikes. As soon as he hit adolescence ( aka the ” what parents? ” years ) the primary motivation for biking faded and the Raleigh was hung upside down in the garage. About 15 years ago I bought a succession of Cannondales each of three was stolen from the locked garage over the course of several years ( the insurance company finally excluded bikes ). I rode the park and various trails and worked my way up to 60 and 70 miles a day on the longest rides on cross bikes. I wasn’t much for road bikes and was too dumb to realize that 70 miles would have been a hell of a lot easier on a proper bike but there it is – or was .

Twelve years ago a medical condition required that I stop driving for six months. Literally overnight I was biking everywhere for everything and surprise surprise it was far more fun and just as practical as driving. Tipping over in front of a room full of people set me up for a new life and that fundamental change was not the medical condition, it was that realization that in a large North American urban area cars are utterly pointless for 98% of life. That made me look at cycling in an entirely new way, a way that seems a no brainer now in the days of WABA posters on every light pole and bike share omnipresent and bike racks in every downtown block. Back then it shocked and scared pretty much everyone I knew. Now my life is built around whats accessible by bike. I go to the grocery store that has bike racks rather than the one that doesn’t. I go several times a week because thats what I can reasonably carry in my panniers. It almost harks back to a 19th century motif the changes that have been wrought but I simply won’t drive unless I must and that must is a fairly high threshold.

Glad you bumped into the car that first time out. Sort of putting it on notice I suppose. :p

[KLizotte]

@Riley Casey 24828 wrote:

Now my life is built around whats accessible by bike. I go to the grocery store that has bike racks rather than the one that doesn’t. I go several times a week because thats what I can reasonably carry in my panniers. It almost harks back to a 19th century motif the changes that have been wrought but I simply won’t drive unless I must and that must is a fairly high threshold.

Similarly, when I lived in London, UK for 3.5 years I did not drive a single time. I walked a lot, and took public transit everywhere. It was remarkable how far and easy it was to travel around the country on buses and trains, and not just to cities; there is simply no comparable system in the US.

Because there were grocery stores big and small everywhere, I usually stopped at one every couple of days to pick up a few things. It was easy getting thru checkout because most people were only purchasing a small basket’s worth too. Most other stores/services I needed were within a ten minute’s walk from home or work. Not having to drive to strip malls on the weekend to do errands freed up a lot of time. If bikeshare had been available, I would have had even more transport choices. Not having to deal with the costs and hassles of car ownership was truly liberating. And all of the walking kept my weight down.

Oh, and the tube line I took to commute had trains spaced 30 seconds apart during rush hour. Now that was nice.

[Terpfan]

Allows me to control my own destiny versus being at the whim of gridlocked congestion/accidents or Metro with their stellar record of something breaking somewhere everytime. I also find it gives me more flexibility leaving work because I’m not as worried about an express bus schedule, etc. And, in my infinite laziness, it’s a good workout since it combines commuting time with the workout. I could definitely do a youtube to Alexandria residents and it would be: “Work in DC? Hate dedicating blocks of time for the gym? Bike to work. You can say screw Metro, cardio at a gym, and avoid traffic, plus it’s cheaper and scenic.”

[Dirt]

As a young child I hated riding around in a stroller. I hated being confined to a crib. I wanted to move, go places and stick my fingers in things. The bicycle allowed me to do those three things much better, faster and in a much more enjoyable way. That really hasn’t changed in the last 40+ years of riding. These days I just stick my fingers in more distant and exotic things.

Hugs and kisses,

Pete

[pfunkallstar]

Biking has a lot of knock-on effects for me – I am more focused, in better shape, and have plenty of meditative time each day to think about stuff and cats.

[RESTONTODC]

Since I bike to work, I have a happier and healthier lifestyle. The meditative time on trails with natural and people makes me a much better person.

[dasgeh]

I’m a happier person because of biking. I’m not at the whim of traffic or Metro in getting to and from work. I get fresh air and exercise pretty much every day. I get to work under my own power (ok, I have a little assist, but it’s just a little). I can talk to people and interact with my environment as I bike by. I can imagine that Roosevelt Island is a jungle and wild exotic animals are hiding in the foliage. When I’m out with my toddler, she’s between my arms and we can talk. She can signal the turns, or just hold both arms out in pure bliss. She can tell me what she sees. We sing “the wheels on the bike”. It makes the mundane (getting around) a happy experience.

It could be better, but even as it is, it’s pretty awesome.

[JimK]

I have saddle soars for the first time in my life. Help!

[ShawnoftheDread]

I talk to strangers on the interwebs more, and I had to shorten my belt.

[off2ride]

As a kid, I rode my bike around our hood. Got into motorcycles as I got older then eventually learned how to drive a car then that became my primary mode of transportation. Around 1993, I got myself a racing license and raced like a madman on weekends. Every weekend I was out racing. I’d load up the car with my rollers, blended my drinks the night before, slept early and pinned my number the next day to race. Most racers will say when you greet them on race day “eh same faces, different course”. I guess that’s true in any competitive event. I have a current racing license but I’m not really into packing my gear and driving off to race anymore. I’m lazy like that now. I just don’t feel like driving just to race!!! Ughh. I still have the fight in me but driving is not my thing. So I just ride my bike. It’s my drug of choice. My races happen while I’m commuting on the trail. hey, it’s good clean fun and free!!!

[KLizotte]

I’ve discovered wildlife that I didn’t know existed in such an urban area: Bald eagles, racoons, foxes, deer, turtles, beavers, osprey, herons, groundhogs, and rabbits.

[PotomacCyclist]

Congrats on the triathlon!

[Greenbelt]

My wife and I have enjoyed hanging out at our local bike shop so much that she ended up buying (most of) the place!

[jabberwocky]

I learned what dirt tastes like!

[Dirt]

@jabberwocky 24978 wrote:

I learned what dirt tastes like!

I’m not going to say anything here. It would be completely inappropriate and in poor taste.

[Author]

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