Recruiting Your Friends

[ShawnoftheDread]

Everyone I know either vocally thinks I’m crazy, or says “good for you” and quietly thinks I’m crazy.

[KelOnWheels]

@ShawnoftheDread 45006 wrote:

Everyone I know either vocally thinks I’m crazy, or says “good for you” and quietly thinks I’m crazy.

Bless your heart.

[DismalScientist]

@ShawnoftheDread 45006 wrote:

Everyone I know either vocally thinks I’m crazy, or says “good for you” and quietly thinks I’m crazy.

Everyone’s behavior due to this Freezing Saddles thing isn’t helping matters.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ShawnoftheDread 45006 wrote:

Everyone I know either vocally thinks I’m crazy, or says “good for you” and quietly thinks I’m crazy.

+1 Sometimes I’ll get the “I’ve been thinking of trying to ride my bike to work” response, only to then get the “I was just saying that to be nice” look when I offer to ride with them or help them actually do it.

[vvill]

I “convinced” a colleague to bike to work, and even after getting hit by a car on a rainy ride, he’s still riding – on his second new bike after insurance got him a new one. (Mostly I just helped answer his questions and gave him lots of suggestions – he was interested in the first place.)

Another colleague was already a bike commuter and fan of cycling (as in the sport where you race road bikes).

I don’t think anyone thinks I’m any crazier than they already think I am due to my riding.

[dasgeh]

At work, I think I’ve gotten some people to at least think about doing CaBi when the weather warms up, mostly because we’re stuck in a corner of DC with lots of CaBi stations and not much else (near State Department).

In my social circles, I’ve had more luck talking to people about the joys of biking around to do errands, especially with kids. My points are: (1) kids enjoy the bike, so “let’s go to the grocery”–> GROAN, turns into “let’s take a bike ride to the grocery store”–>”YAY”; (2) packing kids into the car is a pain unto itself (especially if they don’t want to be packed into said car), getting on a bike is not much harder; (3) parents of kids NEVER* get as much exercise as they’d like – this is multitasking; (4) bike parking in the R-B corridor is SO MUCH easier than parking.

Not that I’ve had a ton of luck so far, but people have definitely perked up at the suggestion, and some have even bought the equipment to bike with kids.

*Tim Kelley excepted

[vvill]

@dasgeh 45020 wrote:

(3) parents of kids NEVER* get as much exercise as they’d like – this is multitasking;

This is one of the reasons I started riding more after I had my 2nd kid.

[Birdstrike]

@dasgeh 45020 wrote:

Not that I’ve had a ton of luck so far…

Maybe we’re chosen and predestined to be cyclists…

[rcannon100]

This is a conversation we have had at work several times. Strong variables for getting more people to bike to work seems to be

(a) seeing their peers biking to work – talking with you in the elevator as you stink your way up to your office

and

(b) facilities. Quality bike parking, lockers, shower (and of course facilities outside your place of work – like bike routes).

There are lots of specific strategies that help. Bike to Work Month / Day is May. That is an excellent time to do some high visibility stuff. Invite WABA in to do a class. Form a bike team to go on tours and take challenges.

I think the biggest thing we did recently to increase the number of cyclists… was get new bike racks (lost the wheel benders, installed inverted Us – and more of them). Build it and they will come.

[Arlingtonrider]

@DismalScientist 45013 wrote:

Everyone’s behavior due to this Freezing Saddles thing isn’t helping matters.

Case in point. (Referring, of course, to your 75.4 mile extended commute home last night!)

[baiskeli]

I used to go door to door in full spandex and ELITE gear and ask to spend a hour talking about the virtues of cycling. I didn’t get many recruits.

[KelOnWheels]

@rcannon100 45031 wrote:

I think the biggest thing we did recently to increase the number of cyclists… was get new bike racks (lost the wheel benders, installed inverted Us – and more of them). Build it and they will come.

Hey arlingtonrider, can you talk DOL into getting some real bike racks out front? The ones out there now are TERRIBLE.

[acc]

It’s like religion. I do my thing.

If someone asks, I’ll talk about cycling.
I’m happy to be a reference.

But I’m not an evangelist.

[krazygl00]

I’ve tried in the past, but most of my endeavors resulted in me riding a road bike, fully kitted up, for a very slow 10 miles with one or a few people on “bikes” of varying degrees of dilapidation, punctuated with stops to blow noses or drink water (no real cyclist stops to do those things) or make repairs to hopelessly cheap components. And amongst those people in my outreach experiments were several who were “training for a triathlon”. None were ever interested in getting more serious about riding or doing longer or faster distances. Sometimes I thought some of them were just out for a free tuneup.

So I’ve since relinquished being the Bike Ambassador, offering an introductory hand to road cycling to any who might be interested at no matter what level. If my wife or any of our friends propose a bike ride on a nice Spring day, I’ll diplomatically state that if I’m going for a ride it will be a certain distance at a certain pace. Not that I want to be a jerk, but I put a lot of time and effort into cycling, and I won’t ride for the sake of those who haven’t the same passion for it. My wife and some of our friends like to get together for guitars and singing; it would be akin to me saying I want to take the guitar for every song of the night (I don’t play), and that everyone has to bear with my craptastic non-playing. I pour the wine, sing along when I can and let them do their thing

I am now focusing my efforts on my own flesh and blood; seems like the most promise there. I once met a family — mom, dad, daughter and son — at a rest spot on the Silver Comet trail in Atlanta. The parents had clearly been riding seriously for years, and the kids — teen-aged — looked like they were well on their way, and were probably already junior racers. But most importantly, they were all really into it. I thought to myself that’s what I want when I have a family, so that’s been my cycling dream for my family since. I think learning to pursue that which bigger than oneself — that bigger climb, that longer distance or faster sprint — is one of the most valuable things I can pass to them. It’s ok to dawdle along on a cheap hybrid if you aren’t into cycling, but at least have something you pursue like no one else pursues.

The kids I think I can manage…my wife on the other hand…she still asks me how to change gears, so only slow progress so far. When the kids hit their teens…European Cycling Vacation here we come!

[Vicegrip]

I pulled one in the boat without even trying. A good friend mine saw how much fun/fitness I was getting out of my bike and got infected. He scored a nice Scott CR1 with ultregra drive line and brakes off Craigs list that was all there but in need of care and priced accordingly. He rode it a little to get a little bit of feel so we could get him fitted up and then we tore it down and stuffed the drive train and and brakes into the ultrasonic cleaner. He took the carbon frame home and polished it up like new. Fitted everythign backtogether with new cables and bar tape and it looks and runs like new. Just did the final tune up on it in the shop last night. He has a little bit of catching up to do but it looks like I might have a riding buddy from time to time.

I have been spending his money all over the place too. I found a Kurt road machine with a wheel ring, new in box, for $150, he jumped on it fast enough and he ordered a Garmin ant+ stick, HR strap and cadence unit so he can mouse wheel on TrainerRoad after his kids go to bed. We have been having a good time of it just rebuilding the bike.

[Author]

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