Dorkness Visible

So it turns out that when you ride a big heavy commuter bike that’s laden down with clothes and books all week, a weekend spin on a road bike is weirdly liberating. It’s almost like having no bicycle at all.

Which doesn’t mean that I haven’t been totally digging the big heavy bike. It’s been a while since I rode in downtown rush hour traffic, so I’m trying to be as visible as possible. In the day that just means my big yellow reflective jacket. But I’m working two evenings a week, when I take the train home. Usually then I’m wearing my black leather jacket, which is far from ideal for the night-time mile or so from the MARTA station to my house. Luckily there’s this incredibly dorky solution, which I’ve just ordered:

Brilliantly visible, in a wonderfully silly sort of way. Once it arrives, I’m sure I’ll get a weird bust of satisfaction from strapping a giant triangle to myself. Maybe I’ll wear it around the house just for fun.

On another note, this is the first piece I’ve read that acknowledges the cyclists who seem totally unreached by mainstream bike culture. It could be my own ignorance – and I really hope it is – but there seems to be a massive disconnect between bike advocacy and low income cyclists, particularly immigrants. Does anyone know if there are many Spanish language bike groups? I see plenty of advocacy for bike commuters like me, people who are middle class or nearly so, and strap giant dorky reflective triangles to themselves. But because a lot of that sort of thing centers around bike stores (not to mention people with internet access), I don’t see signs of much outreach to people who can’t afford to buy cool reflective stuff and nifty panniers.

Do collectives like Atlanta’s SOPO reach the city’s immigrant communities? Are there other groups out there helping low income bike commuters to maintain their bikes and have access to the equipment needed for safe riding? I hope so, and that my lack of awareness of them is a function of my own ignorance.

Up to Speed

So I’ll be back in the full swing of bike commuting come early January, after over half a year doing most of my work from home (and so most of my cycling on my road bike). Which means that it’s time to get my city bike back into shape. Not that I haven’t been riding it regularly, but it does need a little care and attention for the fifty-odd miles I’ll be putting on it each week. Nothing too drastic though. Just a good oil and clean of the chain, along with some new grips and a new saddle.

My old grips had reached that point of deterioration where they were leaving little black flecks on my hands. And they’d always slipped around a bit. Some hairspray on the inside of the new ones has them securely in place.

But it’s the new saddle that’s the best change of all. I wore through the springs on my old one, so it needed replacing. I had rather naively thought that I could pony up $30 or so for something decent. Once in the bike store, however, I felt the lure of the Brooks saddles, and succumbed to the all-too-convincing sales pitch of the bike store dude, who pointed out that if I went the Brooks route I’d be buying my next one in thirty years or so.

Plus which, they’re just so lovely. I mean… leather! I feel that a Brooks saddle somehow makes my life more Victorian. I already shave with a brush and soap, so why not bring my cycling into sync with my personal grooming?

Anyway, several rationalizations and more money than I care to mention later…

Lovely, innit? As it’s leather I have to anoint it with special oils on a regular basis during the breaking-in period, and wait for it to mold itself into the shape of my ass cheeks. But already it’s quite deliciously comfortable.

On another note, I can’t quite decide whether I think this article is awesome or slightly annoying. It’s about the political implications of cycling, and particularly Critical Mass, local bike collectives and the general impact that getting around by bike has on the way you relate to the world. On the one hand it does a very nice job of examining the politics of cycling. But buried in here are some slightly annoying binaries. The piece seems to subtly equate following traffic laws and wearing helmets with a lack of radicalism, while providing a heroic narrative for youthful bike subculture (while simultaneously arguing that said subculture transcends intergenerational boundaries).

Um… can’t I have my politicized cycling without unnecessary head injuries? If you believe this piece, no-one who attends Critical Mass wears helmets and follows the basic rules of the road in their regular biking lives. Since when did a styrofoam exoskeleton on your noggin make you pro-car? And since when did biking on the right side of the road efface the independence and rejection of the automotive status quo that comes with getting around by bike?

Or maybe I’m being too cranky here. Thoughts?

Errol Morris Bicycle Themed Cheap Beer Ad

This ad perfectly combines three things: opposition to oil consumption, appreciation for cycling and a love of cheep beer. Enjoy!

Out of Gas

The sense that, to quote Robert Carlyle’s character in Formula 51/51st State, the United States is “Albania in neon” has been compounded this week by the fact that Atlanta has run out of gas. Every gas station I’ve passed has those little covers over the pumps, thanks to hurricanes Gustav and Ike (we get our fuel from the Gulf of Mexico in these here parts), together with generally poor refining capacity. It’s the 1970s all over again! But hopefully not the 1930s. Rosh Hashanah is nearly here, and I don’t think I can deal with the brownshirts.

Although a lot of people have been terribly inconvenienced, I’m horribly smug about how little this affects me. Today I did 16.62 miles of errand cycling (yes, I am obsessed with quantification), between lunch at Chic-Fil-A (they’re Christian fundamentalists, but oh so tasty), work in a coffee shop and a ride to the pub. And not a gallon of gasoline used. The perfect storm of self-satisfaction.

Technically speaking, we just need gas in order to do our weekly grocery run. If we broke it up into a few trips we could do it by bike right now. Or we could get an S.U.B. That is to say, a Sports Utility Bike or Xtracycle. In fact, what with the impending apocalypse and all, we’ve basically decided that this is where our next tax refund is going. Look, they’re gorgeous:

You can buy one outright, or get a kit to convert an existing bike. As LMS has a Raleigh in the garage that we use only for guests, we’re going to go the latter route. Which should mean that we can leave the car at home when buying food. Just the thing for the Mad Max future that most Atlantans are one empty gas tank away from ushering in.

On another, less apocalyptic note, according to the League of American Bicyclists, this great state of Georgia is 49th in our republic for bike friendliness. Screw you, West Virginia!

You’d look hotter in a helmet

So I’m seeing more and more people cycling without helmets. Maybe it’s because more people are using their bikes to get around these days, so there are more inexperienced cyclists out there. Or maybe it’s the pernicious influence of this study, which argued that motorists give cyclists more room if they’re not wearing a helmet. In either case, it’s really alarming.

Helmets save lives. And even if it is true that people without helmets are given more room by drivers (though I’m a bit skeptical of that), when you actually do fall off a bike they protect your noggin. Besides, if that study is right, it only sums up current driving culture, which can change over time. Were everyone to wear a helmet, drivers’ behaviour would presumably be different.

Anyway, all I know is that when I was in the emergency room after falling off my bike and breaking my wrist, the first thing every doctor I met asked me was, “were you wearing a helmet?” Perhaps I need a “you’d look hotter in a helmet” t-shirt. Because you really would. Not that you’re not hot now, of course.

On another note, Ride Smart has launched a “bike buddy” program, encouraging seasoned bike commuters to mentor new riders. A great idea, though probably not for me. Even if I weren’t working from home right now, I’d probably be so horribly cantankerous in the morning as to scare the other person away from cycling for life. But maybe someone else could do this. Someone who is, you know, a nicer person than me.

And be sure to check out the various links at the bottom of the bike buddy page, which include services such as a guaranteed ride home program and bicycle roadside assistance (though the former link appears to be dead right now).

Anyway, here in Atlanta gas has leapt 40 cents in one day following Hurricane Ike. LMS’s mum, who lives in Houston, is doing fine. I’m glad about that, and glad that we won’t need to fill the car up for at least two more weeks.

Make way for the JCC

Introducing a new Atlanta bike blogger, the Jewish City Chick. Welcome! JCC rides single speed here in town. I look forward to her musings about biking in this car-crazed metropolis.

Weekly Record

This week brought an all-time record in my cycling mileage: 73.51 miles. The crazy thing is, I did that Monday to Friday, in rides taken after I’d finished work for the day. Last night, while under the influence of a martini, some beers and a few gin and tonics, I contemplated a Stone Mountain run this morning to get that up to 100 miles. Strangely enough, I was too hungover after I woke up to even think about getting on a bike.

Of course, had I been crazy enough to do the Faster Mustache 24 I could have done a couple of centuries in one day. Erm… or not.

Are Fixies More Shabbat-Friendly?

Time to discuss the overlap of two things dear to my heart, cycling and being Jewish. Now I’m not even remotely observant, but I do know a good debate when I see one. And I was just reminded of this discussion on soc.culture.jewish.moderated, sent to me ages and ages ago by Cycledork.

In short, can observant Jews ride bicycles on Shabbat?

The answer, of course, depends on what you mean by “observant,” “ride,” “bicycle,” “Jew,” and “Shabbat.” But it also makes for an interesting discussion.

The crux of the matter lies with what constitutes work. If riding a bicycle is work, then no, obviously cycling is forbidden on Shabbat (unless, maybe, you’re just freewheeling downhill). But what if merely repairing a bicycle is work? Well then, of course, you need a track bike. As one of the participants suggests:

With all the great technological developments in Shabbat-compliant appliances and equipment — everything from stoves to electric wheelchairs and telephones that can be used on Shabbat — why is it so hard to make a bicycle that would satisfy the rabbinical authorities?  Take, for instance, my old track bike. No gears, no brakes, just direct chain drive without a freewheel, and the addition of some non-pneumatic tires could eliminate the risk of a flat tire.

Who knew?! Fixies aren’t just cool for their stripped-down aesthetic. They’re also appropriate for those who are Shomer Shabbos.

Note to self…

Smoking past a patrol car in your car is terrifying and stupid. Smoking past a bike cop on your bike, though, is just plain awesome.

I don’t have time to explain right now

So according to my blog stats, someone doing a search for “Kiefer Sutherland” ended up here. Could this be the secret to attracting readership?

Kiefer Sutherland!