commuting

“Ride to Atlantis” by James Gurney

I love riding my bike in warm, wet weather like this. Makes you feel good to be alive. Bummer is that I have to use “wet” lube which attracts debris. That and my glasses get all foggy.

I largely quit wearing “waterproof” gear a few years ago. I realized getting wet is worse than being wet. Like jumping into a cold swimming pool: get it over with and start having fun.

And without all those layers (rainpants especially) I feel sleek and slippery, like a dolphin or an otter. On a bike! Like all zealots I kind of pity my brethren who haven’t yet received this revelation, laboring along in their portable saunas while one thin bead of cold water drips down their back.

Warm beats dry. Wool is indeed your friend. Bring dry clothes for work.

see also: Bike Portland

In 2007, I bought this Soma Double Cross — notionally a cyclocross racing bike — for commuting. I fitted it with racks, full fenders, 32c touring tires, panniers, lights, the works.

It has never been an awesome build. I have never loved this bike. I call it a Frankenbike. It gets hand-me-down parts and tons of abuse.

But easy enough to hook up a trailer and turn it into a touring rig, or a kids-to-the-zoo hauler.

I rode one Short Track MTB race on it. So: for certain definitions of “mountain biking,” it’s a pretty capable “mountain bike.”

With my Vanilla out of commission, I swapped in my Selle Italia Flite saddle, hand-built road-racing wheels and 23c tires. With this humble bike — always a fair climber (and an excellent descender) — I could hold my own in a road race (at my category, anyway). It is only marginally heavier than my official “racing bike.” And frankly, if I’m looking to shave pounds to save seconds, my bikes carry way more excess meat than excess metal.

Stripped down like this, it would certainly make a capable fire-road randonneur.

And of course, I can race cyclocross on it. (Or rather, with it)

This homage to my battered do-it-all-pretty-well Soma was inspired by the challenge for this weekend’s Oregon Manifest:

The two-wheeled revolution won’t come on the saddle of a race bike or a specialty bike. The utility bike is the transportation mode of the future for millions of Americans who want to live healthier, more sustainable lives, but don’t think of themselves as “cyclists.” The key to realizing this future is thoughtful, innovative bike design that fills multiple needs and fits into their lives.

...which all sounds noble and awesome and exactly like my grotty old Soma. And yet, check out the Manifest’s Design Consideration (Group 2):

Integration: Individual design solutions and features should be integrated into a complete,
 harmonious aesthetic and functional whole, rather than a checklist of details. Each design element/feature should meld seamlessly with the entire bike.

The killer app of a basic steel triple-triangle 700c bicycle frame is interoperability. You can swap out wheels, tires, saddle, seatpost, chainrings, cogset, racks, fenders, and lighting to turn a minivan into a Range Rover. You can make it lighter and sportier in good weather, or more rugged and weatherly in the snow. Moreover, with mileage you realize that the non-frame stuff is gonna give: fenders snap, racks bend, panniers get grungey, saddles wear out, electronics corrode. But a quick trip to my Local Bike Shop and a few bucks sets all those things right.

For me, the key “design element” of a bike that “fills multiple needs and fits into [my] life” is the exact opposite of features that “meld seamlessly with the entire bike.”

Dave Moulton writes:

Pro-cycling change is happening all over the US, and I believe it is partly because of this change that the non cycling public is kicking against it; people don’t like change.

This is probably true but I think it's more than just fear of change driving anti-bike hatred. I think there's an element of cognitive dissonance or outright denial. No one thinks oil is getting cheaper; consider then that our prosperity is built entirely upon it. It's scary to confront the likelihood that our Happy Days are limited. We are entering a future where everything but physical labor will get more expensive; any contraption that makes physical labor more productive (e.g. bikes), will serve us well in that future.

Big issues like energy aside, there's a personal aspect of cognitive dissonance: living a bikey lifestyle is cheaper, easier, happier and healthier. My commute is a bike ride through the woods. It costs nothing and makes me skinnier. I have a stronger heart than men half my age, despite a steady diet of donuts and beer.

I've run the numbers on this many times. By maintaining only one car my family saves about $6000/year. I burn 2500-3000 extra calories a week. And it's fun.

From my perspective, the only reason everyone doesn't live like this is because they are cognitively blocked from imagining the possibility. I'm not athletic or tough or outdoorsy. I just ride my bike to work. I've been told to my face that my lifestyle is impossible. Impossible! How then do I live it?

If I saw someone just like me living a better life for less money ... how would that make me feel?

Update, 1:15 pm PDT

Obviously not everyone can ride their bike everywhere all the time; some people have physical conditions that prevent them from doing so.

I also don’t mean to imply that non-bikey people are lazy; for the record I think all people are lazy, just in different ways. (For example: one of the reasons I ride bikes everywhere is because they are much easier to maintain than cars. I’m really lazy about getting our car serviced.)

I honestly believe that more people would ride their bikes more often, but fail to imagine their own lives ordered in such a way that it’s easy, convenient, or pleasant.