As I started riding a bicycle a little over a year back, I was exposed to many types of bicyclists. Some of the groups are road bike riders (with a sub category of triathletes), beach cruiser people, mountain bikers etc. All these categories have a fair amount of consumerism associated to them. Some beginners are led to think that they have to invest in all this gear to ride a bike.

There is a category of bicyclists that is growing in numbers. They have older bikes, probably bought used and primarily used for transportation. Some of these get converted to a fixed gear but none the less are used to go from a place of residence to a place of business. This emerging category of people on bikes using it for transportation is the group I belong to and advocate for. This is what Bikejax.org stands for.

To promote the notion that you don’t need a ‘fancy’ bike to start commuting, Ryan Van Duzer from Wonderbikes, the bicycle advocacy group of New Belgium Brewery, took off on a three speed bike and toured across several states.

This is are his words after completing the tour:

I never thought in a million years that my cruise across America would be as amazing as it was. Most people thought that the idea of riding a heavy three speed sounded very uncomfortable…and in fact it was. But it’s not the moments on the bike I remember most about this journey. It was the people I met along the way who made this experience so magical. Everywhere I pedaled I met friendly, warm-hearted Americans. From café owners in the deserts of Arizona to coal miners in West Virginia, it seemed that everywhere I turned, someone was there to make my day a little brighter. And to all the Wonderbikers across this great land, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of you who joined me for a days ride or took in and fed a stinky Duzer. This may have been a solo mission across the country but I never felt alone with so many people cheering me on.

And what did I accomplish other than get a very sore behind? Well, the goal was pretty simple, to inspire people to ride their bikes and raise money for Community Cycles in Boulder Colorado. I may not have motivated the entire country to ditch their cars but I definitely got some people to think twice about driving. I got countless emails from strangers who promised me that they’ll ride more often, even my mom! And it looks like we’ll raise about $4,500 for Community Cycles and their youth after school program. A big high five to all who donated to this great cause! If we can inspire the little ones now, we’ll create a culture of cycling that will last a lifetime.

What now? I’m gonna rest my body for a little while, and probably drink some cold Fat Tires until I dream up a new adventure. Until then I hope you all keep on riding your beautiful bicycles and ringing your bells.

Read the full story here: http://www.newbelgium.com/team-wonderbike/duzer

All you have to do it ride a bike, be aware of the laws and have fun. Happy riding.

Posted via email from shek’s posterous

I successfully achieved my multi modal transport to First Fridays at Five Points. The fourteen mile trip was accomplished one mile on the bike to the bus stop, about 10 miles to Downtown and then a further three miles on the bike to Five Points.

Mine was the only bike on the bus and I shared the trip with four other passengers. I reached Five Points by 7:30 PM after leaving my apartment at 6 PM. Therefore, it took the same amount of time if I would have ridden my bike all the way to Five Points. The journey was fairly friction free except of course the part where I rode on the service road to the bus stop. That one mile stretch was nothing out of the ordinary. Four to five honks and yells all because they had to wait ten seconds to find a gap in oncoming traffic and overtake me.

The verdict is I would do it again only if I felt like not riding my bike. The bus did not save me any extra time. Riding 14 miles is a good work out. I also would not use the JTA if I do not have a ride back from my destination. The Dutch bike in the picture above is the only one that fits on a bus bike rack and is not fit for a 14 mile return journey. Further, the bus was clean and had security cameras inside it. There was a high level of social safety.

I dont mind riding 12 miles to walk, mingle, buy art and eat food in the Urban Core. What I do mind is getting soaked during the one hour ride only to change into dry clothes and get soaked again at the remaining hour of art walk. That, in my opinion is a low quality evening. I could have tried a bus transit but that would involve me riding in the rain on the awful service road.

Tomorrow is First Fridays at Five Points. Tomorrow is the day I use JTA’s ‘extensive’ bus network to arrive at my destination. I can catch the B7 from the nearby Publix at 6:23 PM (next bus at 7:18 PM, 55 mins after), get off at The Landing, then ride my bike along the Riverwalk to Five Points. All said and done, I will reach my destination by 7:45 PM.

Pros:
Multi Modal commute
Free fare on B7
Weather proof ride till the Landing

Cons:
Riding on the Service Road at 6 PM
No JTA service to come back home (thankfully I have a ride)
55 minute wait time if I miss the bus

Lets assume that most people with an 18 mpg clunker “upgraded” to an SUV achieving 5 mpg more. They received $3500 from the $1,000,000,000 allocated funding. Some simple division later, approximately 285,000 clunkers were pulled off the streets (1,000,000,000 / 3500). Therefore, there are now 285,000 people or families on the road saving 5mpg (or saving 0.012 gallons per mile) more than they usually were.

An average family drives around 15,000 miles a year. This leads to 180 gallons of gasoline saved per family per year. For the 285,000 clunkers replaced, we save 51,300,000 gallons of gasoline every year. Increase the federal funding to $3 billion and we will save a little over 153 million gallons of gasoline every year.

If the average clunker is replaced by a vehicle achieving 7.5 mpg higher, with a $3 billion stimulus, America will save almost 205,200,000 gallons of gasoline every year.

The total consumption of Finished Motor Gasoline is 137,801,370,000 gallons (approximately 8,989,000 barrels per day in 2008. Data from http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html). Hence, a $3 billion funding, by saving 205,200,000 gallons of gasoline, saves only 0.1489% of total consumption. Not too significant in my opinion.

To achieve a 1% reduction in nationwide motor gasoline usage, around $20 billion (that is $20,000,000,000) needs to be pumped into the new-car market replacing over 5.7 million vehicles with a new vehicle achieving 7.5 mpg higher.

I wonder if gasoline consumption can be reduced by 1% by utilizing only $3 billion in bicycle infrastructure and alternate energy driven mass transit and rail infrastructure? The budget for this year’s Mass Transit infrastructure is $8 billion, $5 billion more each year for the next 5 years, not including operating costs. The Cash-for-Clunker’s $3 billion will be a nice addition to the mass transit budget and shave off 8 months from the 5 year proposal.

Further, evaluating the impact on a family, and assuming $3 billion in funding, these 857,000 families (285,000 X 3, assuming one clunker per family though there is no such rule) will save around 180 gallons of motor gasoline related expenses. At an average cost of $2.50 per gallon of gasoline, each family saves a measly $450 a year and gains $15,000 or more debt on a depreciating asset. With $3 billion in funding towards overhauling the streets to make bicycling actually and subjectively safe, families may be able to reduce from two cars to one, saving upwards of $4000 annually in car payments, insurance and gas.

My 50 year old mass produced dutch city bike, a text book definition of clunker, needs no replacement. At the most, it needs $50 of TLC. The next time someone tells me to get a registration for my bicycle, I’ll tell them at least I don’t need Cash for my Clunker!

Image courtesy Bikejax

The ride happened on a Florida winter afternoon

The riding position is taking time to get used to. You can see Matt from bikejax riding it to get an idea of the posture. For starters, the handle bar grips are very skinny and make it uncomfortable. It is an easy fix. I have installed a longer seat post and a new seat that I had. The bike is very tall at 22 inches for me but not too tall. The brakes are rudimentary rod brakes. No cables. These brakes will take time getting used to as well. The master plan is to have this bike replace Katrien. I will still hold on to the antique dutch bike, just not subject her to too much beating.

Katrien is surely excited with her new name though she is no dainty lady. She prefers her older saddle back on her and now sports a new Wald 137 basket in front. The basket is very efficient in carrying breakfast and lunch to work, bread and salad from the grocery store or even a six pack of Yuengling. The Minnehaha canvas bag under the original saddle holds the extra tube, tools, a small towel and handcuff locks. The book rack usually holds a folded jacket (for the days that I begin by being too optimistic about the Florida fall).

I may not be as popular as this guy (link) in finding a name but I am sure going to try. The bike no longer has the OYB bag. A cool new Minnehaha small saddle bag sits under the seat.

The rules are simple. I want an female European name because I think it is a girl. A brief justification of the name would be appreciated.

Update: Running list of suggestions

• Rochelle by Jeremiah
• Genevieve by Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney
• Guenevere by me, endorsed by Dillon
• Rowena by me, inspired by Rowena
• Katrien by Rowena, meaning pure, natural and simple. This one seems to be the most aligned to my views.
• Ninon by Terri Hartley, influenced by the life of Anne “Ninon” de l’Enclos (link)
• Daphne by pam
• Else by pam, german origin, this word is short for Elizabeth
• Anke by Andrew Cline (link), tough but cute, I agree
• Anja by me, inspired by my cousin’s wife, Anja. German origin.

All of a sudden, the cushioned ride was gone and my butt could feel every slight bump. I promptly got off the bike and the brittle rear tire lay squished between the rims and the tarmac. All I could think of walking on my way to work was how unreliable this bike has become and that I should buy a newer city bike. The dormant consumerist inside me wanted to order the Biria Classic Dutch (I dont want to go broke on the Velorbis Churchill Balloon yet). Once home, I dismantled the rear wheel, which took a little while since a ton of hardware had to be removed. I will be buying two puntcure resistant tires for the bike and two tubes. I am making this road worthy. It was built for riding and it shall be ridden.

I have thought about buying a new city bike (preferably a Velorbis Churchill Balloon) and preserving this 30+ year old Amsterdam bike, but bikes are made to be ridden. So, I shall honor the creation of this bike and it shall be my mode of leisurely short distance travel. For those who have not experienced the joys of a city bike (not hybrid but dutch design bikes), you don’t know what you are missing. I even bought a pair of aviators to match the bicycle.

Today, I ordered a Solvit Trackr Dog Trailer, large, for Laya. The internal dimensions measure up well with Laya’s collar to butt length. If she likes it, my trusty 2007 Saturn Aura will receive its last oil change from me and will be put up for sale.