Meet my bike Smarty Jones
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~HG Wells
I never planned on making a bicycle my main mode of transportation. I never even planned on buying a bike - but I saw a picture of my (now) bike at the beginning of the summer and fell in love. I had to have it. At the same time I noticed that NYC had explosively grown the number of bike lanes they have. Now my bike has replaced the subway for me - I use it to get to work, dinner, parties, stores. Biking in NYC (and lots of other cities) is tres easy. I'm just coasting on greatness though - I'm grateful to Critical Mass for forcing all the bike lanes to happen. The last time I stopped at a traffic light during my morning commute, I counted 11 other bikes waiting with me.
Biking has all the virtuous qualities of not emitting carbon, getting around uberquickly and being outside, but my Pashley is strictly for transportation - I didn't count it as exercise. I have a pretty slow pace, so I figured there would be no health benefits. Oddly enough, I lost a few pounds after I started biking (even though I usually only do 5 slow miles a day), and my stomach is the flattest it's even been. Coincidence? I think not. I think it's actually exercise. A new study from the Archives of Internal Medicine also states that biking is as effective as brisk walking in helping premenopausal women avoid weight gain.
Before I started commuting by bike, I had a lot of questions that I wanted answers to. Bill and George spent a lot of time trying to answer them (thanks!), but after living on my bike for a while, I got some firm answers:
Is it scary biking in the streets? I was terrified for the first 3 weeks on the road. Then all of a sudden, a switch turned in my brain and traffic patterns made sense. Now I buzz in and out without any fear. You do have to be on the lookout though, because cars don't see bikes.
Is it safe to bike at night? Another thing that scared me. Make sure you have a bright rear light and a headlight. Use the bike lanes and common sense. I've been biking for 4 months at night and haven't had an issue yet.
Do you have to wear a helmet? Will it give you hathead? Oh, helmets. I refused to wear them at first but then I started because of peer pressure. Now I don't even notice them. Over 90% of bike fatalities happen to those without a helmet. Yes you get some hat head - but sometimes it makes my hair look better and not wearing it blows my hair out too flat. Wear your helmet!
Do you get to work all sweaty, especially during the summer? This was a huge concern. Short answer is, I get to work much less sweaty than I do on the subway. But I also bike really slowly.
Will I get hit by a car? All the real bikers say yes. Hasn't happened to me yet (knock on wood).
What are the traffic rules? Don't bike on sidewalks, get lights for night biking and bike with traffic.
Will I still exercise? Yes.
Will my bike get stolen? Maybe. Lock it up all the time and be smart about where you lock it. I have an Abus chain lock. It's heavy but probably worth it.
What kind of bike do you have? Smarty Jones is a 20" Pashley Sovereign Princess in British Racing Green. I can't believe I have a bike that's associated with the word Princess, but I love her because she's gorgeous. She's heavy though - I definitely need the 5 gears. Though she's beautiful and a great ride, I wish she had higher handlebars so she was more upright. If I could have gotten the orange Batavus with gears, I would have because that bike is more comfortable. However, Smarty Jones is better looking. I switched her black rubber grips for Brooks leather ones - the only issue with them is that they shrink and need to be adjusted after the first time it rains. As for size, I'm 5'4" and I could have gotten either the 17" or the 20" frame. My last bike was a tad bit too small and it drove me nuts. This time I went for the bigger frame and I'm glad I did. Smarty Jones came from Adeline Adeline in Tribeca.
What to do - Commute by Bike
- Get a bike. Try lots of bikes at lots of different bike stores. Go with the store you like best since you will be back regularly.
- Get a bike map. There are great bike paths and trails that you will want to take advantage of. It's safer to use them, so a map will help you figure out how to navigate.
- Protect your head. Wear a bike helmet. See the question above. If you can't stand the thought of it, get a Yakkay helmet - they look like cute hats.
- Maintain your bike. Make sure you like the bike shop you bought your bike from. They will make adjustments, and you can take your bike in for a tune up once a year.
Resources:
- NYC Bike Map: map your route
- Yakkay Helmets: cute hats that don't look like helmets (but are!)
- Bike Snob: fun rants and reviews
- Lovely Bike: informative blog that helped me choose a bike and accessories
What I ate: 12 oz latte, 16 oz cafe au lait, coffee, large tea, nymilk, nycheese, 2 hardboiled eggs, Mindful Mix, brown rice + ground flaxseeds + seaweed, steamed tempeh + yellow squash + broccoli, crudite, grilled cheese + watercress, 1/2 Doughnut Plant doughnut, black forest cupcake, dark chocolate + almonds, 50 oz. water
Exercise: jogged 4 miles
