May is National Bike Month

 Riding your bike to work one or two days a week can help you get in shape, and with gas well over two bucks a gallon and climbing, it’s starting to look like a better and better idea.

 Why Bike Commute?

 There are the obvious reasons; you save money on gas, oil, parking, and wear and tear on your car, you help reduce the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, and you get fresh air and exercise. The more subtle and indistinct reasons are the feelings you get from being out in nature for however long it takes you to ride each way, as well as the reduction in stress caused by fighting traffic, listening to the morning and evening news on the radio.

 Bike commuting is simple, fun, and inexpensive. Remember the feeling of freedom you had as a kid when Dad took the training wheels off your bike and were now able to go anywhere? The same feelings will return the first time you leave your office and hop on your bicycle. Instead of getting behind the wheel of your car and rushing to the store to pick up something for dinner then hurrying home to prepare it before the other family members “starve to death,” you start to pedal and look at the sky, the trees, that odd house up on the hill that you didn’t notice before, and — most importantly — you smile.

 You don’t have to be a fanatic about it, just once a week for a year can save you plenty. Let’s assume that you spend $10.00 per week in driving to and from work, that’s five trips to the office and five trips home. That works out to $2.00 per day, which isn’t that much. But if you saved that $2.00 once a week for a whole year you’d have right around $100! That’s a hundred bucks you’ve saved in gas alone, not counting oil, wear and tear, and for some of you, parking as well.

 I’ve also found that I have been able to save money in another way. Now instead of going to the store every evening after work, I plan out a week’s menu and shop once over the weekend. If I need to stop at the market for anything, I’m limited by what I can carry on my bike. I make a lunch and bike to a park or out to the beach and have a picnic instead of running to the local fast food joint for a burger. The seemingly daily errands that I need my car for, I save up and do them during one day. By not having a car in town I am both freer and more limited.

 Of course on days when the weather is really nasty, or I have errands to run I’ll drive. But the more I commute, the nastier the weather has to be for me to not ride my bicycle.

 So give it a shot. Try riding your bike to work once this week. If you like it, try it again next week. If it hasn’t killed you by then, try it the week after. Before you know it, you might be riding to work twice or even three times a week.

Tips for becoming a Bike Commuter

 First off: the hardest part is the first 100 yards. Once you’re in the saddle and pedaling you’ll be fine.

 Ride the trip once on a day off or an evening so you know how much time to allow. Weekend mornings are a good time to do this since traffic will be light. Keep track of the time it takes to ride to and from your workplace. Then give yourself an extra ten minutes longer than that. Half of the extra time can be used to cool down, change shoes, comb your hair, etc. The other half can be used to stop along the way and enjoy the scenery.

 Leave nice shoes at the office to change into. You probably only would wear them at work anyway and it’s less weight to carry. You can also lighten your load by keeping a small bag at work containing belt, toiletries and other items that do not require daily laundering.

 Speaking of weight to carry, if you have a rack to carry stuff, mounted behind the seat and over the rear tire, use it. You’ll feel lighter and have more mobility to turn and look behind you.

 If you don’t have a luggage rack, no problem. A good backpack will suffice, but it will warm up your back, so dress accordingly. The nice thing about a backpack is you’ll find that you don’t actually need 80% of the stuff in your purse or briefcase!

 You can protect your clothes and gear using simple resealable plastic bags available at any grocery store. Use large capacity heavy-duty freezer bags.

 Any kind of bike will do. Using fat, knobby tires on pavement will waste energy and make cycling less fun, but changing them to thinner high-pressure road tires is easy. The tires are available at any bike shop or any store with a bicycle parts section.  

Never ride against the traffic. Riding against the traffic endangers you in several ways. Riding against the traffic reduces reaction time for oncoming vehicles and causes you to enter intersections from directions where drivers do not expect oncoming traffic.

 Most beginners pedal too slowly, often under 60 rpm, thus get tired quickly and strain the knees.  It is better to shift to an easier gear and spin easily.  However, if you find yourself bouncing on the seat, you are pedaling too fast.

 As with any aerobic activity, dress lighter than you normally would. Your head and your hands may get a bit cold, but the rest of you will warm up as you ride. A good rule of thumb is, “If you’re a bit chilly for the first three minutes, then you’re dressed appropriately.” Always wear a helmet, and consider a pair of gloves with padded palms, they absorb some of the shock transmitted from the road through the handlebars.

 Finally, don’t gloat to your co-workers It will only create tension. Just smile to yourself and relish the experience.