Why I choose to get around by bike

I bike because it saves money. That is money that I can put in savings or a mutual fund for a future down payment or my retirement fund.

I bike because it is good for the environment. Sure I may just be one person but having one less car on the road is a good place to start.

I bike because it is good for my health. Who needs a gym membership when you ride to work everyday? I have a voracious appetite and biking helps balance out my calorie intake.

I bike because it is efficient for most trips around town. I get a kick out of cars zooming past me only to get stopped at the next light and have me roll up next to them. Some trips are longer but then I have BART, Caltrain and Amtrak to carry me longer distances, usually with my bike in tow!

More than any other reason, I bike because it feels good. It’s nice to be outside and feel the wind on my face. If it rains, then I just feel even more proud about getting myself around by bike. I do live in California so rain isn’t exactly frequent or torrential here. In the end, I love riding. If you haven’t ridden in a while, give it a try. You may be surprised by how much you like it!

I’m 27 years old and I get around 90-95% by bicycle in suburbia. In the spring of 2012, I moved from San Francisco to Pleasant Hill. While in the city, I biked a fair amount but my overall transit style was more balanced with walking and public transit. I could walk two blocks to a corner store to pick up that key ingredient for a new recipe I was cooking. Even my office was only a 20 minute walk. It was a glorious life but the hills and constant worry about my bike being stolen made me wary to commute exclusively by bike.

A new job brought me to the East Bay. I wasn’t sure I would be able to survive without a car. Even after living here for 6 months, people are still shocked to hear I haven’t broken down to get a car. They don’t see it as feasible or practical to navigate suburbia with anything less than a motor and four wheels or occasionally 2 wheels.

Let’s go back a few steps and explore why I don’t have a car. Living car-free was never a dream of mine. I was always environmentally conscious. However, I never imagined myself taking on an extreme change in lifestyle. Through most of college in the Midwest I survived without my own car. Even so, I was constantly getting rides with others. When I moved to SF, owning a car simply didn’t make sense. Public transit was bountiful and parking was a royal pain. I traveled by bus and on foot for a long time only exploring the city by bike for leisurely weekend rides. I remember sitting on the bus on Market Street daily watching the bike commuters. I thought they looked utterly insane. I told myself I would never be that nuts. There were too many people and it wasn’t worth it to risk bodily harm to myself.

I kept riding for fun and eventually starting hanging out with people who were way more into bikes that me, like Janet. Occasionally, I tried to spend the day with these nutty bikers and I quickly found that going from one destination to the next with two different modes of transit is very frustrating. Me going on the bus always demanded more time, occasionally waiting for transfers, and often taking a windy circuitous route. My bike buddies on the other hand zipped from place to place as they pleased with no constraints like bus schedules or unhelpful routes. Soon I joined them and was biking more and finding my way in the city. Following Janet increased my confidence navigating with vehicular traffic and the notorious city hills. The city slowly seemed less scary from behind my handlebars. I still have had some unforgettable close calls with drivers not paying attention that shook me to the core. Even thinking back now gives me the chills. But, the benefits outweighed the potential risks. I embraced the brightly colored apparel and lights to be as visible and safe as possible.

In the spring of 2011 I finally upgraded from my clunky hybrid and got a road bike. I went all out with way more upgrades than I imagined. I blew my original budget out of the water as I became more knowledgeable about options and how different types of frames and gears felt. It was easy to justify the cost though without having a car. My entire bike cost less than a quarter of what most American’s pay yearly to drive. Of course there are costs of having a bike like the occasional patch or $5 tube plus assorted rain gear. Even so, I don’t think anyone would argue about how much money you can save by biking.

Suburbia isn’t so bad to bike in anyway. It’s true, people here are not as accustomed to seeing cyclists on the road. I still think most of them believe I belong on the sidewalk. There are nice areas to ride here with wide bike lanes and some dedicated multi-use trails that are separated from the road. Unfortunately, many of my normal routes including my ride to work are just on regular roads. It isn’t ideal so I simply do my best to be visible and stay out of everyone’s way. I’m terribly jealous of the sweet bicycle highways in Denmark.

Many people I imagine might say that they can commute by bike to work but when it comes to weekend trips like grocery shopping or going out of town, they need to have a car. Let me clarify, having a car for those times is convenient and easy but not a necessity in many cases. I do almost all my grocery shopping by bike. I load up and the people at the checkout stands are always amazed by how much I can cram in my Topeak Trunk bag with panniers. It takes extra planning and more frequent trips but it is very doable. Even weekend vacation trips are possible if you are creative with your planning and packing. Bike touring is one of my new favorite activities. I have gone camping by bike twice this year and loved it. I will blog about those trips in the future but for now, know it is possible! You just have to think outside the box about what kind of vacation you will have.

In the end, biking may not be a good fit for everyone. Your work may be 40 miles away or the nearest grocery store may be over 10 miles away. If you are up for a move, consider your new location in relationship to bike routes and places you will visit often. I chose my current apartment primarily because of its location. I can get to my office in 10 minutes, BART in 20 minutes, Target and Safeway in 5 minutes, plus Costco and Whole Foods in half an hour. For me, a trip under 15 minutes is reasonable for any daily/weekly errands. I try to only ride a half hour or more once a month. On those trips, I usually combine multiple stops in one adventure.