Yesterday I made it from the Westside to downtown L.A. half an hour early. In rush hour traffic, the bike is faster than the bus. Faster than driving, too, in a lot of situations.
Not to mention an early morning cruise along the beach, then zipping past quiet homes with lush trees and interesting gardens.
It’s good to challenge yourself. It’s good to have these happy reminders of why we do it.
This morning I got stuck behind a bus during my bike commute. It felt like I was sucking air right out of the exhaust pipe. But this usually doesn’t happen, because I have tactics I use to keep my lungs safe most of the time. If you ride your bike in a polluted urban environment like Los Angeles, there’s really a lot you can do to minimize the smog you breathe in.
First, if you have the option, you can cut your exposure to pollution by 10-30% just by riding in off-peak hours. The best time is early in the morning, before rush hour. Next best would be midday, or late at night.
If you’re not commuting by bike, and you just like to ride for the fun of it, be a weekend warrior. Ride your bike on the days when there are fewer cars on the road.
If you commute to work, and have to ride your bike during rush hour, you can save your lungs by taking alternate routes.
Almost every busy street has other streets running parallel to it, and the traffic on these other streets can be a lot lower. If you can get just 50 feet away from the heaviest traffic, you can make a dramatic cut in the amount of pollution you breathe in.
In fact, a Danish study found that when you bike on streets with low traffic volume, you can reduce your exposure to pollution by 50% to 60% or even more.
And when you think about it, you’ll have a safer, more quiet ride. Also more scenic. You’re more likely to pass parks and gardens. You won’t have to worry as much about being hit.
If you commute by bike, there might be stretches where you have to be on the busiest roads, but probably not for the entire route. Anything you can do to reduce the time you spend riding in traffic will pay off.
There will be more stop signs, and you might add an extra 10 minutes onto your journey. But you could also add years to your life.
One of the best parts of biking in the rain is the looks you get, and the conversations it inspires. When you’re biking in foul weather, especially in a place like LA where foul weather is rare, people take notice. It gives you a chance to change their minds.
While you’re out there pedaling through Valhalla, breathing free air and attacking the most menacing hills, the mortal masses are growing dull and weak behind electronic screens. Entire generations are hyperinsulated from the real world, and we’re paying the price:
Last year’s economic meltdown was caused by a potent mix of greed and laziness, the mindset that easy money should be a given, the bovine mentality that comfort is the norm and serious effort is unnecessary.
The purely physical aspects of life have become so easy for most of us that it’s easy to get lost in this mindset, easy to lose touch with reality, almost impossible to do anything as our resources and freedoms slip away.
At the same time, the few people who stay active and engaged with the world are beating the trend and thriving. The courageous heroes who squarely face the challenges that life throws at them, or who seek out challenges on their own, these are the people who continue to grow and succeed.
If you’re a regular bike commuter, I suspect you have a distinct advantage in your social and economic life, in addition to better health. And whenever you ride, you’re a beacon to all the wandering souls behind glass panes, a reminder of the independence, resourcefulness, and work ethic that made this country great.
When it’s raining cats and dogs, especially in a place like Los Angeles where it rarely rains very hard for very long, the weather separates the heroes from the common folk. If you ride boldly and blatantly where others fear to tread, you’re forcing the world to wake up and take notice.
You have a choice to make. We’re on the cusp of human evolution, but it’s different this time. We’re not going to be naturally selected by a meteor or some other environmental catastrophe. We’re going to choose our own fate.
So get on your bike, especially when the storms are raging all around you.
You don’t realize it, but your bottom bracket holds the future of America, and maybe of all humanity.
If you’re commuting by bike and you live anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you’re going to ride your bike at night at some point. In my younger days (and even now, truth be told), I used to party with my bike and ride home.*
This is just to say I’ve bought and used a lot of bike lights over the years. I have my favorites, and I might make some recommendations in a future post. But for now, I’m frustrated by a problem that seems to happen across the board, with every kind of bike light I’ve ever used.
Usually the mounting wears out or breaks long before the light does. So you end up with a perfect light that you can’t attach to your bicycle.
Sure, you can always figure something out with bungi cords, rubber bands and duct tape, but all of those things lead to new problems later on. As a result, I have a drawer full of flashlights that are simply retired bike lights.
My latest solution is the head lamps that you find at camping stores. It’s bright, it automatically points wherever I look, but it’s uncomfortable and I feel like I’m cheating somehow. Plus, this doesn’t fill the need for a flashing rear light device.
I know there has to be a better way, and that’s where you come in.
If you like to tinker, and you could patent some kind of universal bike light mount, you may be in a business. If your device is simple, durable, and lightweight, you’re going to be a millionaire. If this sounds like you, please get on it! I won’t ask for any credit or compensation. I’ll be your first customer!
*Yes, I almost killed myself a few times while biking under the influence, but at least I wouldn’t have killed anybody else. Don’t ever try to drive, ride, or operate any vehicle–bike, motorcycle, steamroller, skateboard, pogo stick, burro, or jet ski–when your cognitive processes are compromised. If you’re going to abuse a substance, let it be coffee!
I was biking downtown, and when I stopped at a red light someone rolled down their window and said, “I’ll bet you’re saving a lot of money riding that thing.”
Indeed. Probably tens of thousands of dollars over the last 15 years. Before the motorist took of at the green light, he said he was planning to ride his bike to work soon, because of gas prices and the recession.
But this isn’t at all about saving money. That’s just icing on the cake. Which got me thinking…
There’s a lot of talk in the media about an economic slowdown, recession, depression, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. And there may be some truth in what you’ve been hearing, although the jury’s still out on how bad it’s going to get.
But spending less money doesn’t have to mean lowering your quality of life. I put that in italics so you’ll remember it, and burn it into your brain. Most bike commuters probably ride their bikes to work by choice, not necessity. And even if your credit card debt, your salary cut, rising costs or some other economic factor compelled you to ride your bike to work, you’d still get all the benefits that lead to this choice by people who have other options.
You’ll pump oxygen into every cell in your body, burn fat and build lean, powerful muscle. You’ll get to work relaxed and happy, looking and feeling a lot better than the stressed out commuters who had to hunt for parking. You’ll see your town from a new perspective, and make discoveries that motorists miss. Every day is an adventure, because you’re using your mind and body and wits to overcome new obstacles that wait for you just around the corner. It’s fun!
Not to mention the self-righteous ego-boost you can indulge in, knowing that you’re saving energy, reducing pollution, giving your fellow citizens more parking and road space, and generally making the world a little bit better.
And you’ll save money. Maybe start getting ahead, paying off your debts and building up your net worth while people all around you are worried about defaults and bailouts and who knows what else. But that’s not the point.
Riding a bike is just one example of how downsizing your life, spending less, can actually improve your standard of living. The new economy (and that’s what’s happening here–not a reduction of total wealth but simply a transfer of wealth) may look scary on the surface if you’re stuck in old ways of thinking. But really it’s an adventure of new opportunity. Embrace the adventure.
Race you to the top?
