Hippie Bicycle Communism
Today's interesting way of measuring time: My commute home by bike is exactly the length of Jose Gonzalez's Veneer. ... Technically, though, just the bit from Monroe and Lake Shore down to my apartment, so that cuts out all the terrifying street biking. The weather down was amazing, though. It went from about 60 degrees when I started to what felt like about 30 by the time I got back to Hyde Park. Hooray for spring in the midwest!
In my infinite foolishness this morning, I decided to actually try biking inside the loop downtown, on real, car-occupied roads. I hopped off of the lake trail at Roosevelt (which is 12th street, and the first major road you can get off of LSD onto; also the only one with a bike lane), which was terrifying. Then I went north on State, which was terrifying, so I turned and went a bit west on Harrison (6th street) which turned out to be also terrifying, then I went up Dearborn with a bus on my tail for three blocks which was, surprisingly, terrifying, but not as terrifying as finding myself in between two cars with the bus right next to me instead. Once I got within a block of work I just got off my bike and walked. It crossed my mind several times that I could have died with a bunch of complaints strapped to my back like some kind of suicidal bike messenger. Suffice to say I will probably not be trying that again... until it gets warmer out. And when I'm not carrying files. And when I know my bike a little better and am not getting my pants caught in the chain every quarter-mile. ...Or next time I'm biking to work and am really late.
Bonus points today to my office doorman, who saw I was carrying my front wheel and insisted that I wasn't allowed to bring my bicycle inside. I feel somewhat bad that my response was "Yes, that's why the rest of it is still outside." I think just being inside my building now makes me irritable and surly. Normal-me probably would've gone back outside and locked the wheel up properly.
So, my general verdict on my bike (this one, but with straight black handlebars and a black seat post instead) is that I like it quite a lot. I'm just not... as madly in love with it as I would've been with the $700 one I really wanted. But I know deep down in my heart that this bike will be pretty much exactly what I need around here once I get the fenders and rear rack on it, and I will come to love it far more than I would've loved the slightly uncomfortable and impractical pretty-bike. Alternately: Hooray for/curse pragmatism!
In my infinite foolishness this morning, I decided to actually try biking inside the loop downtown, on real, car-occupied roads. I hopped off of the lake trail at Roosevelt (which is 12th street, and the first major road you can get off of LSD onto; also the only one with a bike lane), which was terrifying. Then I went north on State, which was terrifying, so I turned and went a bit west on Harrison (6th street) which turned out to be also terrifying, then I went up Dearborn with a bus on my tail for three blocks which was, surprisingly, terrifying, but not as terrifying as finding myself in between two cars with the bus right next to me instead. Once I got within a block of work I just got off my bike and walked. It crossed my mind several times that I could have died with a bunch of complaints strapped to my back like some kind of suicidal bike messenger. Suffice to say I will probably not be trying that again... until it gets warmer out. And when I'm not carrying files. And when I know my bike a little better and am not getting my pants caught in the chain every quarter-mile. ...Or next time I'm biking to work and am really late.
Bonus points today to my office doorman, who saw I was carrying my front wheel and insisted that I wasn't allowed to bring my bicycle inside. I feel somewhat bad that my response was "Yes, that's why the rest of it is still outside." I think just being inside my building now makes me irritable and surly. Normal-me probably would've gone back outside and locked the wheel up properly.
So, my general verdict on my bike (this one, but with straight black handlebars and a black seat post instead) is that I like it quite a lot. I'm just not... as madly in love with it as I would've been with the $700 one I really wanted. But I know deep down in my heart that this bike will be pretty much exactly what I need around here once I get the fenders and rear rack on it, and I will come to love it far more than I would've loved the slightly uncomfortable and impractical pretty-bike. Alternately: Hooray for/curse pragmatism!
