Here’s a short video from my morning ride last Thursday. In summer my ride takes place much earlier, and I love the sounds of the birds and the quiet of the street when I am on the road before anyone else (at least, that’s what it feels like). Of course, it all seems much nicer when you can’t feel the humidity!
Other than the sweat factor, does your commute change in the summer?
JJ sure looks happy, with good reason! She is the proud owner of the first Sweetpea Mixte, which has taken its place in Sweetpea’s Love Line as the JJ Fantastic. What a gorgeous bicycle! And how fabulous to have a badass bike like this handmade in Portland by a woman! Natalie Ramsland, the builder, and her husband Austin operate Sweetpea Bicycles to “build bikes for women” with the idea that “Every woman is different. Every bike should be too.” By the look of their finished products, that line easily could be “Every woman is beautiful. Every bike should be too.” Check out JJ’s mixte and then check out Sweetpea Bicycles if you are considering a custom bike and have been squirreling away the cash for a long while.
Those were the words of the SUV driver who cut me off on Thursday. Really?? And whales speak French at the bottom of the sea, I’m sure.
I was riding Oma in broad daylight with no sun glare. The narrow one-way street was ending and I was preparing to take a right. While I was moving over to take the lane, an old SUV started to pull around and squeeze by. I did the “back off” signal that Adrienne mentioned in an earlier comment – left hand out and pushing back with fingers splayed. Completely ignored. After he immediately swung in front of me and took a right, I called out, “Thanks a lot, buddy!”
We were soon stopped in a line of cars turning left and he said something out his window that I could not hear, so I said, “You cut me off back there.” Then he rolled down his window all the way and stuck his head out. I would have bet money that he was going to call me the B word and peel off. Instead he said, “Sorry, I didn’t see you,” smiled, and looked at me a bit too long. He was flirting with me. At this point I really had nothing to say except, “O…kay” and waved him on. Did he actually expect me to reciprocate? In the wise words of Lily Allen: “Not in a million years, you’re nasty, please leave me alone.”
Somehow I’d missed seeing this movie until last year—this is one of my favorite scenes. It’s amazing how effortless the puppeteers make this look. If Kermit were a regular bike rider, his legs would have been even more drool-worthy for Charles Durning and his customers. And then there’s the bike’s geometry, which looks a little off. Perhaps Schwinn designed a special “frog” model?
Jess and her bike in Gottingen
I’ve long believed that if everyone spent some time living in a country other than their own, the world would be a much better place. But I never thought about the fact that it could also get people on bikes.
My friend Jessica has been studying in Germany for the past few months. Though she sometimes rode a bike to the university here in Nashville, living there has given her a different perspective on city cycling that she shared in a blog post today. As always, Jessica provides interesting insights on German culture as she sees it—and the pictures of Gottingen’s bike lots on weekends vs. on weekdays are great illustrations of the prominence of cycling in Europe.
So head on over and check out her post. I have a feeling there will be some more pictures of Jessica on two wheels once she makes it back to Nashville.
Yesterday morning I was stopped at a red light downtown behind a couple of cars. A police car stopped next to me in the left lane. This may seem like a foreboding beginning, but my experiences with the police while on my bike have always been pleasant (as opposed to when I drove a car and never interacted with the police unless I was getting a ticket for expired plates). Three police guys were in the car and one called out, “Hey, how many miles do you get per…” I thought he was going to say “gallon,” making a bikes-are-superior joke, but then he said “per charge.” It took me a couple of seconds to understand that he thought dear, sweet Oma was an electric bike. I answered, “Oh, this is not an electric bike – it’s all me!”
Sadly, that was not the first time Oma has been mistaken for an electric bike. I have no problem with electric bikes and think they present a fantastic solution for lots of people. That said, Oma being electric would definitely detract from her coolness. Plus, I don’t want people I pass (granted, not a huge number on Oma) to think that I’m passing because of electric assist.
Schwinn Tailwind
I thought that the culprit was the wheel lock with key, looking like an ignition. Then I saw pictures of the Schwinn Tailwind electric bike and realized that – unlike any other “American” bike – it has all the practical accessories of a Dutch bike.
With the electric bikes being so practical, will they, along with folding bikes, usher in the new era of widespread utility cycling in America? I was hoping city bikes like my Dutch bike would lead the way, but people seem more familiar with these new electric bikes.
Chicago’s bike-to-work week is turning into a soggy mess, but I was out there as usual. Riding through the pouring and chilly rain on my way home, wearing a short skirt and sandals, I was miffed about my circumstance until I saw this guy out on Lake Michigan. Good to remember that there’s always someone else who has it worse than you.
Look at the upper left hand corner
Who knows, he could have been having a grand ol’ time, but I have no evidence of such. This is probably what I look like to drivers as I cycle by in rain and snow storms!
The best thing about this blog is hearing from other cyclists through comments and emails. Recently, we got an email from Sarah about her new and very cool bike Sapphire.
Sarah and Sapphire
Sarah’s husband recently bought her this bike on Craigslist, made by Aarios in Switzerland. Does anybody know anything else about this bike or Aarios?
Now that I’ve had my Batavus Entrada Spirit for nearly a month, it’s time for the review. The short and sweet version: I love it. Buying a bike I’d never ridden was a risk that paid off.
On our way to work
Around here every week is bike-to-work week, but Chicago’s official festivities start today, led by the Active Transportation Alliance. A variety of bike commuter stations will be set up along different routes. Two celebrations book-end the week: a bike away from work party on Monday and the Mayor’s rally on Friday. For those new to city cycling, Chicago or both, the city has lots of helpful information here.
Team Dottie/Oma and Melissa/Smurfette (and Mr. Dottie/un-named male bike) are ready!
Oma is ready for summer
Melissa and Smurfette
I’ll be eager to report how successful the week is, measured by my completely non-scientific opinion of the increase in cyclists. How are you celebrating Chicago’s bike to work week? If your city (as Nashville and most others) had its bike to work week already, how did it go?
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