More folks on bikes around here. Life is Good, or at least Better.

I see more people on bikes these days around my town. Mostly they're not the lycra-wearing, riding-for--fitness types. The new folks I see are riding cheaper bikes, mostly mountain bikes, from non-bike-shop venues. The big box stores are selling more bikes looks like to me. I'm not really a bike snob; but I see some problems with bikes and their riders. The bikes are not well-fitted to the riders. The bikes are mostly equipped with fat, knobby tires. The riders have no idea how to adjust the handlebars, the seat height, the seat angle, or even to install the wheels properly with a quick-release lever. I saw a group of three riders trying to put a rear wheel in on one of the bikes and they said it had fallen out 3 TIMES ALREADY on that ride. I showed them how it worked and they thanked me. I wondered how many bikes are sold in the big box store without even a 10-second presentation on how to work the bike.

I see older people (ok my age or a few years older...40 to 50) riding flashy new mountain bikes riding down the sidewalk or shakily starting out across the intersection at the wrong time against the lights. They're all bent over, knees higher than their butts, reaching way too far to the bars. I can't imagine how they think that is what cycling is about. I just want to stop and chat with them about the sizing and differences between bicycle types. If I can start up a conversation with them, I usually tell them about some good websites they can visit, I wish I had a little business card printed up with the site URLs and some little pictures. Not everybody can visit websites, or surf the internet effectively. Surprise.

Maybe the best approach is to ride around and look for these "new cyclists" and provide some assistance/leadership in the cycling community. I'd say almost any of these "plain-clothed" cyclists could use a quick review of how to install a wheel or how to adjust the seat to a reasonably good height. Mentioning the good karma of carrying a few tools and a tube, even if you don't know what to do with them, is a good idea. If they get stuck on the side of the road or bike path, at least a good Samaritan could help using their own tools and stuff.

Of course, the next obvious thing about these new riders is their total lack of any provision to carry stuff. I see them riding down the street w/ a plastic bag swinging from their hands/handlebars. They swerve and jerk down the road looking like an accident waiting to happen. Few of them wear a helmet. Most of them have pants legs dangling down in the pedal/chain/wheel area. It's painful to watch.

If you tell them there's a better way to secure stuff and ride, then in the next breath you say it costs $400 for the Xtracycle on top of the cost of their bike, or $900 for the Yuba Mundo, or $1900 for a complete Big Dummy, they look at you like you just landed from Mars. I bet that Tahoe/Suburban/Explorer/Armada sitting at the house in their driveway costs about that much in two months. Where is the button you push to change a person's version of value? I read an article regarding the servitude of Americans to their cars where the average American pays $378 / month on their car payment. That doesn't count the gas, the insurance, the upkeep, the washing, or any other stuff you put in it.

Looks like we've got a long way to go to use the bikes we have for more utility purposes. Just parking the car doesn't help that much, we need to sell it, and buy something more appropriate.