Today is my 1 year bikeaversary!
I started commuting by e-bike one year ago, April 18, 2022. I then got to experience the wettest April, May, and June on record in the Portland, OR region. Here are some thoughts:
A bicycle plus all the safety, weather, and anti-theft gear is still very much less expensive than a car.
I mostly feel neutral about commuting by bicycle, like I felt neutral about commuting by car. It’s a way to get from one place to another, and mostly I don’t think about whether or not I am enjoying the experience. But there are some things that really are enjoyable on the bike. Some of these things include: friendly people walking their dogs on the multi-use trail I often use during my commute, seeing small bunny rabbits and other wildlife on some sections of the trail, sunshine through dissipating fog lighting up a dewy view in pinks and golds, and sometimes the smells.
I could write a poem about the smells. Except I haven’t managed to even start one. The terroir of petrichor on the first day of the fall rains is amazing. Every little region I ride through smells a little different. There is a Nike building with a cafeteria that I ride past, and sometimes I smell bacon, and one recent morning I smelled chicken soup. Sometimes people are drying their laundry in the morning and I can smell the dryer exhaust. The smell of freshly mowed meadow areas around the multi-use trail is sweet and vegetal. I begin to understand how a dog might navigate by smell alone.
Some drivers truly don’t respect the flashing yellow “people are crossing the street” lights if you haven’t quite started crossing yet.
Black ice really is invisible and you know it is there because suddenly you are sliding downhill backwards on your stomach, with banged-up elbows. Related, gore-tex outerwear can be patched. I now change my route to exclude the big hill when the temperature is low and it’s been wet. And I say NO to bicycling in sNOw. On snowy days I take transit.
Gore-tex outerwear is the best for rainy weather. Buy high-quality. The price is worth it. And if you see Arc’Teryx brand gore-tex outerwear on sale, that is the best.
I yell at drivers. I have yelled at people to turn on their headlights on foggy dim mornings. HEADLIGHTS!!! I have yelled F*CK YOU at drivers who don’t allow me my turn at a 4-way stop intersection. I have yelled HELLO? HI? at drivers turning right when I am right there in the bike lane wanting to go forward. To be fair, I have yelled at other drivers while commuting by car, also, but they are less likely to hear me when I am inside a car. I don’t yell at drivers unless they need to correct their behavior somehow.
A dog is more likely to hear a bicycle bell than the person walking the dog. This is mostly because the person is more likely to be listening to something on headphones or earbuds than the dog is.
I bought the e-bike because there is a hill on the multi-use trail that is a real pain to get up when I am on my way home. But since buying the e-bike I have increased my squat weight from around 65 lbs to 120 lbs for repeated squats and 150 lbs for 1-2 squats. My legs are pretty strong now. I think I probably could ride a regular bike up the hill pretty easily now, especially on the lowest gear. Maybe I’ll try that in the summertime.
I’m really looking forward to the time of year when I won’t need a full merino-wool base layer of clothing for commuting.
TeaWithBuzz 