"Wherever I Go, There's my Bicycle!"
Encouraging Daily Bicycle Use for Recreation, Commuting and Travel

I would not dream of claiming the wisdom or experience to lead anyone along the cycling path. What little knowledge I have gained has been through my own trial and error, a few books, and the many wonderful resources here on the web. Throughout the web of cyclists' sites it is impossible not to detect a common thread - the freedom cyclists enjoy with their pedals underfoot. Humorous stories, bashing of fossil fueled transport (some serious, some light-hearted), and numerous revelations and tips regarding the cycling obsession are to be found at each click of the mouse. If one weren't driven to maintain time in the saddle, it would be easy to lose oneself in this world of cyclists' loves, rants and raves. The miles lost on road or trail would be many. Fifteen minutes here and there, however, allows us to pedal (or click) our way through the world with images, stories and insights by the site full. Oh... to travel the web by cycle!

One of my favorite books is "Wherever You Go There You Are," by Jon Kabat-Zinn... in expanding on this approach to life my goal is to honestly be able to say,  "wherever I go there's my bicycle!" That I save approximately $25.00 a week on transportation costs is just an added benefit and just one of many. Following are resources and links exploring these benefits and to encourage others in daily bicycle use for recreation, commuting and travel.

Drew Bryden

Commuting / Using a Bicycle
 for Everyday Transportation

                CONTENTS

                Financial Benefits

                Environmental Benefits

                Health Benefits

                The Bike

                Essential (and
                non-essential) Gear

                Safety

                Additional Resources

I. Benefits:

   Economics (financial benefits)

• To put it very simply: a bicycle is one of the few things we can purchase that quickly pays for itself. When used in place of an automobile, the money saved increases with each mile ridden.
  
          Savings:
  
         * Fuel and maintenance expenses are far less (A couple of bowls
           of cereal, a banana and a glass of orange juice get my vehicle
           started in the morning)
  
         * There are no bicycle parking fees
  
         * No vehicle registration, state inspection, excise tax, license to
           operate or insurance required
  
         * Does not require as many fluids and additives as an automobile
  
                automotive requirements: gasoline or diesel
                fuel, anti-freeze, windshield wash, oil,
                a.c. refrigerant, power steering fluid, transmission fluid,
                differential fluid or gear oil, chassis lube
  
                bicycle requirements: lubricants, water for operator,
                sometimes a little sweat
  
  
• The savings on gym membership fees if one chooses cycling and their own home fitness routine are enormous (also see related health benefits).
  
  
  

Road Kill
How Solo Driving Runs Down the Economy

Author
Stephen H. Burrington

"We have become a nation of car potatoes. Americans don't walk, bicycle, ride trains or buses, or car pool as often as they did just a few years ago. We drive more. Alone. Nearly everywhere. It is not just that there are more of us, or more of us going to work - increased driving has far outpaced growth in population and jobs."

"Throughout New England and the rest of the nation, a treacherous gap has opened in recent years: a gap between our day-to-day perception that driving costs almost nothing, and the reality of the enormous cost we actually pay to drive"... read more

     Ecology (the world around us, environmental benefits)

• The harmful effects of burning fossil fuels have been drummed into us enough... this should be a "no-brainer." Bicycles produce NO pollution and produce far less noise than most vehicles.
  
  
• As many as twenty bicycles can be parked in the space taken by one auto... some S.U.V.s out there appear they could fit twenty bicycles in the passenger compartment!
  
  
• The manufacture of a bicycle requires a small fraction of the energy and materials as that of an automobile.
  

                * Related Link:
                  It's time to get rid
                  of your automobile
                  (a car-free home page)

• The cardiovascular fitness achieved through cycling should be sufficient to sell most of us on the benefits of cycling daily.
  
         * Regular cyclists experience fitness levels equal to or better than
           those ten years younger.
  
         * Cycling at least twenty miles a week reduces your risk of heart
           disease to less than half that of non-cyclists who take no other
           exercise
  
         * If just one third of all short car trips were made by bike, heart
           disease rates could decline by as much as ten percent.
  

              * Related Link:
                 A few health benefits of cycling 

II. Bicycle Transportation Basics:
    Selecting a Bicycle and Essential Gear

• The bicycle you now have* is probably the best bike to begin with. Should your bicycle have been idle for an extended period, check it over and lubricate it well... give it a quick tune-up or bring it to a local shop.
  Before jumping on the bike and using it for transport you should think about other gear that is necessary.
  After you discover (or rediscover) cycling's benefits, you may wish to upgrade your existing bike, purchase a new one or find a quality used bike.
  
  *If you do not currently own a bike, or you know the one you have is not transportation worthy, you may want to check out the below links on selecting a bicycle.
  
  * Related Links:
  
  

• My Incomplete Guide to Selecting the Bike for You

• John G. Faughnan's Ultimate Commuting / Touring Bike

• Ken Kifer's: Bikes suitable for commuting

• Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips, Getting Started: The Bike

   

      Gear


Several items are necessary to making the bicycle safe for transportation:

       1. A helmet
           (not required by law in some states, but I recommend it) 
       2. A tire patch kit (and/or spare tubes)
       3. A bicycle mounted or easily carried air pump
           (or CO² tire kit)
       4. Functional lights and reflectors
           (if traveling at dawn, dusk or after dark)
       5. A water bottle and cage


Several items that I have found very useful, but not absolutely necessary:

       1. A bike lock
       2. Fitness and/or bicycle-specific clothing:
               * bicycle shorts (I wear long underwear or spandex
                  under these when cold)
               * wind & waterproof layers for foul weather
               * breathable layers for all seasons
                  (one layer in warm season, more layers when cooler)
       3. A backpack
       4. A small, insulated lunch bag with ice packs
       5. A cycle-computer
       6. Fenders in rainy weather
       7. A rear rack
       8. Panniers, a rear rack trunk or bags


Some items I keep at work:

       1. A bar of soap in a plastic case
       2. Anti-perspirant, deodorant
       3. A wash cloth and towel
       4. A spare change of clothes (in addition to my normal
           weekly clothes)
       5. Extra snack foods (fruit, nuts, granola bars, etc.)
       5. Emergency funds (in case I forget to pack my wallet)
       6. A spare tire tube and patch kit
       7. A spare water bottle


Some tips you may find useful for commuting to work:

       1. Make a trial run of your route on a day that you don't
           actually have to work so you have an idea how much
           time you will need when you make the trip.
       2. Add fifteen to twenty minutes to this commute time
           for unexpected emergencies (flat tires, etc.), clean-up
          and clothes-changing when you arrive at work.
       3. Check the weather forecast before you leave.
       4. If you work somewhere that does not always have the
           cleanest bathroom facilities (i.e. high-traffic public
           restrooms, a garage, machine shop, etc.), keep a large
           piece of cardboard stored to stand on when changing
           socks and/or shoes.

 

Gear (continued)

 * Related Links:

• Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips: Other Equipment / Accessories

• Accessories for the commuting cyclist

• Ken Kifer's: Bike accessories a commuting cyclist needs

• My Bicycles and Essential Gear
  
  

III. Common Sense / Safety when cycling:

• Street Smarts
  
  
  

• Ken Kifer's Bicycle Traffic Safety
  
  
  

• Is Cycling Dangerous? By Ken Kifer. -A discussion of relative risks, and the truth about the "dangers" of Bicycle use on streets and roads.
  
  

• Road Vogue Wayne Pein's Traffic Safety Booklet.  An illustrated guide to road positioning, lane choice and "Defensive Cycling" for those new to the streets.  A good quick study guide for younger cyclists, or a refresher for those just getting back into cycling.
  
  

• Inexpensive, Rechargeable Headlight Assembly, a necessity when cycling at night.
  
  

IV. Additional Resources - 
     These links cover the above topics and more:

• Bicycling Life
  A Web-site for Everyday Bicyclists.
  
  

• Ken Kifer's Bike Pages
  
  

• Articles about Bicycle Repair
  by Sheldon "Fixit" Brown
  
  

• Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips
  
  

V. Suggested Reading (books):

• Metal Cowboy -- Tales from the Road Less Pedaled
  
  

• Miles from Nowhere : A Round the World Bicycle Adventure
  by Barbara Savage
  
  

• The Ukimwi Road : From Kenya to Zimbabwe
  by Dervla Murphy
  
  

VI. More Resources / Links

• Cape Cod Cyclists' Cycling Links
  
  

• Cape Cod Cyclists' Bookmarks
  
  

• The Cape Cod Canal
  
       

• Open Directory Project: Cycling: Commuting and Advocacy
  
  

VII. Senseless Ramblings of a Cape Cod Cyclist

• Sunday Morning Blog
  
  
  

This Page Last Updated: Saturday, July 30, 2005

Drew Bryden * Cape Cod Cyclists' Escape * 2004