A few years ago, back when I had very little money, I would bicycle to work. It didn't last long, and I was horrible at it. So this year I decided to try my hand at it again with earnest.
Today was my first day actually riding to work. It's April 25th, 2011 and because I live in North Dakota, it's actually the first day I haven't worried about snow or frigid temperatures.
So this morning I woke up with extreme optimism for the day ahead. Today is the day, Today I will become a bike commuter.
My first mistake was deciding to also wear a dress, granted I have pants on too, but I had never tried mounting a bicycle in anything longer than a t-shirt before. So as I tied my lunch to my awesome new rack and admired the fenders that I recently had put on, I thought about the freedom of riding to work and not wasting valuable fuel.
So here are my tips from day one of being a bike commuter:
Feel free to learn from my mistakes.
1. Always act like everyone is out to knock you off of your bicycle and steal it.
*this worked pretty well until I forgot about that and nearly got clocked by a guy opening a door. Luckily the brakes on my bike work pretty well.
2. Remember deodorant.
*You don't want to be known as the office "smelly tree-hugging hippy" just because your motto is "recycle and bicycle".
3. Protect your produce.
* This is especially important if you pack your own lunch and have a bumpy ride to work. I found out that banana's especially don't do well being jolted around.
4. Get your bike checked over by a professional before starting anything.
* I read this somewhere else and thank God that I took care of that when the weather was still cold. The knowledge that your bicycle is as safe as it's going to be and that if anything happens, it's the driver and not the equipment is valuable.
5. Careful on the sidewalk.
*As a respectable bike commuter, one should learn to bike on the road and not on the sidewalks, however if you live in an area where you know from personal experience that many people would like to run down bicyclists who ride on the road, make sure to be careful on the sidewalk. Don't ride to close to buildings in case someone opens a door unexpectedly (see rule one). Be especially careful for pedestrians on the sidewalk, yield to people walking.
Those are all the tips I have for this morning, I'm sure as I continue to bike I will learn more and post them. I am very excited to blog about this, and I hope you who are reading it learn something and also get entertained.
*remember, I am a first-timer. If you are looking for real tips on biking, go to a blog of someone who really knows what they're doing. I am not that person. I am just an apprentice to this way of life.
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