My passion for being on two wheels started around 2004. I had gotten a new job and my new employer charged for parking. My initial reaction was "why should I pay for parking?!" My feeling was an employer should pay for ALL my expenses since I am working for them.
My new employer was not a small company so they were firm when it came to employees paying for parking if they wanted to drive. In hindsight, this was actually a blessing in disguise. Most people just sucked it up and paid for parking. However, for me, this led me to try and find an alternative to get to work. I looked at the bus schedule. Where I lived at that time, it was a 7-10min walk to the bus stop. Then I had to wait for the bus. And then I had to transfer to another bus that brought me to my office. So a 7-10min walk, plus two buses not counting the wait time at each stop. Driving would have taken me about 25min, but it would have taken an hour by bus. I wasn't about to do that.
I had a friend who rode his bike to work and I had inquired about possibly biking to the office. I had not been on a bike for probably over 15 years this point. He took me to a local bike shop called
Helen's Cycles. I bought a bike along with all the necessary accessories for just under $400. At that time, it was the most expensive bike I have ever bought. There were good days and bad days riding to work. I have so many negative opinions about drivers and to this day, I still believe cars have ruined our cities. If you follow me on Twitter (@onyour_left), you'll see all my rants about US car culture.
One thing that kept me on the bike was the realization that I could use my bike as transportation without the cost of fuel. Plus I was exercising! Once I realized I could bike to a nearby coffee shop or pick up some last minute grocery items it completely changed the way I thought about bikes. It's unfortunate that most places in the US are not safe enough for people to ride. Also, post -WWII American zoning has placed where you live and where you shop in different locations. Add to the often winding streets of suburban living, it doesn't feel practical to bike.
A few years later, I moved to a very walkable neighborhood, but I also switched jobs around the same time. I now worked for an online real estate brokerage. Although I was able to work from home, my main job was to show potential buyers properties. For the most part I ditched the bike and was back in my car driving all over Southern California showing homes. Being in a car and driving most of my days really made me miss my riding days. For the first time, I realized just how few walkable and bikeable areas there are in Southern California. So much of our society is zoned for single family homes that once you leave your home, you have to be in a car in order to get anywhere.
But I wanted to get back on the bike again, and I had to seek out groups that also biked. I was not a "cyclist" at that time. I did not have a road bike and did not own any lycra. I eventually found a couple non-lycra wearing bicycle groups, but it took a lot of time to find. It reinvigorated my passion for riding. As I delved deeper into the bicycling world, I eventually bought my first jersey, bought a road bike and learned how to ride clipless pedals (which really are pedals that you clip into).
Riding has also changed the way I travel. Nowadays, if I am traveling to another city, I always check to see if that city has a bike share. Riding a bike is an amazing way to explore a city. It also makes you aware of either how hostile a city is for those not in cars or how welcoming a city makes it for those not in cars. If a city makes it too difficult for me navigate on my bike or makes me feel unsafe if I am not in a car, then I have very little desire to return.
In future blog posts I will write about my experience riding around various cities I have visited.
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