Rhetorica: Press-Politics Journal

Four years ago I made a personal commitment to use a bicycle as basic transportation. It’s time to write a little something about that decision and what I’ve learned.

(Off-topic alert: Yes, this is off topic for Rhetorica. But I reserve the right to go off topic for those issues I think are important. I don’t do this often.)

Springfield, Mo. is a small city or, perhaps, a suburb in search of a city. I’ve even heard some folks hereabouts refer to it as a small town. What it surely is is flat. And that makes for good riding. I decided use a bicycle as basic transportation largely because it appeared to me that it would be easy to do in Springfield (easier than in a hilly urban environment such as Kansas City whence I came).

By basic transportation I mean this: For trips around town I always choose the bicycle first unless circumstances make it impossible. For example, if I’m going to the lawn & garden store to buy an ornamental tree, I’m far more likely to drive my Ford Explorer. It’s just easier to haul such things in an SUV. Another example, I do not ride in ice or snow. Rain? No problem. Cold? I laugh at cold. All it takes is good equipment.

Consequently, I’ve cut my driving back to almost nothing. I often go two or three weeks without driving my car. My personal record is six weeks. That’s a whole lot of gas (and money) I’m not burning.

I consider myself a pure commuter. I do not ride for fun. I do not ride for exercise. I ride to get from point A to point B and back again. I’ve developed a few attitudes and positions about bicycle riding. And I’m now fixin’ to share them with you largely because I’m noticing a lot more riders on the streets these days. That’s a good thing, but…

There appear to me to be three types of riders on the road (bracketing out those who ride occasionally for recreation or those who ride for sport):

1. The “thin-tire” crowd: These are the wannabe bicycle athletes who mostly rule bicycle culture. Much of the commercial apparatus is set up to serve them. These folks like to ride fast and look good doing it in brightly-colored bicycle apparel. For the most part, this crowd integrates with traffic (a good thing), although I see some of them blowing through stop signs and red lights. Yes, I’m needling them a bit about their costumes, but, really, more power to them. They are having fun and are usually having fun safely.

2. The noobs: These are the folks who have recently chosen to ride because (I assume) gas has reached $4 per gallon. You can spot them easily because they are doing such things as: riding without a helmet, riding against traffic, riding on sidewalks in business districts–generally riding as if the entire planet is a surface for them to use and all of us should make way.

3. Pure commuters. These folks care nothing about speed and nothing about looking good. They just want to get from point A to point B and be visible doing it. They ride commuter bikes (or mountain bike hybrids) with thick tires (OK, call us the “thick-tire” crowd). They have baskets and racks and panniers to carry things. They have white lights up front and red lights in the back. They ride in traffic and obey traffic laws. When riding on sidewalks (usually only along busy, multi-lane roads) they follow pedestrian rules while always yielding the right of way to walkers.

The noobs have a lot to learn from the thin-tire crowd and the thick-tire crowd. And I hope they pay attention before any of them get killed. Here’s a good place to start: Ozark Greenways.

I ride a Marin Pioneer Trails mountain bike that I’ve modified for commuting. Actually, this bike isn’t a very good mountain bike. It’s much better suited for commuting. All I had to do was add fenders, lights, and a rack.

This bike is not built to go fast. That’s good. Speed kills. In fact, speed, IMO, causes many of the problems associated with biking. Let’s take a look at some objections to commuting by bicycle:

1. Takes too long. We’re talking quality time here.

2. You get all sweaty. On a humid day in the 90s, yes. You’ll sweat doing just about anything. Otherwise, there’s no reason at all to sweat on a bike. Under normal conditions, if you’re sweating then you’re riding too fast/hard. (This is why I object to the idea that employers should provide showers for bicycle commuters. It’s a thin-tire attitude. Those thin-tire guys ARE sweating. Pure commuters don’t have that problem most of the time.)

3. It’s dangerous. If you go fast and fail to follow the rules, you bet it is.

4. It’s too far to work. I commute about 2 miles now that my office is downtown (MSU is taking over downtown–a good thing IMO). Two miles is easy. Even five miles is no big deal; at a comfortable rate of 10 miles per hour, your morning commute is about 30 minutes. You get the added benefit of some modest, non-sweaty exercise.

I am not morally superior because I ride a bicycle. I do not propose to force/shame anyone into doing it. I do, however, wish to encourage you–Rhetorica readers–to give it a try. There is a bike route system around town and bike racks on city buses. And there are many local groups that do a good job promoting safe riding and greenways. Since most Rhetorica readers live elsewhere, here’s a search string to get you started.