I Like Bike

I was working on a style post, but am putting it aside for now, since biking is more on my brain. Bike commuting to be specific.

As I mentioned last time, I've resolved to ride my bike to work - and I did! Twice this week, avoiding the day it was forecast to rain. I admit I'm a fair weather biker (though not a fair weather friend!).

The ride to work is great - there's not much traffic, and there's a beautiful diffused light as it's still early. But the ride back is .. hmm.. how should I put this? ...invigorating? enervating? massively aggro(-vating)? Let's just say, I come home fairly jazzed and aggressive. That's not really the goal.

To put it poetically, I haven't found my way home.

I looked up an on-line bike map and was pleased to see a bike lane going down 5th Avenue. However, when I tried it, I realized that when they said "Bike Lane" they might have meant "Bus Lane". You're smart and you've probably worked this out already: bus lanes aren't really good bike lanes, given the size difference and all.. Not to mention the fumes and the frequent stops. I chose to ride near the pedicab guys since there were a lot of them and they're pretty colorful and noisy, so hard to miss (well, since I'm hopefully assuming the target is not to hit them, I guess I really mean EASY to miss!!)

Today I rode home a bit earlier, though as every New Yorker knows, on a sunny, warm Friday, rush hour starts early, too, so it didn't really mean less traffic. I tried 2nd Avenue this time. No better than 5th, but uglier for sure. I also got a couple "watch it"s and "watch out, baby"s from cab drivers. I wanted to say "Thanks guys, but what exactly am I to watch out for? You? Blaming me for your driving is a bit rich, don't you think?" But there's no winning against a cab if you're on a bike and that would have been way too many syllables for that audience. I'm a bit of a Type A car driver, but you can't cop that attitude on a bike. Well, you could, but I don't want to do a bug on a windshield impression.

A couple quick style comments before I go... First and most importantly, I've read a couple articles about bike style where the author says you don't need a helmet. Seriously, this is not about style, please wear a helmet!!! At least if you're riding around midtown.(ok, mini rant. done now...) Second, flats and sneakers work equally well, and you won't get sweaty if your commute is as short as mine (ca 2.5 miles), so your change of clothes can just be pair of heels in your backpack, unless you're wearing a skinny pencil skirt, in which case ride in shorts or pants. Guys, forgive me for ignoring you here, but you probably don't have heel and tight skirt issues... :)

One thing I've learned through my very brief bike commuting experience, is that people who bike in New York tend to be viewed as suicidal, cool and independent, or quirky, or some combination of the 4. I've been surprised at people's strong reactions, but so far, it seems to me, that you are making a style statement just by riding your bike in the streets of Manhattan. People notice you and I even had my photo taken this week. So no Uggs or tracksuits... please!

By the way, just to prove that EVERYTHING is on the internet... The picture on this blog is of a poster that hung in my brother's room when we were kids. He liked bike riding (even then - he now owns a bike shop and does crazy downhill mountain bike races) and my mom has always been into design, which is why it was a cool poster.