New Year’s Resolutions: A bike commuter’s list

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Capodanno coi fiocchiIt’s New Year’s Day. Well, it’s New Year’s Day equivalent for those of us lucky enough to get the stat. And since it’s New Year’s Day, I thought I’d give it a shot and present a few bike-commuter related resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions from a Bike Commuter

  1. I will bike for fun more often

    This is actually a bit of a hard one. I ride to work and back home again every day, about 95% of the year. While I enjoy my rides, and much prefer riding to any of the alternatives, I have to admit that sometimes it’s not very fun. I have a young family and cycling is an activity that I find a bit hard to do as a family. The kids go to bed early on school nights, so “fun” weekend time is at a premium. Hopefully we can change it up in 2012, as my youngest just turned three, and transition him to a ride-a-long. I have my eye on the new WeeHoo iGo recumbent.

  2. I will react less to motorists who try to kill me

    I’m the first to admit that I have a bit of an Irish Temper. When someone blows a stop sign as I, with the right-of-way, am about to go through in the other direction, I get pretty mouthy. I’ve had a few incidents where a motorist has mouthed off at me, and I’ve turned around and gone back to the scene of the crime to let them know exactly what I thought about their velo-cidal ways and incompetent driving. I’ve even had a bystander chew into me because I yelled at a car that ran me off the road. It’s cathartic but not very helpful.

  3. I will keep my bike in better condition

    I ride in the rain and the streets throw much more grime on my bike than you might imagine. This makes the chain, derailleurs and rims quite dirty. As a result, there’s all manner of squeaking, grinding and performance degradation. I rarely do anything about it other than throw more lube on the chain to get rid of the *really* annoying sounds. I change my brake pads waaay later than I should, and am always surprised how grippy new brake pads actually are. I’m better about keeping my tires inflated. All these things not only affect the performance of the bike, but bike safety too. Must do better.

Have a safe and fun 2012! Remember to keep the rubber side down.

What are your bike-related resolutions for the new year?

Last modified: January 6, 2012

4 Responses to " New Year’s Resolutions: A bike commuter’s list "

  1. Alex P says:

    Sounds like the same as a list I should follow. #1 is the best way to see all the corners of the city in my opinion.. I don’t do nearly as many long recreational rides as I used to, since I feel like I’ve explored pretty much every corner of the city many times. I’ve used the rack ‘n roll on the busses to do some further out rides. I just got a GPS device to log maps of rides, which I think will add new fun for me to revisit old routes I haven’t taken in a long time. It’s kinda fun to have a route map I can post up on Facebook after a long ride.

  2. Phil says:

    Great list ๐Ÿ™‚
    In respect to #2 – yeah, it can be very challenging when your life is seriously threatened to keep one’s emotions in check. In my experience, 99% of motorists were unaware of my presence when close calls occur, and I’ve learned to empathize because for a driver that travels at speeds on average much faster than cyclists it can be difficult to keep track of every possible point of collision. In any case, overall it’s made me a more aware and conscious rider, and I regularly shoulder check and check in with my surroundings as I’m cycling anywhere.
    I’ve been cycling for over 10 years daily and I can proudly say the only scary wipeouts I’ve had where I was injured occurred completely of my own error and didn’t even involve any cars (accept for that parked truck that I ran into at full tilt).
    I find a lot of on-the-fence or inexperienced cyclists seem to hold the view that the roads are very dangerous but I think they can be quite safe if you’re keeping your eyes and ears open ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Bill Barilko says:

    I resolve to be sure my bike is locked up before leaving it vulnerable on the street for 20 minutes like I did last week @ Main & 25th.

    Cold/hunger/low blood sugar and the siren call of spicy Mee Goreng @ Singapore Hawker are no excuse for being slack.

  4. Anthony says:

    Aw crap. So much for #2. http://youtu.be/ZXw6SPtSYyk