It’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
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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.
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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.
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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?
