I beat my normal ride time to the station by ten minutes, whoo! Sure I used the fancy bike, clipless pedals, reduced gear, and a broad interpretation of traffic signs. But gosh darn it, I smashed the hell out of my record this morning and I am just glowing with self-congratulation. Pat, pat.
American culture got hooked on the private auto because it meant a greater measure of freedom. One could go wherever roads are – on his own terms, at his own pace, limited only by the constraints of time and budget that were not so intensely impacted among the expanding middle class. Autos for a time […]
A roadie or a physics student might parse the circumstances based upon four factors: a light bike, heavy backpack, 10 percent grade, front brake. To put it more directly: I took a pretty spectacular spill on my bike. I am really surprised that I was not badly hurt, though everything did hurt for a good […]
I’m riding home in the dark tonight, all done up in lights like a rolling Christmas tree. A white Corolla passes on my left, then shortly after turns across my path to parallel park on the right side of the road. On the approach, it was uncertain if he meant to make a Y-turn, which […]
I was idling in my pedals at the intersection of Fremont and Mary, when my wandering thoughts were interrupted by a loud blaring noise. Someone is sounding their horn in the car directly behind me. My eyes shot up to the traffic signal, which was still red. There was the horn again — not a […]
I love clicking into the big gear, that gigantic 50-tooth crank gear that makes me go faster than most people ever see bikes go. That is, most people living anywhere but the Bay Area, where you can’t stand in a grocery line without sharing it with a Lycra-clad road warrior with an economy sized box […]
I fell down during my ride today. It wasn’t really a bad fall, just the kind of low-speed spill inevitably taken by every clipless pedal user: I was slowing down behind a car waiting for a left turn in an intersection. In order to avoid freeing my feet from their bindings, I tried to stagger […]
As you know, my road bike was stolen this week. It has been miserable being confined to a walking radius from my house, especially since I hate buses. I had to find another bike, before I went stir crazy. Something smooth, fast, shiny, and totally fun to ride. I recognize many people’s excellent advice to […]
I locked up my road bike in Union Square for the dinner hour. I came back sometime later, and my baby was quite thoroughly vanished. Needless to say I’m distraught, but I’m even more annoyed. I’ve never been totally comfortable in San Francisco, but now my entire vacation will be colored by insecurity as well […]
About two years ago, of all possible things, I was nearly killled by an ambulance truck. It was certainly stupid of me to ride my bicycle on the wrong side of the road, and it’s a mistake I thereafter forever kicked. Anyway, I’m cruising south on” M” Street from school, against traffic, and I see […]