May 3, 2006
Things That Make Me Happy (1st in a series . . .)
My new bicycle!
It's a Trek 7.3FX, in a dark, metallic gray, in case anyone cares.
Like many good things, this one has a not so good aspect as well: I have a new bicycle because my old bicycle was stolen from my garage some time this winter. I don't know exactly when, because I don't ride in the winter, and our garage has enough stuff in it that I just didn't notice it was missing until March, when the weather started to warm up. There were never any signs of a break-in, so I can only assume we left the garage door open by accident, which, despite our constant vigilence, has happened a few times. Oddly, they only took my bicycle, nothing else. It wasn't particularly expensive (under $300) and it was 12 years old, plus the frame is quite small (being as I'm rather short), so I was sort of surprised anyone really wanted it, but when it comes to bicycle thieves, they'll take anything. I discovered a couple of places online where you can register your bicycle as stolen: Stolenbicycleregistry.com and the National Bike Registry. If you get lucky you might just get it back or at least prevent some thief from selling it to someone else, but I'm not holding my breath.
Anyway, at least I got an excuse to buy a new bicycle, and I love it. It's much lighter than my old one, and it even came with a cute little bell on the handlbars (this can come in handy when navigating around the crowded U of M campus where I work). Best of all, it inspired me to ride to work, which I have been planning to do for the past 3 1/2 years and finally did for the first time this morning.
Actually, the fact that my workplace is close enough to my home to bicycle is one of the reasons I was attracted to the position when I first applied. So why did it take me so long to attempt to commute by bicycle? Well, there are a number of reasons:
1) Weather always seems to be not quite right. There is no place to shower where I work, so I was concerned about getting too sweaty, etc.
2) I found out I am not allowed to bring the bicycle into my building and bicycle thievery is rampant on campus
3) Although I live very close by, the most direct routes are all very busy streets, and I was having trouble figuring out a route that would be relatively short and also relatively safe.
Today the planets aligned and I was able to satisfy my concerns about these matters:
1) Weather was perfect for bike-riding today -- in the mid-50s this morning. In fact I did sweat a little (mostly out of nervousness), but nothing too bothersome -- at least none of my colleagues seem to be avoiding me!
2) I invested in a really good lock (which cost almost a 10th of the cost of the bicyle, I might add!) and am using it in addition to a cable lock for extra security.
3) Got some route tips from seasoned bicycle commuters, including the secret location of the bike trail that crosses 35W alongside the Hiawatha light rail line.
Overall, I'd say my first commuting experience was a good one. It was slightly nerve-wracking going through downtown Minneapolis, and I didn't relish breathing in all the exhaust from cars idling at traffic lights, but since I was able to stay entirely on streets with designated bike lanes, it wasn't too bad. The worst part was when I had to figure out how I was supposed to turn right from a bicycle lane on the left side of the street with two lanes of traffic on my right. Anyone got any tips on that?
Total trip took about 25 minutes, but I think I could do it in 20 next time, now that I know where I'm going. ON the way home, I might try the longer, but more scenic and safer route down West River Road to the Midtown Greenway.
UPDATE: Ixnay on the West River Road to Midtown Greenway idea. I found out the hard way that construction of said greenway is not actually complete. It took some exploring to figure this out. Eventually I made my way over to the west side of Hiawatha Avenue and found the greenway (tip: Although it runs next to 29th street most of the way, at the end near Hiawatha Ave, you have to access it from 28th street). I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that now at least I'd have a straight shot all the way to Hennepin Avenue, but I didn't take into account the wind, which was blowing straight down the greenway at me. Total travel time home: slightly over 1 hour!
Posted by ldfs at May 3, 2006 5:11 PM | TrackBack