You can drive a road a million times, but it isn't until you walk, run, or bike it that you really know the road, or the neighborhood. The world looks different from a bike. So much so, I would say, that it can alter the way you see the whole world. As I write this, I'm watching a Subaru commercial. It shows newly weds driving on a remote gravel road (perfectly passable by any front drive car), encountering a bull, driving around it, and having their picnic rained out. They hop back in the car and drive back from where they came. The message is that they are an unusual couple and even though they were rained out, they have a better memory than if they had done something more traditional. More traditional than driving a car on a road? The point the commercial misses is that the experience of that place would be deeper if they experienced the route more closely. I love getting away to the wilderness, getting away from people and cars and noise. But you don't need to drive a 4x4 into the wilderness to have a new experience. Ride your bike from wherever you live to wherever you work, or downtown to a coffee shop for dessert, and you'll see what I mean. You'll notice the neighborhoods change from one to another, the smells of the cooking or the laundry. You'll hear things you didn't hear from your car, see things you never noticed.
You never really know a road until you've ridden it on a bicycle.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Better weather (a little) means a lot more bikes on the road
Several more days of bike commuting adventures in Beaverton and Portland are in the bank. My commute takes me from far SW Beaverton on the edge of the urban growth boundary to Old Town Portland. These 14 miles take me through several bicycling cultural "zones".
Allow me to explain. You may think that all bicyclists are pretty much the same, at least the ones that are dedicated enough to ride in the cold, the rain, and the dark. You may also think that the cyclists in, say, Multnomah Village are pretty much the same as those in Beaverton or Portland. Not so. Let's start with the Beaverton zone. Cyclists in the beaverton zone fall into three general categories. These are:
1) The Hispanic on a department store bike. The bike never fits properly. The rider doesn't generally ride in a straight line or at a speed much faster than a walk. Rider usually rides on the sidewalk, and always appears to be very close to an intersection. No matter the weather, this rider is dressed in street clothes, like jeans and a winter coat.
2) The 70 something year old enthusiast rider. This rider wears bright yellow rain gear, is a bit scrawny looking, and often has a rather dorky looking helmet. This rider is always on a road bike, but it may be a vintage bike with original looking components.
3) The affluent middle aged white man, wanna be enthusiast. More often than not, this rider does not appear to be in the best of shape, but rides with vigor nonetheless. While affluent, most of this man's money goes into the mortgage, car payments, and kids. He wishes he could spend more on biking but simply can't. He wears sensible cycling clothing from Performance, or sale items from the Bike Gallery.
After slogging up the false flat of Multnomah Blvd. to Multnomah Village, there is a slight shift in the biking zone. Here I encounter two more types:
1) The younger enthusiast rider. This rider is a little younger than the affluent Beaverton enthusiast, or at least is in better shape. He is no older than mid 30's. He is not as affluent in general as the Beaverton enthusiast, but he spends more money on his bike. He has fewer other financial obligations. Here you may encounter the occasional female cyclist as well. Their cycling clothes are a little more stylish. Maybe something from Castelli. The rain gear is Shower's Pass. They don't wave to other cyclists.
2) The commuting geek. You are now close enough to Portland that the occasional commuting geek is found here. The commuting geek has a sensible bike. That's this rider's thing. He is proud of the fact that his bike is practical. He is a little to eager to point out that his bike is NOT an expensive race bike. It has permanent fenders and panniers. He rides upright on this bike, almost ramrod straight like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz when she steals Toto. You will see many more of these in Portland as you get closer, but you begin to see them here.
Once you enter the city center area, more breeds present themselves:
1) The retro "Look at me I am riding a bike that looks like it was made in the UK in the 1920's" female rider. It may also be a 3500 dollar 55 pound dutch bike. Although stylish, these bikes were made in a land where the maximum elevation is a bridge over a canal...and 55 pounds doesn't matter so much. This rider obviously hasn't ridden far, is usually in street clothes with some light rain gear at the most. Though she only began riding in recent months, and then only on suitable days, she effortlessly has adopted a sense of superiority over not just car drivers, but riders who have new or faster looking bikes.
2) The fixie hipster. There is nothing I can say about this guy that has not already been said.
3) The guy who wants to be a hipster with a fixie. This guy has purchased a "city bike" from a mass market maker such as Trek or Specialized which has been made to try to cash in on the "urban" trend. Or worse, it's made by Pista. The bike is a single speed with a flip flop hub and brakes. You will be most likely to find this rider at a Stumptown Coffee with his bike parked, a little too self consciously, out front.
4) Many, many workaday commuters on all manner of mountain bike and hybrid with all manner of dress.
These are the cultural cycling zones on my commute.
Allow me to explain. You may think that all bicyclists are pretty much the same, at least the ones that are dedicated enough to ride in the cold, the rain, and the dark. You may also think that the cyclists in, say, Multnomah Village are pretty much the same as those in Beaverton or Portland. Not so. Let's start with the Beaverton zone. Cyclists in the beaverton zone fall into three general categories. These are:
1) The Hispanic on a department store bike. The bike never fits properly. The rider doesn't generally ride in a straight line or at a speed much faster than a walk. Rider usually rides on the sidewalk, and always appears to be very close to an intersection. No matter the weather, this rider is dressed in street clothes, like jeans and a winter coat.
2) The 70 something year old enthusiast rider. This rider wears bright yellow rain gear, is a bit scrawny looking, and often has a rather dorky looking helmet. This rider is always on a road bike, but it may be a vintage bike with original looking components.
3) The affluent middle aged white man, wanna be enthusiast. More often than not, this rider does not appear to be in the best of shape, but rides with vigor nonetheless. While affluent, most of this man's money goes into the mortgage, car payments, and kids. He wishes he could spend more on biking but simply can't. He wears sensible cycling clothing from Performance, or sale items from the Bike Gallery.
After slogging up the false flat of Multnomah Blvd. to Multnomah Village, there is a slight shift in the biking zone. Here I encounter two more types:
1) The younger enthusiast rider. This rider is a little younger than the affluent Beaverton enthusiast, or at least is in better shape. He is no older than mid 30's. He is not as affluent in general as the Beaverton enthusiast, but he spends more money on his bike. He has fewer other financial obligations. Here you may encounter the occasional female cyclist as well. Their cycling clothes are a little more stylish. Maybe something from Castelli. The rain gear is Shower's Pass. They don't wave to other cyclists.
2) The commuting geek. You are now close enough to Portland that the occasional commuting geek is found here. The commuting geek has a sensible bike. That's this rider's thing. He is proud of the fact that his bike is practical. He is a little to eager to point out that his bike is NOT an expensive race bike. It has permanent fenders and panniers. He rides upright on this bike, almost ramrod straight like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz when she steals Toto. You will see many more of these in Portland as you get closer, but you begin to see them here.
Once you enter the city center area, more breeds present themselves:
1) The retro "Look at me I am riding a bike that looks like it was made in the UK in the 1920's" female rider. It may also be a 3500 dollar 55 pound dutch bike. Although stylish, these bikes were made in a land where the maximum elevation is a bridge over a canal...and 55 pounds doesn't matter so much. This rider obviously hasn't ridden far, is usually in street clothes with some light rain gear at the most. Though she only began riding in recent months, and then only on suitable days, she effortlessly has adopted a sense of superiority over not just car drivers, but riders who have new or faster looking bikes.
2) The fixie hipster. There is nothing I can say about this guy that has not already been said.
3) The guy who wants to be a hipster with a fixie. This guy has purchased a "city bike" from a mass market maker such as Trek or Specialized which has been made to try to cash in on the "urban" trend. Or worse, it's made by Pista. The bike is a single speed with a flip flop hub and brakes. You will be most likely to find this rider at a Stumptown Coffee with his bike parked, a little too self consciously, out front.
4) Many, many workaday commuters on all manner of mountain bike and hybrid with all manner of dress.
These are the cultural cycling zones on my commute.
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