Bike if you want to

With Labor Day weekend around the corner, summer seems to be drawing to a close.

In fact, there are still more than three weeks of summer left on the calendar.  And even after that ends, Chicago often experiences some of the best cycling weather of the year. Fall days can be sunny, mild, or pleasantly cool, and turn the sweat-drenched cycling of the summer months into a truly refreshing experience.

Don't see yourself as a bike commuter? That's OK. I happen to believe that you do not have to "become" anything if you just want to try riding your bike. My mother-in-law and her 80-year-old husband recently started riding their bikes to the grocery store. I don't think they ever stopped to figure out if they are "bike commuters".

The best tip I have for riding a bike is to do it when you want to. Here are some other tips for incorporating biking into your routine this season and through the fall:

• Keep your bike where it's easily accessible, with all your gear near at hand (helmet and lock at a minimum). This will reduce the frustration of trying to find a key item when you're in a hurry to get out the door.
• Carry a backpack. It will turn any bike trip into a potentially productive one without a major investment.
• Don't bite off more that you can chew. Rather than trying to build your whole day around the bike, start by planning short trips: post office, library, coffee shop, small shopping errand.
• If you were planning a major shopping expedition, see if instead there are a few things you can pick up locally, and put off the big trip until you have to be out with the car for another reason.
• If you are traffic-averse, ride your bike to places you can reach using small neighborhoods streets.
• If needed, give yourself a small push once in a while.

Here's the thing: just because you drove your car or got on the bus today doesn't mean you can't ride your bike tomorrow. Conversely, if you ride your bike today, It doesn't mean you have to cycle everywhere for the rest of your life. It only means that you will use your bike sometimes, when it makes sense to you. Personally, I am much more likely to use my bike if there is no external pressure on me to do so, such as a guilt-trip from someone who cycles more than I do.

Comments

[Leah]

I'd just add one thing - if riding to/from a place (like work) seems daunting, you don't even have to do the to/from thing. You can get put your bike on a bus to get where you're going, then ride home! I've done this a few times for work when I know I'll want to ride home, but I just can't get up in the morning to ride there. I'll throw my bike stuff in my bag, throw my bike on a bus rack, and then look forward to a relaxing bike ride home!