Chicago Bike Blog

Biking for wimps

My morning began with a slap in the face.
In my previous post, I had imprudently revealed myself as eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring, and being tired of the trudge of winter. A reader took advantage of this weak moment, and accused me of having a "delicate constitution".
Humph.
I jumped up from the computer and took a few indignant paces across the living room. I must defend myself. I must protest and set the record straight. After all, not only do I have years of all weather commuting under my belt, I also have a proven track record of turning other people into...
But then the coffee kicked in and my brain started working again.
Where is it written that cycling is something that can only be practiced by people with strong constitutions?
Like it or not, the majority of people in this country still view cycling as a fair-weather activity whose purpose is primarily recreation, rather than transportation. There are many reasons for this, chief among them perhaps the long tradition of cheap, accessible and abundant fossil fuels, resulting in extravagant urban sprawl. Because of deeply ingrained habits and social conditioning, changing people's views to accept the bicycle as a viable form of transportation has been a bit of an uphill battle.
This battle has been fought on several different fronts, through advocacy, street happenings such as Critical Mass, even fashion. It has also been fought day in and day out in forward thinking urban bike shops, such as my own Rapid Transit in Chicago.
For the past fifteen years, we have been engaged in the battle for the hearts and minds of cyclists young and old, would-be and practicing, new and experienced, timid and die-hard, fair-weather and all-weather. And we have come to the conclusion that you can't win that battle with shock and awe. Chances are you will not entice a new cyclist by painting visions of snot icicles, foggy goggles, blue fingertips and admonitions about the importance of layers. You will not smooth the way for him by describing the joys of your 40-mile daily commute. I do not mean to deny that there is a contingent of folks who do find this appealing and fun. But if the point is to create more cyclists, than this is not a winning strategy.
The truth is that few people are warriors, and even fewer are warriors every day.
Most of us (including myself, my earlier indignation notwithstanding) are wimps. Different things is our lives make us wimps: habits, children, distance, weather, aches and pains, fear, sometimes age, sometimes youth, winter colds, whims, moods, barometric pressure, stress. And frankly, while the heroic feats of others may sometimes inspire us, they probably won't motivate us on a daily basis. If the bar is set too high, we won't even make an attempt to reach it.
So I make allowances. Bike a little. Bike when the weather is nice. Bike when you feel like it. I would rather have a million wimps rejoicing in biking one mile, than feeling guilty about not biking at all.

Related posts:
Biking goals
Some of us are wimps. Others - ninja warriors.
Bike if you want to
How to get more people on bikes
50 ways to leave your car
Riding motivation

_________________________________________________________
Art credit:

What stops you from riding?

I know there are those among us who ride their bikes no matter what. The rest of us have doubts. At least once in a while. What are your stumbling blocks to cycling?And, if you are able to overcome them, how do you do it?

For me personally, the biggest block to riding is my kids. And my kids are easy. They're not babies, and they actually enjoy biking. And we have great vehicles for family biking. I bike with them locally in our own neighborhood: to their various activities, friends' homes, library and ice cream shop.  But I am absolutely paranoid about biking with them on larger streets, such as Elston or Milwaukee. So, when going on a longer trip around Chicago with them, I often choose the perceived safety of the automobile.

Traffic safety, when I bike alone, is also a concern, but it never stops me from riding. I have many years of urban riding experience, and I choose my route and biking strategy based on my skills and energy level. But it is something we all have to think about when we roll our bike onto a city street. Are you ever so concerned about safety that you choose not to ride?

Unlike those of us who work in the bike industry, most folks can't show up for work wearing cycling gear. How do you reconcile having to adhere to a strict dress code and grooming standards with a strenuous commute? Does that stop you, or do you find a way around it?

I am fortunate that my neighborhood has a designated bike route running through it, and is close to convenient diagonal thoroughfares. Although those are not the most pleasant streets to bike on, they are fast and efficient routes. The areas I generally have to travel through don't cause me to be concerned for my personal security. Is your location and/or route an obstacle to cycling?

Although I can easily manage the distance from my house to the store, it is definitely more than what I would consider a "hop". I'm not sure if I would call this obstacle "distance" or "laziness", but it does sometimes stop me from riding. (I know for sure I wouldn't call it "time savings", because whenever I've opted to go by car, I usually end up stuck in traffic.) Do you consider your bike commute impractical because of the distance you have to travel? Or, like me, are you sometimes just lazy? How do you give yourself a kick?

Looking out the window this early morning, I know the violent rain would stop me. Does it ever stop you?
How about your fitness level?
Your cycling equipment?
Always running late?
Or are you unstoppable?

Some people of the bicycling industry

Selling bicycles, especially in a city with distinct and temperamental seasons, like Chicago, is a highly cyclical business.

We get unceremoniously shaken out of our winter slumber by the throngs of cyclists who one day simply decide that biking season has arrived, and who continue their relentless onslaught from the early days of spring right through the hottest weeks of summer, and sometimes even into early fall. Then they forget about us for a few weeks.
That violent assault, however, has the unintended result of making our bike shop staff extremely cranky, if not downright surly, by sometime in August. It also makes the shop itself a rather sorry sight, as if a dog had chewed it and decided it wasn't to his liking.
We are truly in sad shape.
And, believe it or not, what recharges our batteries every single year, is the trade show. Yes, we find solace, release, even inspiration, in the annual bike extravanganza known as Interbike, and, though we complain, we dutifully travel to Las Vegas every September, where we talk too much, eat too much, drink too much, and sleep to little. And then, after returning to Chicago, we use the winter time to slowly rise, like the phoenix, from our own ashes, and re-create ourselves as a fully functioning bike shop to face yet another season.
What about Interbike has this amazing power?
It's not the stuff. It's never about the stuff.
Sometimes the stuff represents ideas, but these ideas come from people. And meeting people, people who live and create bike culture, from all over the country is what we go to the trade show to do.
People like Laura.

(Laura is lightyears ahead of me in cycling footwear)

Chris was hanging out at a vendor booth, filling out some forms with my name, when a woman happened to glance over his shoulder "That wouldn't be Justyna who writes the Chicago Bike Blog, would it?"
(wow! someone knows me!....)
Turns out that Laura used to work in a bicycle shop in San Diego. Customers, especially "non-cyclists", used to love to come and see her there, because she, well, essentially, she treated them nicely. She didn't treat them like "customers" (ie. people on the other end of a deal).
She aksed them about their needs and concerns, about their fears and their dreams. She explained to them the terminology that other bike shop personnel took for granted. With frankness and empathy, she discussed issues like pain, weight, fitness level, saddle comfort. Through simple dialog, she began to dispell their fears, and lift the veil on their dreams.
It turns out, that perhaps the middle-aged, slightly heavy woman, did not see herself tooling around on a comfort-hybrid on a Sunday afternoon. She dreamt of leaning over the handlebars in a sleek jersey, cruising for miles on an open road. The athletic guy in a baseball t-shirt didn't want to jump boulders in the woods. He wanted a simple bike he could ride one-handed to the ballpark along a quiet neighborhood street. The student in torn jeans didn't want a cheap fixie. He was planning all aspects of an efficient commute to his new job at a law firm.
Unfortunately, Laura's boss did not share her enthusiasm for finding out about people. He wanted her to sell bikes. Only he called them "units". Laura wanted to solve problems, and to build relationships; he prized the sale of a "unit" today, over the value of a lifetime of loyalty.
So Laura left, and went into business for herself. And I wish her great success, because she has a lot to offer.
But it makes me a bit sad. Sad for the shop owner, who may have missed the opportunity to make his business extraordinary. We, as bicycle shop representatives, are at the forefront of bike culture in our communities, and have a genuine opportunity to shape that culture. If we really expect new people to come to cycling and embrace it as part of their lives, we have to make them feel at home at a bike shop. We can't bombard them with technical details or overwhelm them with products before we have extended the courtesy of learning a little bit about them.
For heaven's sake, let's not "convert" them. Let's listen to their questions, concerns, ideas and fears. Let's not translate their needs into dollars, and immediately turn them into Customers.
Let's earn their trust, and see if they'll tell us their dreams.

Ranting for sanity

Since I could not attend last night's Ride of Silence here in Chicago, I wanted to see what was being written about it out there in the big world. So the first place I landed was a Chicago Tribune article announcing the ride.
I tried to stop myself, but couldn't: I read the comments.

Alive.

I know (I think) that many drivers are courteous, considerate, cautious and tolerant of slower moving vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, the handicapped, parents with strollers, folks with walkers, and anyone who does not happen to be driving a multi-ton, foreign-fuel-dependent machine. But some of the comments posted below that article made me question my faith in the fellow man.

Perhaps the bicycle industry is at fault for persisting at marketing bicycles for leisure and recreation. Not that there is anything wrong with leisure and recreation per se. It's just that, in out profit-driven society, those activities are less of a priority than just getting things done. So, if you are riding a bicycle, an item that, like it or not, can still be purchased at Toys-R-Us, you are perhaps perceived as doing something frivolous, playing, enjoying yourself, kind of like the grasshopper among the busy ants.

Well, to all you busy ants out there, with your very important appointments and agendas, let it be known that you do not need to be the owner of a $40,000 pile of metal for your livelihood and your life to matter. People use bikes for all sorts of reasons. People cycle to their jobs. No, they are not deadbeats. People from all professions, white and blue collar alike, cycle because they chose to, not because they've had their driver's license suspended. People cycle to get to school. People cycle to get things done. People cycle because cycling provides good exercise, is cheap, efficient, and maybe because they believe in a cleaner, saner community. Some people cycle because they believe bicycles will change the world. Who are you to tell them they are wrong? And, yes, people cycle for recreation.

Contrast this with some of the reasons people drive. It could be argued that driving in today's climate, for any reason, is downright irresponsible. Driving supports questionable foreign governments, degrades our environment, destroys communities, contributes to obesity, and creates urban congestion. But, as a car owner and driver myself, I can't, in clear conscience condemn the use of the car altogether. Nevertheless, it should be clear as day to anyone, that most people use cars when it is completely unnecessary. Parking lots at supermarkets are filled to capacity as bike racks stand unused. In Chicago, most people are within a mile of a grocery store. On school days, neighborhood streets are backed up with SUV's disgorging children, most of whom live within walking distance from their local school. On weekend nights, trendy neighborhoods are clogged with automobiles, as their owners circle for parking spots, and later drive home having consumed several martinis at a fancy restaurant. Women drive to beauty salons to get their pedicures, and drive back home with tufts of cotton stuffed between their toes. People use their cars as moving offices, talking on phones, sending text messages, reviewing emails, and who knows what else.

But what about cyclists who ride irresponsibly? Of course, they endanger themselves, and other users of the road, including drivers, who may be affected forever if they happen to injure of kill one. Nevertheless, dangers posed by cyclists pale in comparison to those created by automobiles. According to the US Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 2006 (the last year for which data has been compiled), automobile-related deaths numbered 42,642. Of those, 773 involved cyclists, 4,784 pedestrians, and a whopping 30,521 were occupants of passenger cars and light trucks (for the complete report, click here).

Well, you might say, these statistics don't reflect percentages. Yes, more car drivers and passengers die in crashes than cyclists, because  there are more cars than bicycles on the roads. Sure, you could use this argument. But here is mine. Suppose for a minute that there were no other road users besides cars: no cyclists, no pedestrians, nothing. It is a fair assumption that cars would still crash into one another with the same abandon they do right now, and, as a result of these crashes, and from the sheer force of the impact, people would die in great numbers. Possibly, drivers would behave more recklessly knowing there are no more vulnerable users on the roads. Now, suppose there were no cars on the road. Yes, cyclists and pedestrians would still sometimes crash. There might be injuries. There might even be an occasional death. But I am willing to bet it would not even approach 1% of the deaths we suffer from automobile use today.

Dead. (from Chicago Ghost Bikes)

It's a long post, I know. Thanks for bearing with me. If you are cycling, please follow the rules of the road. If you are driving, please do the same. And all of us, let's please have some civility, understanding, tolerance, and respect, not derision, for those who died.

Embrace those online reviews!

I guess if the online reviews of my shop were all unconditionally positive, I would love the idea.

Alas, they're not. So I, too, will be critical.

The overt purpose of online reviews seems to be to create uncensored community feedback on local businesses and services. It's like word of mouth magnified by the power of the internet. If  you do a great job, people will refer friends to you, if you tick them off, they make sure the whole world knows about it.

In principle, this makes perfect sense. In practice, I see a few serious drawbacks.

First, a great many people still don't know their way around those social bookmarking sites, or don't care to use them, and though they may be thrilled or disappointed with the service you've provided, they have no way to tell the world about it. For example, Rapid Transit Cycleshop has less than 30 total customer reviews on Yelp, while we service more than a hundred paying customers just on a typical spring weekday. Many of those customers have been coming back for several years, and a handful of those that do have written positive reviews. Like this one:  "The folks at Rapid Transit truly value me as a customer.  I've bought bikes from there, and they've bent over backwards for me on countless occasions.  Plus, they have the most competent, trustworthy bike mechanics.  Over the years, Rapid Transit has made me glad I own a bike instead of a car.  They're not in it strictly for the money, but they've clearly succeeded over the years.  They're true advocates of bike culture." Many others either keep the good news to themselves, or use traditional word of mouth.

Second, there is no way for a business to respond to and correct grievances. Got a gripe? Please bring it to me. The sign above the register invites you to bring your purchase back for a full refund or exchange if not completely satisfied, and we have honored that policy for many customers on many occasions, whether poor fit was a problem or simply a change of mind. When we are informed of the problem, very often an unexpected solution, and even increased mutual respect, can grow out of the dialog. This venue has no room for dialog. It's a good place to lodge a complaint, but only if you don't want to find solutions.

Third, comments that are simply hateful or even obscene. These are perhaps less of a problem from a business standpoint, because I imagine that most readers of these reviews will simply draw a circle on their foreheads, and ignore them. Think for a moment about the blood sweat and tears you put into your work every day. We, as shop owners and personnel, work in the public arena all the time, dealing with people's good and less good moods, and good and less good days, often providing cures for more than just their broken bikes. We get pretty thick skinned. But there's no other way to say it: that stuff hurts.

Fourth, well... enough already. There is simply no accounting for taste, preferences, personalities and other intangibles. What to one person seems like a high-end bike is basic transportation to another. A week may seem like a long wait for a repair, but not if it's May and you've called around and found that other shops have a three week backlog. An expensive tune-up to one customer may be a life-saving operation on a beloved bike of another. What frustrates me about online reviews is that they are a one-way street. So I'll end with one that goes the way I'm heading: "Lots of bike shops sell bikes.  Rapid Transit sells bike commuting."

Well, that's my take on it. But it you feel inspired, go ahead, and take a lob at us on Yelp or Chicago Bike Shops, or wherever. (But, really, couldn't we just talk it over?...)

Wear it on your sleeve

A reader of this blog recently complained about the President Bush Days Left in Office counter displayed in the margin. She pointed out that not all cyclists are Democrats, and that we should not mix politics with business. Here is my response:

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts about my blog, and the President Bush counter that you found objectionable.

It is not our intent to alienate anyone. If you enjoyed reading my blog, you may also enjoy a visit to our bike shop. Although you may or may not find any overt political messages there, you will probably have no trouble deciphering where our and our staff's political affiliations lie. We are not a big, corporate, homogeneous outfit. We are a small, family-owned neighborhood store, and, like it or not, we have both personality and opinions.

However, your remarks bring up an important point. We cannot always count on our customers' views being consistent with our own. Our customers often voice or display their political opinions either verbally, or on their bikes and clothes. It's easy enough to treat them fairly when those opinions coincide with ours. We believe we try to be fair and courteous to those individuals whose views differ from ours, but it certainly bears reminding ourselves and our staff that people are entitled to their own views and opinions, and still deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. I would like to assure you, that whatever political beliefs set you and me apart from each other, both my staff and I would do our best to serve your cycling needs should you decide to become a customer.

As a liberal living in a city like Chicago, it is pretty easy to think that the whole world thinks alike. This week, I happen to be traveling in a part of the country where most people probably disagree with my political, social and religious views. Small businesses display their views proudly, and I patronize them, if I find that they offer courteous service. The cabin we rented for a week (from a business, not a private individual) is proudly displaying crucifixes, and an open Bible greeted us when we arrived. The business owners had not asked us if we welcomed these images, or even if we were Christians at all. The cabin is immaculate and the service spectacular. We can embrace or ignore the religious symbols as we choose.

Let me say that I absolutely realize that people from all political parties, religious denominations, nationalities, etc, etc, ride bikes. The counter on my blog says nothing about Republicans in general; only about President Bush. I intend to keep it on my blog, since I strongly disapprove of his government and politics. I personally found the counter to be more a humorous political commentary than a deep political statement. For a more complete view of my beliefs, you may want to click here.

Whether or not you ultimately decide you can patronize our store, I thank you for your comments, and wish you continued success in your cycling pursuits.

With best regards,
--
Justyna Frank
Rapid Transit Cycleshop

Happy Christmas

War is over!
(If you want it)

Envision change

Today is Blog Action Day.

Bloggers everywhere are writing about issues related to the environment. Since this entire blog is dedicated to the bicycle, arguably the most environmentally friendly vehicle ever invented, I thought I would simply take this opportunity to congratulate Al Gore on his Nobel Peace Prize.

Way to go Al!

Read whatever subliminal messages you want into this picture. All I'm trying to do is to get Mr. Gore to ride more.

It's not about the stuff, Part IV

I have a confession to make. "It's not about the stuff" is not my own quote. I stole it from Tim Parr, the founder of Swobo, whom I heard interviewed on cycling.tv at Interbike. In general, I found cycling.tv to be a bit of an annoyance at the show, as its monitors, distributed throughout the convention hall, seemed to be speaking to no one. Yet, somehow, I found one speaking directly to me.
"It's not about the stuff" is a philosophy to which I have always adhered. As bicycle shop owners, we are necessarily in the business of STUFF (as is Tim: he does own a bicycle STUFF company, which has been getting some publicity for their pared down line of urban bikes). We know on which side our bread is buttered, and that without the stuff, well, you know, we wouldn't be here.
Yet, it is not the stuff that gets people on bikes. We've had great bike stuff for years, and only recently have we experienced an appreciable surge in people actually using bikes to get from one place to another in this country.
People will not ride bikes more, because there are more bikes to ride (except in the developing world). People will not commute more, because manufacturers are making more "commuter bikes" (what is a commuter bike, anyway?). People will ride more if we can create a bike culture.
How is bike culture created? Well, products, fashions and trends are definitely a part of it. But just as bicycle messengers existed long before bike messenger bags, let alone messenger fashions, came into vogue, so have bike commuters. Companies like Tim's (and there are scores of others) have been preaching bike commuting for years. Advocacy groups and volunteers have logged in thousands of hours of often under-appreciated work to create facilities, pass laws, and change public outlook on bicycling. Activists and Critical Massers have created happenings and increased the visibility and profile of urban cyclists, and raised their standing in the world of fashion. And forward thinking bike shops, like our own Rapid Transit here in Wicker park, have done the nuts-and-bolts work of turning people into cyclists every day of the year, by offering encouragement, advice, and - yes - a little bit of stuff to enhance your commute.
But it is never about the stuff. To my way of looking, you, the bike commuter are just as much, if not more, a legitimate cyclist as an "elite racer", even if you get around on an old three-speed. It is people: people riding bikes everyday, in everyday clothes, doing everyday things as part of their everyday lives that create bike culture. Not the stuff.

Selling Cycling

Every year, the bicycle industry has tried come up with an elaborate scheme to increase participation and interest in cycling. It is interesting that while the industry clearly always supported bicycle advocacy, only in recent years did they really embrace the idea of cycling for transportation. Currently, advocacy and bike-friendly communities are the favorite buzzwords in the industry.

I don't know where the industry experts have been hanging out, but in our neck of the woods, interest in cycling is anything but declining. I have wondered that maybe I see the future of cycling a little differently, because Rapid Transit happens to attract Chicago's commuters, and other cycling advocates.

The phrase "happens to attract" connotes passivity. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we have set up elaborate traps to lure you folks into our store. We let you bring your bikes in. We offered you fenders, lights, rain suits, shoe covers, puncture-proof tires and BOB trailers. We insisted that hybrids were cool. Heck, we insisted recumbents were cool. We talked up bicycle commuting everywhere we turned. To show that we believe in your cause, we too commuted by bike. We even commuted by bike in winter. We figured you'd fall for it.

Seriously, folks, I don't believe that billboards and slogans can turn us into a nation of cyclists overnight. If the cycling industry finally gets its act together enough to come up with a national ad campaign, that'll be icing on the cake. But the real work needs to happen in each individual community, in each individual store, one rider at a time.

We do the work of converting people into cyclists every single day. With a novice rider, we don't rush things. We take the time to explain different types of bikes, and different riding styles, and help him or her figure out what will work best. We patiently explain locks, gears and quick releases. With someone who is a recreational rider, we point out gear, accessories and upgrades that can turn their bike into a commuting vehicle. If they mention pain or discomfort, we recommend alterations to the existing bike, or suggest they try a recumbent. With experienced riders, we try to make sure we have selection of products to meet the demands of daily commuting, perform on-the -spot repairs, or offer them a loaner bike while theirs is being serviced. We share stories of biking, offer classes, tips and opinions, and a place to hang out.

If this is a trap, it has worked for us. Bicycle advocates, critical massers, messengers, commuters and cycling aficionados from all walks of life patronize our store, and it looks like they like it here.

And we are darned glad they do.