Bikes are a nice method of transportation. What could be better than taking in the scenery with the wind blowing through your hair at low to medium speed? Whether on the way to work or on a casual stroll, a bike ride can be rewarding, especially when the weather is good. However, as with any method of travel, bikes have their disadvantages as well.
First, there is the afformentioned weather. When it sucks, biking is tough. When it really sucks, there won't be any biking that day (or that week if you're particularly unlucky). Winter is especially crappy because good weather or not, if the snow is too deep, you're not riding unless you have one of those special bikes with the big tires. This is a problem if can't catch bus you need to be on time to work. If that happens when the weather is good, you simply shrug your shoulders, hop on your bike, and still be on time. In the Winter, the difference between being twenty minutes early or five minutes late can literally come down to seconds. This writer has seen the bus whiz past a stop, only to see a person chasing down the bus in vain. This writer has been that person a few times.
Also, bikes themselves aren't all sunshine. Tires go flat, chains pop, gears don't shift, dogs give chase, and motorists with road rage aren't your friend. The dogs can be fun blow past as they bark and set on a hopeless chase...if he's too slow to catch you, that is. Flat tires are just an irritant, especially if you discover it before you head off to work. Chains that pop are an irritant before work, because if you aren't prepared, you have to go into work with fierce grease stains on your hands. As for the motorists...remember, they have the big hulking hummer and you may be just one collision away from playing wheelchair basketball.
The most troublesome problem with bikes isn't being chased by dogs, dumb drivers, or even flat tires. No. The winner of that dubious award goes to bike locks. Yep. They can keep your bike safe. However, sometimes they keep your bikes too safe or not safe enough. Cable locks, for example are a wait of money, plain and simple. Anyone who needs a new bike and has a pair of bolt cutters handy can simply take your bike. Having lost at least five bikes to thieves, this writer speaks from experience when he says cable locks blow. Just don't buy them.
U-locks on the other hand, will keep your bike safe. Even from you. U-locks are nice until they seize up and refuse to unlock. You'll learn colorful new words and experience new levels of anger as you attempt to get the lock off. It's hard, but it can be done. A quick trip to the supermarket will solve problem, as long as you make sure to come back with a hammer and an electronics duster (thank God for You Tube). WTF? You shouldn't have to be MacGuyver just to give the lock off your bike.
When it comes to u-locks, the grand champion of crap is Schwinn. Seriously, this writer has been through four Schwinn u-locks in the past four months because they simply chose not to work. One stopped working after two days. TWO LOUSY DAYS. Put simply, when you buy a Schwinn lock, you've just bought a piece of Schwitt. WTF Schwinn?
Schwinn is just a long way to spell "shit"
Where's the rest of this key?
Oh, there it is.
Yes bikes are great, but they come with their fair share of BS. All you can do is be prepared for when it shows up. If not, you may have walk or (even worse) take the bus.
Until next time...
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