Here is January’s column published in The Noise.
Right off the bat, I think it’s important to mention that I’m totally against New Year’s resolutions. It’s been my experience that the “New Year’s Resolution” functions as a great procrastinator, much like popping in a movie to stave off studying for a few hours. If someone expresses the desire to quite smoking, read more, or exercise, the use of the New Year’s Resolution™ forces them to wait, sometimes months at a time, for January 1st. I understand that dates and schedules are important to many people for many reasons, but if you’ve already “resolved” to do something to improve the quality of your life, just do it!
It doesn’t really matter now. By the time this issue hits the streets, the resolutions will already be in place; for many, like trying to take safety advice from a three-fingered shop teacher, these resolutions have probably already been dismissed. The smoker still knows that quitting is the best option, but after a stressful holiday with the in-laws, just “one more” pack might be justified. The one who vows to read more, if he was serious about it at all, probably hasn’t actually made any effort to obtain reading material. One resolution that does tend to stick, at least for the first couple of months, are those that vow to exercise more. After weeks of eating pie and lying around reminiscing with family and old friends, the belt gets tighter and the guilt gets heavier.
The best kind of exercise, that is, the most enduring and meaningful, coincides with a lifestyle change where exercise is merely integrated into everyday life. It’s very hard for most people to make extra time to go to a gym. And for those, like myself, who feel awkward alongside all the grunting and competition that characterize most gyms, simply getting up early to run probably isn’t going to happen either.
Insert bicycle propaganda here: The bicycle is probably the best invention of all time. Not only does it promote a healthy lifestyle, but it also provides a sense of freedom through simplicity, independence from car culture, interaction with one’s surroundings, and it’s just plain fun.
Being in the line of work I’m in, many might be shocked that I didn’t choose the printing press as the greatest invention. When you think about it though, the printing press was an inevitable invention. People simply have things to say and nobody can read each other’s handwriting. Plus, the bike is one of the few inventions that have maintained it’s basic design since the time it was first introduced in the mid 1800s. Further, many people might say, “Kyle, the invention of the wheel made the bike possible, so the wheel is the greatest invention.” Frankly, I’m tired of all this “wheel propaganda” that takes place in this culture. Yes, the bike utilizes the wheel, but nobody “invented” the wheel, humans just found it. The bicycle is genius because it utilizes the basic concepts of mobility that nature has already provided for us. There is a difference between “Hey look at this!” and “Hey look what I made out of this!”
In terms of the bikes design, we currently live in the greatest time period for riding. New riders have to decide if they want a road bike or a mountain bike, and consider the different kinds and the hundreds of variations in between. Never before has a bicycle been capable of going as fast as today’s road bikes. Similarly, never before has a bicycle been able to handle the rugged terrains that today’s mountain bikes have finessed. I’m not saying bicycles aren’t still improving; I am saying that there has never been a better time to start integrating the bicycle into your every day routine.
That’s the beauty of the bicycle. One doesn’t even have to view it as exercise. When something is embedded into one’s lifestyle, it isn’t internalized as something extra (like going to the gym or making a point to exercise). Ideally, if one bikes back and forth to school and work, it simply becomes a mode of transportation. The health benefits become integrated into this lifestyle.
I recently talked to Anthony Quintile, the owner of Absolute Bikes, and Ben Withey, a manager over at AZ Bikes. Mr. Quintile discussed many of the positive attributes of biking beyond the health benefits. “This is a great town for riding. If people ride more, they’ll be happier.” This isn’t just empty rhetoric either. In both bike shops, when I walked past customers and people working on bikes, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. These are people who zoom around town on their own power, who get to know their community because their not incased in steel, and they know all the short cuts and scenic rides.
I remember when I first started riding; I was shocked by how hard it was. Flagstaff has some killer hills, many of which, however, can be avoided by careful route planning. There was one hill I simply had to tackle every day, but I could set my watch to the progress I was making. The first couple days, I had to stand up on my bike in the highest gear, which was both embarrassing and discouraging. Little by little, however, I progressed to where only in a matter of a few months, I cruised up that hill without having to change my gears or stand up at all. It certainly made me feel good.
Admitting the addictive nature of riding, Mr. Whitey enjoys the simple, quiet, low maintenance lifestyle that riding a bike entails. “Every time you ride, you feel yourself getting stronger and progressing.” This undoubtedly builds confidence. In an age where over 350 million prescriptions of anti-depressants are filled each year, the independence, self-reliance, and simplicity provided by a riding a bike, has the potential to vastly improve the quality of life for virtually anybody willing to stick with it.
This brings me to the crux of any resolution, or lifestyle change characterized by a new activity: stick with it. Think back to when you were a child. Do you remember ever being remotely tired when you were riding your bike? I don’t either. This is because biking was the best available mode of transportation at the time. As we grew up, we have learned to embrace the easiest, quickest modes of transportation, without considering what might be the best in terms of health, environmental impact, and general well being. This is also a simple way of explaining our cultures definition of progress. This rendering of progress is an ideology in place to compliment a way of life that values the needs of economic systems over the needs of people and the natural world.
By becoming less dependent on petroleum, and embracing a lifestyle that emphasizes the happiness of people and the welfare of the natural world, bicyclists might begin to shift the paradigm and change the way we understand progress through simplicity rather than the complexities characterized by car culture and technology.
That said, those who first begin biking should be encouraged to stick with it. Withey emphasizes that new riders “be patient and ask questions.” Both Withey and Quintile highlight the importance of establishing a good relationship with your local bike shop. Quintile mentioned that malfunctions on the bike might easily discourage new riders. “If you find a good bike shop, you’ll be able to ensure that your bike is running well, which will make for a better riding experience.”
Here are a few tips for new riders, many of the ideas promoted here were provided by Anthony Quintile from Absolute Bikes, while your author provided the sarcasm:
1. Find a good bike shop that will answer all your questions and keep your bike running well. If you’re serious about riding don’t buy a cheap Wal-Mart bike.
2. Wear appropriate gear. This doesn’t mean you have to have Spandex to ride a bike, but loose clothing could get caught up in your bike chain.
3. Make sure you have the equipment and know-how to deal with a flat tire.
4. Make sure you have proper lighting/reflectors. The police have been cracking down on this lately.
5. Wear a helmet. Flagstaff is a pretty bike-friendly community, but that doesn’t mean people don’t get hit.
6. Ride smart. Learn hand signals. There are plenty of ways to avoid traffic or dangerous situations. With a little careful planning, your ride will be more enjoyable as well as safer.
7. Ride often and be patient with your progress. Feel sorry for all the suckers on the petroleum dole.