Commuter Bike Essays

Congratulations to the winners of the Commuter Bike Essay Contest: Erin Merten and Daniel Dooley. It was tough to pick just two winners from among the worthy essays, but these two stood out. We look forward to hearing reports of their progress as they get their new bikes and start bike commuting (or, in Daniel's case, biking more so that he fulfills his committment to 1300 miles!).

Erin Merten
Alternate methods of transportation are a way of life for my family. Burning kcals rather than petrol is always the preferred method of traveling. As far as I'm concerned it started with my father's engagement present to my mother; rather than purchasing a lifeless carbon ring, my father instead sought to lessen his family's carbon footprint by gifting my mother with a state of the art (state of the art for 1976) 10 speed. That set the tone in my family that "alternate" is your first option.

After a childhood of "self commuting" (biking, walking, bussing, roller skating, etc), biking took the backseat in college while I pursued another popular alternative, track and field. Seven years and five stress fractures later I had to return to my biking routes (pun intended) unexpectedly when my car met a premature demise while on a camping trip at the hands of a lesser driver. Not quite ready to take the plunge and purchase a new car I decided to start biking the 10 miles to my new job at the Northside YMCA.

Biking to the Northside YMCA was no walk in the park. Traversing Broadway at its peak hours is not like riding on the Greenways. And mind you, my bike is no Maserati it's a jalopy for sure (climbing Black Oak Ridge without working gears gave me my daily dose of cardio, and then some). I inherited it 8 years ago in college from a teammate when my previous bike was carried off to the chop shop, an all too frequent problem in the biker-friendly town of Gainesville where the streets are paved in bike lanes. Formerly a stand-up bike, my hand-me-down had been beaten into submission jumping sand dunes and crashing into palmetto brush along bike trails in Florida at the hands of a daredevil brother. Festooned with stickers, my least favorite of which reads "Caution: Dangerous Rider" (more apropos would be "Dangerous to Ride"), I became an easy target for horn-happy commuters along the aisle of Broadway. To this day I'm surprised I managed to survive 6 months of this commute with nary a scratch considering the route and the condition of my bike.

Conveniently, not long after I succumbed to the allure of another (yes I finally gave in and purchased a car) I was relocated back to the Downtown YMCA as their Wellness Director. Ironically enough, now that I am within a comfortable biking distance I find myself resorting to four wheels rather than two, more frequently. For the past six months I've blamed it on the Tennessee weather whenever my father nags me about reducing my carbon footprint; we've definitely seen more rain and colder temperatures than I can remember in the six years I have lived here. But I know this is just an excuse, it's a lifestyle I've lost touch with. It's time I return to my roots. Be it bad weather, squeaky brakes, shiftless gears, embarrassing stickers, unsafe roads, working cars, or all of the above I remind myself as I pen this essay that it all cycles back to the start, a beginning marked by a silvery-blue 10 speed and a commitment to love more than just each other.

UPDATE from Erin: I'm biking to work almost every day. I also just used it for my second triathlon; stripped it down to lighten it and won the Westside Y Triathlon on July 10th. I chose a bike that is a cross between a road bike and a commuter bike for this very purpose. I'm a very active person so I wanted a bike that would suit both extracurricular activities as well as commuting. As you can see from the photo, I've learned how to be creative with the rack (I wanted to bring some flowers to work from my garden so I strapped a cup on the back of my bike and rode down Broadway with a pile of sunflowers. They only fell out once; all but one survived the spill.)

Probably the best part is the message I'm sending to our members at the Y. The bike sits front and center in my office, so anyone who sets foot in the Downtown YMCA sees it. Consistent with my personality I chose a loud bicycle: bright orangish-red with striped handlebar tape, you can't miss it. It's a great conversation starter. I can't tell you how many times I've shared my story.

Thanks again for giving me this opportunity.

 

Daniel Dooley
I have a road bicycle, but I believe I would get better use out of a commuter or hybrid type bicycle. To explain this, allow me to ride you through my commute from Fountain City to the Island Home community.

I live above Gresham Middle School. It's not the steepest of hills, but in the early morning when I am still not fully awake I would like to have some more responsive brakes. Whether through design of the calipers or inadequate pressure on my part, the brakes on my road bike just don't cut the speed as quickly as I would like. Is this designed to keep beginners from locking up? Possibly, but on the hills around town it would be nice to have effective gravity fighting power.

From the initial downhill ride comes braving a portion of Broadway. From Hotel Avenue to Old Broadway I try to keep to the shoulder to avoid traffic, which leads to more encounters with road trash. When running over 100 PSI it seems as though any number of items are eager to punch a hole in the tubes. A thicker tire I would think might help prevent this.

If a commuter tire wouldn't lessen the hazards of road trash, they would almost certainly help with the various potholes I face once I reach 6th Avenue. After weaving along the back roads that run between Whittle Springs and Broadway I reach the roughest part of my commute on 6th Avenue in order to get to the bike lanes on Hall of Fame Boulevard. Having some of the shock absorbed through tires would be welcome here. It would also be nice to hit a dirt trail once in a while or hop a curb if needed.

From there it is up to Gay Street, across the bridge and alongside the river to reach my destination. All in all it's 9.5 miles one way for a total of 19 miles any day I cycle in. The way home follows the same route, the difference being the final hill presenting a challenge to my current gear set.

Overall, I like to ride in, but I believe that having a bicycle designed to handle the conditions of the commute would encourage me to bike in more often. Therefore, if I were to receive a commuter bike I would return it if I do not ride at least 1300 miles by the end of the Commuter Challenge so that someone else could benefit from it.

UPDATE FROM DANIEL: "I've so far logged about 450 miles. That puts me a week ahead of my schedule to meet my goal. The bicycle delivers in all aspects except for top speed, but that's the trade off for having a bike that is meant to commute. The bumpy roads aren't nearly the bother they were before and I am confident in my braking power when going down hills. The Planet Bike super flash headlight helps me feel that I am being seen by other drivers as I ride in under the streetlamps. I look forward to taking the bike on some longer trips as well as continuing to avoid using the car when I can. Thanks again for this opportunity!"