Let's Go Ride a Bike: simple, stylish, fun

Joy Ride

Dottie — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:53:40 +0000

Mr. Dottie and I did not leave town for this American holiday weekend, but the city can be beautiful and relaxing if approached with a fresh eye. When we woke up early Saturday to a bright, clear and crisp 51 degree morning, we headed straight for our bikes. A leisurely ride along the lakefront and through a butterfly sanctuary was the perfect start to the weekend.

This was a true joy ride. The weather was perfect and I was excited to don tights for the first time of the season. Goodbye, Summer! I’ll miss you in December, but for now I’m ready for autumn.

How are you spending the holiday?

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Pashley Princess Sovereign: Impressions

Trisha — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:53:23 +0000

Sometimes it’s possible to write a basic review a bike after a spin or two around the block. But my time with the Pashley Princess Sovereign in NYC resulted only in impressions, since I was faced with both the novelty of the bicycle AND the novelty of riding through bumpy, busy streets. Negotiating traffic, even with bike lanes, doesn’t give you much mental space to devote to the workings of various components. Luckily, the pressure was off since Dottie has already written a review of this bicycle for our site.

But I had been wanting to ride a Pashley for the last two years, so it was my first choice for a test ride despite the many intriguing options at Adeline Adeline. How could I not be intrigued by a classic city bike that’s also the ride of choice for so many of my favorite cycling women?

I took out the 17.5″ frame (love a manufacturer who doesn’t forget petite women!) with three speeds, and it was indeed a smooth and sturdy bike. While I won’t say I didn’t notice potholes, they were definitely minimized by the steel frame. The upright riding position was reminiscent of Oma (check out Dottie’s original review of the Pashley Princess Sovereign for a more thorough comparison of the two bikes) and much more upright than my Batavus Entrada Spirit.

All in all, the Pashley Princess Sovereign lived up to my expectation of a high-quality, stylish and sturdy city bike.

Next up: the Linus Mixte, which I got to know a little bit better.

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Accepting Fault

Dottie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:29:28 +0000

No one likes to be wrong. Some take this so far that they automatically refuse to accept fault, even if they make a mistake that endangers another. During my ride home on Tuesday, I experienced two opposite reactions from drivers in this situation.

1) As I took my turn riding through a four-way-stop intersection, a BMW perpendicular to me went through at the same time. The driver eventually saw me and slammed on his brakes. Immediately he threw up his hands, as if to say, “Not my fault! Not sorry! Screw you!” Then he drove off.

2) Fve minutes later, as I was riding in the bike lane, a sedan in front of me suddenly pulled to the right to nab a parking spot. I had time to stop and yell, “Bike!” The driver slammed on the brakes, then completed the parking maneuver. As I passed, the driver opened the car door and called out, “I am SO sorry!” I gave her a wave and replied, “It’s okay,” even though it really wasn’t. She sounded so distraught, I almost felt sorry for her.

This is my "give me a break" look (clean version)

Both situations were unsafe and whether a driver accepts fault does not change that fact. But it sure does make me feel better about the world! What has your experience been?

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Seventies light

Trisha — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:30:03 +0000

Life has come between me and long blog posts, but these photos sum up my evening rides home better than words anyway. As the days get shorter and my workdays get longer, the ride home takes place in what I like to call “Seventies light”—because snaps from that era often seem to include the same preternaturally bright greens and golds that spring to life in the early stages of the sunset.

How’s the scenery on your commute these days?

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Another side of biking safety

Dottie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:07:07 +0000

Chicago is a big city, which presents some unique challenges when bike commuting. Usually, heavy traffic is the biggest problem, but sometimes – rarely – the problem is dangerous people.

Greg (Mr. Dottie) is working in the far suburbs this week, so yesterday morning he rode his bike to Union Station, took the train and on the other end rode his bike to the worksite. While still in Chicago, almost to Union Station, he was stopped at a red light behind a cab when a goth-looking street guy with a big cart walked into the road to his left. The guy asked him if he was an undercover cop and then started ranting that no one was going to stop him from getting to Detroit.

Greg was boxed in on three sides by the guy, the cab and the curb. The light turned green, but the cab did not move, probably watching what was going on behind him. The guy was still more than an arm-length’s away and before he could get closer, Greg started backing up to turn his bike around. Just then the guy pulled out a knife, the cab finally moved forward and Greg rode off, informing the police of the guy when he got to Union Station.

Downtown Chicago is rarely dangerous, but there is crime. Although my initial reaction is “never ride in that area early in the morning again,” Greg’s reaction is, “never stop for a red light behind a car in that area again.” Also, be aware of your surroundings, don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and don’t let anyone get near you. Although someone on a bike is less protected than someone in a car, at least it’s usually easier for a bicyclist to get away.

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The Last Weekend of August

Dottie — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:47:10 +0000

Yikes – this is the last weekend in August. Where has the summer gone? To enjoy as much of the remaining warmth as possible, I spent Saturday experiencing a new-to-me Chicago summer tradition: the Ravinia music festival. There the music takes a back seat to enjoying time outside – Chicagoans so love time outside in the summer. Ravinia Park has a huge lawn where thousands set up elaborate picnics, often complete with tables, candles and multiple courses.

Riding home from the train station

The evening’s performance was by Rodrigo y Gabriella, but because we could not see the stage, our focus was on picnicking, drinking wine and spending time with friends. As everyone in our group bike commutes and some race, there was much discussion about terrible drivers and the awesomeness of cyclocross races, which sounds like an event I should go watch sometime.

New friends Brian and Patty

Me and Greg at Ravinia

Mr. Dottie and I rode our bikes to the Metra station and the suburban train took us straight to Ravinia Park for free. Hordes of others had the same idea to take the train, which resulted in extreme waits to get in the Park and back on the train after the show. Although this was hectic and I wished I’d had my bike, it was far better than driving.

How are you enjoying the last few summer weekends?

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Happy Friday!

Dottie — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:27:34 +0000

I’m off to start the morning right.

Enjoy your ride!

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Trisha — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:34:46 +0000

OK, so I’m still not sure about this statement when it comes to romantic relationships, but it does apply to me and my bikes. Every once in a while, I get in a rut where bicycle commuting seems as problematic as any other form of routine transportation. Over the past two years I’ve learned that if I start feeling that way, the best remedy is to not fight it. After a few days off the bike, riding it again feels like a new discovery or a special treat. That wasn’t the reason for my recent break in riding, though: it was due to the extreme head cold I’ve been fighting since getting back from NYC. Despite a welcome drop in the temperature I hadn’t felt up to getting on my bike — until yesterday.

What happens to one's skin under heavy bangs after 3 weeks of 100 degree temperatures is not pretty.

And it felt great. Le Peug and I added on an extra couple of miles by going to my friend Erin’s to pick up our CSA share. Only one squash was lost on the way home (darn pletscher racks).

Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather.

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Who, knowing the truth, would choose anything else?

Dottie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:53:14 +0000

This morning I planned to take my usual street route to work. After I got on my bike and felt the sweet sun and cool breeze, however, my instinct took over and led me to the Lakefront Trail. I thought maybe I needed a clear stretch of pavement to go fast and get out any residual aggression from yesterday’s jerk sighting, but after I rode the mile to the lake and my tires automatically slowed upon hitting the Trail, I realized that what I craved was some quiet time with the horizon, safe from all motor vehicles.

The same held true for my ride home from work in the evening. Just what the doctor ordered.

There was a great post on EcoVelo recently about how ridiculous it is when non-cyclists speak of your bike commute as a great sacrifice, when it’s anything but. Riding a bike is almost too fun and too perfect for starting and ending the workday. That really is the big secret, apparently. Who, knowing the truth, would willingly chose anything else?

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A Typical Tuesday

Dottie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:22:39 +0000

My commute to and fro today was lovely, other than having to yell “JERK” at some jerk, who honked at me for being in the road and then cut me off to turn right. I guess I should not be surprised, since some people (*cough* men *cough*) are often jerks in general. The anonymity of driving naturally magnifies this tendency. They should get their ridiculous testosterone under control and stop bringing me down.

Anyway, my ride really was (mostly) lovely. There is finally some relief from the oppressive heat and I can feel autumn trying to break though. Although I know it’s too soon to get excited, I can’t help it – I love autumn!

How’s everyone else doing? I’ve been so busy lately, I feel a bit disconnected from my fellow bike commuters out there in internets land.

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