I’ve been talking for months, all school year actually, about getting a bike now that I work very close to home and it’s mostly flat for riding. Riding to work is scary. First, I live in Hollywood and it’s CROWDED on the streets. Second, I’m lazy; hence the need to get a bike and get more physical. Also, biking means a change in lifestyle. It means waking up earlier to get to work; not much, but earlier nonetheless. It also means making this a hobby and part of my daily, well almost, life. I joined a gym two weeks ago and have gone twice. Although my intentions are good, perhaps the bike will get me more calories burned. I hate the gym but it’s an easy place to go and do cardio. You know, the gym isn’t so far, perhaps I should make biking to the gym something I “do”. Then again, I mostly do treadmill at this point, so that would be a double whammy of cardio. You see, I’m the most out of shape that I’ve ever been and I’m really really really trying to get into the mindset in order to get motivated to incorporate new activities into my life. As of this week Avi and I are going to avoid buying ice cream and bread for home. I for one have been eating WAY too much bread and ice cream the last few months and dammit if every part of my body doesn’t show it!
And so, in the spirit of getting motivated, I give you some links to bikes, bike culture sites, and othe
r cool bike stuffs!
I can’t really afford to buy this bike, but if I could choose a bike with just from my very pre-mature knowledge and perusing on the net, this Breezer Uptown 8 would be the bike I’d want. Granted, I have never been properly fit for a bike but this Hybrid style that has a classic look with all modern features is up my alley.
And since I definitely will have a budget when I do go to purchase a bike, I’m thinking of looking into THIS BIKE from BikesDirect.Com. It’s $350 with tax and shipping included. Not bad! It’s not as cute as the bike above but it seems like a good deal. I know I’m supposed to support my local bike shop but I want something decent and I’m not, well, rich. I’m thinking of going ot the local shop to ask some questions, get fitted, and perhaps sit on a similar bike. That’s the sucky thing about buying online, can’t try it out. 
And so, out of Jewish guilt because I may order a bike online, I give you one of the neat local un-bike-shops. The Bike Kitchen is not a bike shop but rather a non-profit do-it-yourself store front. On their site they describe themselves as: “The Bike Kitchen is a cooperative, do-it-yourself bike repair shop. We provide all the tools and parts you need to fix or build a bicycle. Our staff of volunteer mechanics is available to give advice and answer questions.” One benefit of living in the Hollywood/Los Feliz area is that I am in the center of hipster environmental zone and there are more than a few places like this within a 5 mile radius.
Bike Metro is a pretty cool site which provides a Google Maps type service. you can put your address in and where you want to go and it will pop out a map for you. Not only that, but the site has a very cool calculator feature which includes a calorie calculator, environmental impact calculator, and cost calculator. If/when I decide to get a bike, I would be burning about 69 calories each way to work (work is only 1.4 miles). With my car, a 1996 Camry V6, I would be saving .$32.39 per month on gas which equals $388.64 per year. Environmentally I would be saving, just as an example, Total Carbon Monoxide = 0.068 Lbs Total Carbon Dioxide = 1.12 Lbs. COOL RIGHT?!
“Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles working to promote the bicycle as a viable, healthy, and sustainable transportation choice.” On this site you can find all sorts of cool stuff including events to do mellow bike rides, lessons on urban riding, and city street smarts. Their site describes it better than me, so, “Utilizing a multi-faceted approach which incorporates web-based outreach, social and recreational bicycle rides, festivals and events, and bicycle workshops – CICLE educates and encourages people to begin bicycling as an active and healthy lifestyle option, a valid and sustainable transportation choice, and as a means to reconnect with their neighbors and their community.
For someone like me who has never been into having a bike, this site might come in handy. The neat part, to me, is the Bike Map. Click a part of the bike that you want more info on and a list pops up.
OK, now Bicycle Safe is definitely nifty. I mean, DUH, if I am even THINKING of buying a bike in Hollywood, I bettner know how to safe my tuchus should the need come up. Better yet, I should know how to avoid the need to save my tuchus! I like the author’s DMV style illustrations.