ChiWhoBike #53
I’ve liked bikes forever off and on, but really it was this car crash when I’d been driving pizza that got me biking. Someone rear-ended me, so I took my insurance money and I bought this bike. I was tired of tickets, I was tired of parking and the money. And then when I got on my bike, all the other little things that kind of come along with it started appearing, right? Like I started being able to explore the city more ‘cause I could just stop at a park or stop at a weird little piece of art I saw. I started eating better because I wasn’t in my car with access to fast food, and all these things started happening where like physically and mentally I started feeling so much better. And so that’s kind of what’s kept me on the bike and really turned me into an evangelist about it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this a lot, where for me the biggest challenge is when you drive a car, it seems like it will be fun and easy at first and then it starts kind of sucking, right? You like getting your car, and your music, and you’re comfy, and then you hit traffic or you try and park. And the challenging thing for me for starting to ride my bike was it’s like the opposite. It kind of sucks at first. You’re like, alright, it’s snowing, but like I’m gonna ride my bike or it’s really hot, or it’s far, or any other things. But the cool thing about that is even though it can suck at first, within the first 10 minutes, it changes and it’s amazing. And that’s what really kept me going, like I remember my first winter biking and lots of trial and error in terms of paths, and gear, and then I would be riding my bike and like kind of warming up and listening to warm music and I would see people at the bus stop shivering and I’d be like, alright, I feel warmer than that right now, right?
Shout out to West Town Bikes, they’re the best bike shop in the world. I give all my credit to West Town Bikes, they taught me how to be a mechanic. Learn to work on your bike, there’s really simple things you can do. And bikes are for everybody, young and old, rich and poor, it is freedom and access. I believe in the bicycle.
