Morning commute
One of the main reasons it was so important for us to stay in the neighborhood was because of my morning commute. Because parking at the University is so expensive and because I was living so close, I sold my car almost two years ago now and have biked/walked/ridden the bus since. In moving a half mile west we are now a bit further away than we were, and although I hate to admit it, I am lazy enough to dread that extra half mile ride in. The first commute in didn’t help much. With the neighborhood being old and historical, there is a smattering of streets that are still paved in brick. This by itself is not that uncomfortable, but it was the first time I’ve ridden my bike in a couple of weeks.
[On a side note: this is because one afternoon while leaving work I was greeted with the unfortunate surprise of missing my bike seat and post. You would think this type of thing would no longer surprise me- Clint and I have had 3 bikes stolen (one during broad daylight from campus), and one homeless man in our front yard who broke Clint’s lock with a hammer and screwdriver- again during broad daylight while he was home (when confronted he gestured at the bike with the hammer, said “I was just trying to see if I could get that off” and walked away). Clint has had his front tire stolen, and we have been privy to multiple attempts to get our seats off. Everyone’s advice to us was to bring them inside, but for us in our one bedroom, cramped apartment this meant we would have to use them as easy chairs in the middle of the living room. But I digress.]
So this weekend I finally got around to hauling my bike in the jeep to get it fitted for a new seat post. Clint and I got it on, and I was excited to once again not have to ride the bus, which while efficient AND free always makes me worry about what I could be sitting in and who is going to talk to me.
So the seat was on, angle adjusted, and I was off! I was ready to experience the new commute, but only got a block before I realized the front tire was low. I rode back, filled it up, rode another block filled up the back tire, and again was ready to go. I was excited for the easy ride in my new comfortable saddle seat (I definitely went for comfort over looks) but another block in, I realized that we had tilted my seat too far forward. The angle was pitching me forward, the seat post was sliding down from not being tight enough and my arms were tired from trying to hold myself up from their strength alone. And then I hit the brick roads. Needless to say by the time I got to work, I was not loving the commute and was cursing the gain of the extra half mile.
Relaying my story to a colleague that morning- he suggested the bike route. Of course, the bike route! I took it in this morning and it was amazing. I pick it up at the end of the alley, and it runs right alongside the river all the way to campus. It goes under all the major roads and I only have to cross two streets once I get to campus. This is a huge improvement from my former commute, through streets where college kids often interpret stop signs as optional recommendations. In the morning the bike path is amazingly quiet and serene- with only a few other people jogging or riding. It made me all at once love our decision to buy the place. I love the fact that I don’t have to get in a car and sit in traffic to get to and from work. I love that our bikes can get us to anywhere we want to go- the movies, grocery store, target, and just about every major goings-on in the city, and I love the fact that for a few brief moments every morning, I can feel like I’m a million miles away from everything.
[On a side note: this is because one afternoon while leaving work I was greeted with the unfortunate surprise of missing my bike seat and post. You would think this type of thing would no longer surprise me- Clint and I have had 3 bikes stolen (one during broad daylight from campus), and one homeless man in our front yard who broke Clint’s lock with a hammer and screwdriver- again during broad daylight while he was home (when confronted he gestured at the bike with the hammer, said “I was just trying to see if I could get that off” and walked away). Clint has had his front tire stolen, and we have been privy to multiple attempts to get our seats off. Everyone’s advice to us was to bring them inside, but for us in our one bedroom, cramped apartment this meant we would have to use them as easy chairs in the middle of the living room. But I digress.]
So this weekend I finally got around to hauling my bike in the jeep to get it fitted for a new seat post. Clint and I got it on, and I was excited to once again not have to ride the bus, which while efficient AND free always makes me worry about what I could be sitting in and who is going to talk to me.
So the seat was on, angle adjusted, and I was off! I was ready to experience the new commute, but only got a block before I realized the front tire was low. I rode back, filled it up, rode another block filled up the back tire, and again was ready to go. I was excited for the easy ride in my new comfortable saddle seat (I definitely went for comfort over looks) but another block in, I realized that we had tilted my seat too far forward. The angle was pitching me forward, the seat post was sliding down from not being tight enough and my arms were tired from trying to hold myself up from their strength alone. And then I hit the brick roads. Needless to say by the time I got to work, I was not loving the commute and was cursing the gain of the extra half mile.
Relaying my story to a colleague that morning- he suggested the bike route. Of course, the bike route! I took it in this morning and it was amazing. I pick it up at the end of the alley, and it runs right alongside the river all the way to campus. It goes under all the major roads and I only have to cross two streets once I get to campus. This is a huge improvement from my former commute, through streets where college kids often interpret stop signs as optional recommendations. In the morning the bike path is amazingly quiet and serene- with only a few other people jogging or riding. It made me all at once love our decision to buy the place. I love the fact that I don’t have to get in a car and sit in traffic to get to and from work. I love that our bikes can get us to anywhere we want to go- the movies, grocery store, target, and just about every major goings-on in the city, and I love the fact that for a few brief moments every morning, I can feel like I’m a million miles away from everything.
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