Park Your Car, Ride Your Bike

August 9th, 2007 by Ron Callahan View Comments

Look. Over there in your garage. Behind that pile of old cardboard boxes from your last move. Or maybe under a dusty old drop cloth. It’s your bicycle.

Clear away those old boxes and stick them in your recycle bin. Pull that bike out, dust it off and throw a leg over it. Do you remember how fun it was to ride when you were a kid, before you ever dreamed of owning or driving a car? It’s still fun, and it’s an easy, healthy and environmentally responsible way of getting around town.

I often use my bike to take the kids to the park in a trailer, run to the library or to go to the store to pick up something. A backpack is all that is needed for most errands, but with the addition of a basket or a rack, a bike can be very useful.

Maybe your old bike has some flat tires, or the chain has succumbed to rust. There are now bicycle co-ops in town that, for a small yearly fee, supply very inexpensive parts and even help you build the skills to maintain your existing bike or even build one.

If you don’t have a bike right now, you don’t necessarily need to go to a bike shop and buy a new one. While a new bicycle will be nicer, there are many resources for finding inexpensive used bicycles. Garage sales, thrift stores, Craiglist.org, Freecycle and the aforementioned bicycle co-ops are all excellent places to look for a bike. While I have newer bikes, my “errand” bike was a $10 garage sale find. I invested a little time and a little money and now have a very lightweight and fun bike that I can bang around on.

When you get your bike in working order and start to ride, you’ll be looking for places you can go. Visiting a neighbor? Ride the bike. Going for a haircut? Ride the bike!