I am a big fan of the bicycle as a primary mode of transit, and here are my top reasons why you should always bike, all year round, and try your best in this life to never own a motorized vehicle! Whether you love your two wheeled steed, never got off the training wheels, or fear bikes to no end, I hope you will consider these reasons for making it an essential part of your lifestyle:
Money.
The most easily recognizable benefit to students and anyone anywhere. A total bike cost, even for a top of the line bike, plus two annual checkups (I would recommend one in the spring and before the winter- but I am no expert!) is going to cost WAY less than the initial cost, weekly gas, annual maintenance and eventual demise of your gas guzzling machine. Exercise. I am no expert, but I am told exercise is good for you. Not just physically, but mentally and dare I say spiritually as well. In our fast paced lives, it can be hard to remember to check exercise off the list of today’s to-do’s, or form it as a regular habit. When you bike to your destinations you can check off exercise from the list! The great feeling you get from physical work is welcome when you bike to class and then have to sit for a while! Environmental footprint. Although current manufacturing of bikes is not a sustainable industry (I assume), the actual riding of a bike and using your human powered legs to go from place to place is an incredible way to reduce the amount of wreckage we do daily to our beloved mother earth! Bikes can also be used on trails and narrower spaces, requiring less upkeep, resources, and maintenance than conventional roads, narrowing down the amount of other costs associated with your transportation habits. Connection to Place. |
I am a firm believer that something is lost by our rushing around all the time. By working in one city, living in another, and having social connections to even more cities, we become disconnected from the spaces we find ourselves in. By only owning a bicycle, you must make conscious efforts to place your life and connections locally, or weekend trips to other places become well thought out visits. I believe when we invest in our physical spaces socially as well, than real community can happen!
Experience and empowerment.
The smells, temperatures, exertion, sights, pain, sounds and wonders you will experience from the saddle far outweigh anything you can experience sitting in a car seat with tunes blaring and AC/Heat cranked up. Hills become something you appreciate or dread in a road. The nature all around you and the connection to your commute become an amazing opportunity!
What’s more, biking everywhere you go, is F**king Badass! When you see somewhere 50km away and think “Oh hell yah, I am going to bike to you” - you rock! You are overcoming adversity, physical challenge and emotional hurdles that only movies can tell you about in our modern comfortable lives!
Intentional use of time.
Of course biking takes longer to get somewhere than cars, so you can`t rush around. But see the beauty in this! By discerning what is truly worth spending time getting to and from, you will have more intentional experiences and moments with the people that matter.
Customization
The amount of gears, color, handlebars, seat, frame, brakes, shocks, flags, wheels, etc. that you can change on your bike is AWESOME! Make it your own, and try different things out! (A personal favorite of mine is using old Pokemon cards duct taped to the frames so they make the wheels sound like motorcycles)
Romance.
An ideal date (in my mind) is a romantic bike ride: pack a picnic, and go exploring! Also…
Tandem Bikes (those two person ones): What better way to work on communication- laugh at one another and yourself, fail together, experience beauty together, or check out your significant others butt for an extended period of time?
Experience and empowerment.
The smells, temperatures, exertion, sights, pain, sounds and wonders you will experience from the saddle far outweigh anything you can experience sitting in a car seat with tunes blaring and AC/Heat cranked up. Hills become something you appreciate or dread in a road. The nature all around you and the connection to your commute become an amazing opportunity!
What’s more, biking everywhere you go, is F**king Badass! When you see somewhere 50km away and think “Oh hell yah, I am going to bike to you” - you rock! You are overcoming adversity, physical challenge and emotional hurdles that only movies can tell you about in our modern comfortable lives!
Intentional use of time.
Of course biking takes longer to get somewhere than cars, so you can`t rush around. But see the beauty in this! By discerning what is truly worth spending time getting to and from, you will have more intentional experiences and moments with the people that matter.
Customization
The amount of gears, color, handlebars, seat, frame, brakes, shocks, flags, wheels, etc. that you can change on your bike is AWESOME! Make it your own, and try different things out! (A personal favorite of mine is using old Pokemon cards duct taped to the frames so they make the wheels sound like motorcycles)
Romance.
An ideal date (in my mind) is a romantic bike ride: pack a picnic, and go exploring! Also…
Tandem Bikes (those two person ones): What better way to work on communication- laugh at one another and yourself, fail together, experience beauty together, or check out your significant others butt for an extended period of time?
All this to say…
You don’t need a car. But what if I have to go somewhere for a weekend? Move a lot of stuff? Commute with lots of people? These all very valid questions that have the same valid answer: Borrow a car. You can keep your driver’s license valid at very little cost, for those odd occasions every few weeks/months when public transit (which is pretty darn good around here if you plan ahead) can’t accommodate your needs I recommend the following: Rent a car: If you do this infrequently, it really isn't too much money to borrow a car for a weekend trip somewhere. |
Car Shares: For a small annual fee, KW has a wonderful car share program that gives you the opportunity to use a car for specific circumstances and drive cars you never have to buy, or take care of!
Borrow from a friend/family: Some of your friends and family have cars and if you are in a pickle that a bike just can’t tickle, than ask them if you can borrow their car. Pay for gas, do the next oil change, or buy them a couple Innis & Gunn’s! Friends are pretty good about sharing with you, as I hope you are with them!
What about the Winter? That’s ridiculous! “there is no such thing as bad weather, only badly dressed people” Make sure you have a scarf, hat, good insulated gloves, and bike tires that can get you through the cold and snow- especially in the city roads are pretty clear, and biking everywhere you go warms you way faster than the time it takes the heat to really get going in your car! Also, badassery is doubled in winter biking!
Borrow from a friend/family: Some of your friends and family have cars and if you are in a pickle that a bike just can’t tickle, than ask them if you can borrow their car. Pay for gas, do the next oil change, or buy them a couple Innis & Gunn’s! Friends are pretty good about sharing with you, as I hope you are with them!
What about the Winter? That’s ridiculous! “there is no such thing as bad weather, only badly dressed people” Make sure you have a scarf, hat, good insulated gloves, and bike tires that can get you through the cold and snow- especially in the city roads are pretty clear, and biking everywhere you go warms you way faster than the time it takes the heat to really get going in your car! Also, badassery is doubled in winter biking!
Bike somewhere! It’s a good time!