So, the next step has been taken in the goal to become more eco-friendly.  You might think we bought a Prius as I’ve been alluding to for some time.  However, as much as I sin daily by coveting my neighbor’s Prius, I saw this little number and fell in love.  (Yes, my avid readers, that color is KIWI GREEN.  Did I mention that I shiver with joy when looking at it?)

It’s not a tiny step.  It isn’t a step at all - it’s a perspective change to think, “HEY - I could take my bike if I planned for a little extra time.”  It seems an easier step to take when your vehicular transport has recent been smooshed and you are trying not to spend your 401(k) on gasoline and downtown parking. 

Flaws in such a beautiful kiwi green plan?

1. Safety. Biking does not save you from future car accidents.  I would say “duh” here, but I think I thought it might be safer to be smaller and be able to dart in and out of traffic easier to avoid oncoming collisions.  However, one notes on one’s very first ride that cars care even LESS about you, and make a concerted effort to zoom past you to “avoid” hitting you.  However, that sort of behavior is what causes these sorts of accidents.  Yie.

2. Gear. It saves you from spending money on a car, which is sort of a blow against materialism - right?  However, it is VERY easy to start slipping down the slope of “gear”.  Once in love with a bike, you might do anything for it - such as contemplate purchasing $200 satchels, the perfect baskets, and even bells and whistles.  And don’t forget valve covers! 

Did you just say VALVE COVERS? Yes…yes I did.  Oh, the depths of consumerism reached in the attempt to become more environmentally conscious are numerous.  Consumerism isn’t evil, but when one of your goals was not to spend so much money on buying or operating a car, “outfitting” a bike starts to fill in that gap pretty quickly.  This coming from a woman who never spent more than $100 on a bike before now.

3. Helmets.  I’m not sure what to say about these except that I have a natural, inborn hatred of these things that stems from my youth in rural communities.  If you wore a helmet, you were obviously a sheltered kid who hung from your momma’s apron strings.  However, it only makes sense when commuting to work and dealing with flaw #1 above.  Still…I put the darn thing on and I’m instantly transported to a time when my grandmother made me wear a swimming cap.  It’s a hard thing to swallow.

4. Weather.  This is another “duh” moment, but since I’m in the middle of a flooded county, I might go ahead and mention that you are constantly concerned with what the weather might do.  40% chance of rain no longer means slightly wet pavement to be concerned about.  When the storm hits, you are stuck whereever you are.  And I’m a new enough bike commuter that my lofty goals of riding to work this morning were quashed by the merest sprinkling of rain.  I’ve got to determine a way to still bike to work when the weather is not 70 and sunny. 

5. Bike Locks.  People are wonderful beings with the potential for great goodness and kindness.  They are also quite capable of being rat bastards.  I now own a bike lock that is heavier than my bike.  At least I’ll be building my arm muscles at the same time, right?

6. Communication.  Once of my intentions with this bike is to ride with others.  However, what was once a “Turn here so I can show you this nifty place I just thought of,” in a car is now me saying, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” when the person leading me has randomly cut across traffic down a different road than where I thought we were heading.  I didn’t catch up for a bit because, well, I had to either turn around or go to the next block.  And in between there, neither of us knew exactly where the other one was.  This is a combination of using proper hand signals and paying better attention.

7. Stuff.  Transporting stuff will never be the same on a bike.  Nice try, but no.  Things jingle and make noise, and I’m not so certain that my original idea for bringing my laptop home on my bike would be a good one.  And I was very excited to consider a coffee-holder on my bike for imbibing while coasting to my place of employ.  Now I’m wondering if I wouldn’t spill boiling hot tea all over me every time I tried to drink it.  Add in that the overall amount of stuff you carry with you will have to be cut back, and the bike starts to look a little uncertain.  Good luck bringing in treats on Friday!

8. Appearance.  This might sound shallow, but it is more important how you dress when on a bike, and also harder to maintain a quality appearance.  With a car, you can pop in - drop off your mail or the dog or whatever - and get back home without imposing your morning hairstyle and flannel pajama pants on anyone.  With a bike, you are visible to the world. 

This also connects with weather item in that you have to be prepared for the fact that you have no climate control.  So commuting to work, I can’t wear my suit.  So I carry it with me.  That won’t stop the fact that I’m sweatier than the flanks of a raging bull and any deoderant and perfume I once used is now gone with the wind, so to speak.  This translates into having to bring this stuff with you, which further translates into taking that into consideration for your finite amount of space for the stuff in #7.  My goal to solve this is to bring an extra set of stuff to work so that I can “freshen up” there.  But there’s an additional cost I’d not considered.

None of these things is a deal-breaker, really.  There are ways around most of them, and practice will smooth out the edges.  In many ways, it isn’t that different from taking the bus - which I did for several years.  I’m really excited, actually, to start commuting this way.  It’s just another way that “being green” takes a little more thought than buying a recylcing bin.  It really requires you to take a look at how you do things, and each step in the process.  But I believe that in the end, it will be worth it.