Everyday cycling, it sounds so simple. But to cycle
every day, for
every thing, well that is not as simple as it sounds. I have been living carfree for almost 3 years now (wow! has it been that long?) and in that time I have learned a lot about what it means to use a bicycle as my primary means of year 'round transportation. But before that, I had plenty of other bicycle riding and bicycle racing experiences that gave me a base knowledge of bicycling in general so the choice to go carfree did not seem like that big a deal at the time.
Everyday cycling, or transportation cycling, or utility cycling - the terms are somewhat interchangeable - is more than just bike commuting to work or school. Indeed, bike commuting is one aspect of everyday cycling. But so is going grocery shopping, so is taking the kids to school/practice, running errands, and even buying/transporting furniture and appliances. It is simply the act of living out your life most of the time on a bike instead of on a bus, behind the wheel of a car, or in the back seat of a taxi.
I am going to guess that people new to the idea and/or practice of bike commuting may not think that doing these other activities on a bike is smart, fun, or even possible. But it is all of those things and more.
Lucky for you,
someone out there loves you a lot and decided to save you years of trials and tribulations by writing this sweet little book -
Everyday Bicycling - how to ride a bike for transportation (whatever your lifestyle).
It is packed full with everything you could possibly want to know about riding daily - which bikes to consider as an everyday bike(s), clothing strategies, choosing routes, it's all here in an easy read. You could cruise through its 125 pages easily but my suggestion would be to work through it slowly. There is a lot of information to digest and perhaps employ, so slow down, and take your time.
It is available
here from the author or if you would like to borrow ours that's cool too.
So, get out there and go pick up that bag of potatoes - by bike of course!
