If you have ever been to The Netherlands, or even heard of the country, you are probably aware of how far bicycle culture can go. In the United States, and many other countries, biking is a sub-culture at best; in The Netherlands, it’s the whole enchilada. The Dutch aren’t outspoken about bicycles, though. Rather, there are so many bikes in the country that they’ve essentially faded into the background of everyday life; ever present and normalized. To be more exact, The Netherlands has 1.4 bicycles per person; for reference, the USA has 0.3 bicycles per person. I don’t expect those numbers to be exact, but I have full faith that the gap between the two is representative of reality.
I have the good fortune of living in California, where the weather is frequently suitable for biking. Despite that, the American car culture runs deep here, just not quite as deep as the impulse I have to ride my bike. My intention, though, is not to argue against cars, I’d much rather root for bikes. Coach K (here I go again with basketball, I can’t help myself) would urge the Duke students, or Cameron Crazies, to always root for Duke, not against their opponents, and even though I’m a Tar Heel fan (and guilty of rooting against Duke in the past), I find that to be a profound statement and I try now to live according to that principle. I would love it for you to buy a bike, or ride the one you have more often, and then maybe that leads you to use your car less often (assuming you have one), although it doesn’t have to. This logic can be faulty in the case of mountain biking, since you may have to drive to the trail and therefore actually drive more, but for commute-focused bikes, I would argue that riding one is unlikely to result in you driving more; maybe the same amount, but not more.
I could throw more statistics at you about how great biking is, of which there are many (and you could cherry pick statistics and assert the contrary if you want), but instead, I’d rather recount the details of my ride from today. I hope sharing the bliss I experience on my bike will be effective, or at least worth reading.
I bought my sky blue Surly Preamble about a year ago and have been putting it through its paces. Naturally, with wet conditions and frequent riding, components deteriorate. To be honest, the bike forums would be up in arms at how many miles I’ve put on my bike before giving it the much needed TLC it deserves. So, I set out to ride my bike to Valencia Cyclery here in San Francisco to get much-needed chain degreaser and lubricant. I was also inspired to go on this ride by a man some 5,600 miles (~9,000 km) away in Seoul, South Korea. His YouTube channel, Probably Riding, gives a glimpse into his life commuting through Seoul by bike. His soothing, British-accented voice and enthusiasm for cycling are a representation of the best of the dream on two wheels. In a world of fast pace, he rides one pedal at a time, frequently stopping to rest and take in the sights, or have a quick coffee at a cute cafe. The beauty is in the simplicity. I for one, am a culprit of riding as fast as I can within the bounds of safety on city streets, just so I can arrive at my destination a few minutes earlier and a hell of a lot sweatier. However, Probably Riding has shifted my mindset on cycle commuting, and on a beautiful, sunkissed spring day in San Francisco, why not stop and smell the roses? So that’s what I did, and I am all the more glad for it.
The ride to the bike shop passes through the Valencia corridor, which features a controversial and interesting center bike lane. I was quite excited to ride my bike on Valencia Street, simply because I could finally experience the bike lane for myself. I enjoyed it thoroughly, although I benefited greatly from the lane being a few months old when I rode it, allowing pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers a chance to get used to the new situation. Plus, it was not a peak traffic time. Had it been earlier in the infrastructures lifetime, or more crowded, the experience may have been more uncomfortable. In any case, I arrived at the bike shop safely, which is the primary concern. After I purchased the supplies from the bike shop, and undeterred by my still squeaking drivetrain, I continued my ride to a neighborhood cafe in Noe Valley, aptly named Noe Cafe. Situated on one of San Francisco’s Slow Streets, the cafe is a pleasant one featuring an array of flora. I love their covered parklet too, as it provides welcome shade from the heat of the day, especially welcome after the hill climb required to get there.
A cortado, a cozy space, and my iPad are enough to get me writing, even if just a little. I always find that being at a cafe is inspiring. There is something about the atmosphere and being surrounded by calm people, many also enveloped by whatever they are working on, that spawns motivation and creativity in me. Perhaps it’s that I’ve already built up inertia just by getting to the cafe, or it could be the social pressure induced by seeing intently focused people; I posit both and more. Eventually, though, I must be on my way home for lunch. The final leg of the ride passes through a bike route called The Wiggle, easily my favorite in the city because it bypasses a major hill and, of course, I love that name.
Along The Wiggle sits Duboce Park, another one of my favorites in the city (although just about all parks in San Francisco seem to be on my list of favorites). I decided to postpone my meal as I could not pass up the opportunity to spend some time there.
While writing this part of my post, I am sat up against a tree in the dog friendly park giving my best effort at live commentary to better share the moment. I love to watch the dogs play and go about their business. It also makes me wonder, though, how many times the tree that’s acting as my backrest has been the scene of some of that, more biological, business. Frankly, though, it doesn’t bother me. Seemingly nothing can detract from the experience. The Muni Metro’s pass by, loud enough that I know they’re there, but not so loud to be distracting. I enjoy watching them mosey on by, before they head into the tunnel on their way to Cole Valley, the Inner Sunset, and beyond. It’s a rich and vibrant scene that feels like being in a Claude Monet painting. A young woman taking her dog for a walk, pauses to light up a joint. Just as quickly as the distinct smell of burning cannabis permeates the air, it’s gone with the next cool breeze to pass by. It all adds to a texture that can only be fully appreciated when you are physically in a place and take the time to soak in all it has to offer.
At some point, though, I do need to be on my way to eat that lunch. Food is the fuel for my bicycle, after all. So, I meandered through the remainder of The Wiggle and made my way home. You know that feeling after exercising where food and drinks taste even better than they normally do? Well that’s another great benefit of commuting by bike. That sandwich I made was absolutely excellent.
It can be difficult to express the full appreciation I have for riding my bike on a sunny day, but I also have to recognize that I live in a city with some great cycling infrastructure (although I, and others, always want more), and that is not the case for everyone. I empathize with people who choose not to bike because they would feel unsafe in their community doing so and can offer no advice for that situation. But in other cases, where cycling infrastructure is available and thoughtfully placed, it’s well worth experiencing the freedom of going anywhere your two legs are willing to take you.
