Riding your bike to get around town, be it to the grocery store, coffee shop, or office, can be far more convenient than driving. There’s no need to hunt down and pay for parking, no gas to guzzle, and you can find interesting routes and pathways to get to your destination.
But getting into the habit of riding your bike may take some time, especially if you instinctively reach for the car keys. Follow these tips to make it a breeze to hop on the saddle:
1. This isn’t all or nothing and you don’t need to ride everywhere, all the time. A few trips here and there are a great start if you’re struggling to squeeze human-powered transportation into your routine. Choose to ride to the store, or to work or school one or two days a week, only on sunny days, or everyday – its up to you!
2. Find the bike friendly routes. If you are imagining riding your bike on the major roads you drive on daily, it may seem unpleasant, or even frightening. Chances are there are pathways, side streets, or bike lanes that you can take advantage of to make the ride far more safe and enjoyable. If you are in a major city, Google Maps is an excellent tool as you can easily plan trips using the biking or walking-optimized directions. Get familiar with the trails, pathways, and people-friendly streets in your community and stick to those!
3. Plan a test run. Once you’ve figured out the most bike-friendly route to get to your school or office, pack your bags and do a test run on the weekend or some other time so you get accustomed to the route. You don’t want to get stressed, or flustered about being late on your first ride in. Depending on how long your trip is (or how much car traffic there may be), your trip by bike may take a bit longer than driving, or it may be the same amount of time or even shorter!
4. Get familiar with your equipment. Make sure your bike fits you properly, is in good working order, and you are comfortable riding it. This includes operation of the brakes and shifters and other gear like lights or a lock. If your bike needs some TLC you can visit your local independent bike retailer for a tune up.
5. Brush up on your cycling safety and rules of the road. Folks over at Cycling Manitoba have produced an excellent video series on cycling safety and the rules of the road. Check it out!
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Rachael Raven is the Web Content Coordinator for Live to Play Sports and editor of livetoplaysports.com. Read her blog for observations about the cycling world, including happenings around LTP’s Port Coquitlam office! More about Rachael here.