Becoming a bike commuter

One year ago today I got a red light ticket on my bike. Thanx @timehop for the reminder. It was a small side street behind the courthouse in Brooklyn. I stopped, sort of noticed the police on the corner but didn’t pay much attention to them, checked that it was safe and went through the intersection. Then I was pulled over. I was upset about it, tried to argue with the officers but truthfully I was at fault. I had to go to court, and the officer didn’t show so I didn’t have to pay anything, but it was a learning experience for me. And I now notice every police officer.

In February I got really excited because I had made it to 1000 miles on my bike speedometer. I had been using that thing since August, so it took my about 6 months to get to that point (which means my bike century miles were included in that, and helped me gain some of those miles). I thought it was a huge accomplishment. But now, it’s 3 months later and I am only 300 miles away from 2000 miles! I figured if I bike 15 miles a day, 5 days a week, I can get to 2000 miles by next month. And that’s totally doable. And, now that it’s vacation and I have more time to bike, and take longer trips, it might even be less than a month. I’m excited. 

How do I buy flowers and then bike home with them, without them being ruined by the wind?

Today I skid twice, both times because cars came up in front of me and turned without signaling. For a while I knew my brakes needed to be tightened but I never got around to doing it. Once I got off the bike though, I wanted to see what was happening with my bike and why it wasn’t stopping properly. It turns out the wheel was stopping when the brake hit, but for some reason it was still sliding. It was raining a bit, and the streets were wet, but then I thought maybe my tires are worn down too much and not gripping. How do I know when I need new tires?

Bikers be careful. I think a cyclist was hit this morning on Chrystie and Hester, right off the Manhattan Bridge. I came off the bridge and saw some police, a bike on the sidewalk, a taxi the wrong way and another car with the back bashed in. There were a couple people standing around. I don’t really know what happened, but it didn’t look like a good scene.

Ok, so I exaggerated about the rain this morning but by the time I figured that out I was dressed for not biking and didn’t want to change. But the subway was a disaster this morning, and now I want a bike.

I want to bike today but it’s pouring rain. Do people bike in rain like this?