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Monday, October 24, 2011

Bikes and Guys

After a brief hiatus, I've gotten back into the dating world, and dipping my toe back into OKC. Of course I put on there that my bike is one of the things I couldn't do without, and that is a nice conversation opener. I find you can tell a lot from a person by how he uses his bike. Is it for transportation or exercise? Does he know what a chain guard is? Is there going to be a helmet debate on the first date? Does he tool around on the East side of Austin, and if so, should grow my own ironic mustache for the first date? Any guy that puts his bike as one of his favorite things is instantly good in my book, and at least worth a careful reading of his profile.

If I find a guy owns a bike, but doesn't really use it, I see a potential convert :) If he thinks riding a bike is dumb, well then obviously we are not a match. I remember over on Streetsblog on one of their Why I Ride pieces, they interviewed a woman who said she probably wouldn't date a guy who didn't bike. She was put down in the comments, but I kind of agree. It's nicer when you have a partner, so why not choose someone who like biking too? Biking is a tailor made as a social activity.

Related to that, I think everyone has a random list of things that turn them off about people. I for instance, won't date anyone who owns a yellow car. I don't like them. What are you gonna do?


Saturday, October 22, 2011

Gaahh!!

Now, I haven't been riding my bike as much since I now commute by car to work every day. However, today I decided to do my errands on my bike, and much to my dismay, I found I had lost a little bit of my stamina.

On the way back, I had to hop off and push my bike over a little hill. I was out of breath when I got home, when before I would be a little sweaty, but definitely not feeling a little lightheaded.

So, I guess that is what happens when your off of your bike for a little bit. I would love to blame it on my bike and am going to give it a good tune up when I get the chance. (I can't get it to go into first gear, so something needs to be done. Google here I come!)

Funny story. My roommate asked to borrow my bike because she wanted to see if she could bike to her work up near UT. I said sure, thinking to myself that was going to be quite a bike ride. I asked her afterwards how it had gone, and she said she stopped midway and turned around, making a nine mile trip overall.

Moral of the story: Baby steps!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Proof?

So I came across this article on TheStir....kind of a meeting place for women with families. One post was about a kid who survived having his head run over because he wore a helmet http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/127310/terrifying_bike_accident_with_4yearold?next=41

I had a hard time believing this was a true story. The physics just didn't add up to me. Even a Fiat I think would squish your head.

The situation is a toddler in the front seat put the car in neutral, thereby having the car roll slowly back over this kids head. The website says it is "believed" the car ran over his head, so to me that says no one knows what really happened.

So does this change my feeling on helmets? For those who are die hard proponents of the things, it may seem a silly question. But I think people should be especially cautious about using freak accidents like these as proof for their side. One, the witnesses aren't even sure what really happened. Second, the details of the case are scant. What kind of car? How fast?

To me, having good traffic skills and knowledge of the most likely ways to get into accidents with cars is a better defense than plastic.  Better infrastructure and a culture where drivers are treated harshly for hurting fellow human beings is needed.

Thankfully, I did see one poster point out the real utility of helmets, and many others pointing out that a toddler unattended in a vehicle shouldn't even happen. A little hope for me.