A few recent events have conspired to push me back into cycling to work and back:
- I have to come in to work every day of the week
- My wife and daughter and both at home almost every day of the week, and don’t walk me in very far
- A road closure has made 5pm traffic stop and go for about half of the route home
- COVID messed up my lungs and gave me an excuse to be lazy
So now I’m riding the bicycle instead of walking to work.
I ride pretty slowly, about a jogging pace. I’m in no hurry. It takes about 20 minutes each way, as opposed to 40 minutes walking. I imagine, after sitting in traffic, finding parking, and then walking from the parking lot to my building, driving the car would be 20-30 minutes. In fact, the other day, my daughter drove in to her job downtown a few minutes before I left on my bike, and I passed her on the way in. The bike lane is never stop-and-go traffic.
I’m riding my IKEA Sladda, which was recalled years ago due to the drive belt breaking. I kept it, because I’ve had chains break before and I’m pretty sure I can cope with a belt breaking.
The bike has been maintenance free for years, other than inflating the tires. One day that belt will break, and I’ll probably have to replace the entire drivetrain. But the rest of the bike is solid. Hopefully it helps that I use the front brake when I want to slow down in a hurry, no slamming back on the coaster brake for me.
