Hey folks, thanks for all the replies to my post about communting
both on the list and off, and I apologize for the delay in getting
back. I wanted to choose my words carefully and try not to sound as
grumpy and irritable as I've actually been, which had nothing to do
with bikes or this discussion. But it's great to see the commuting
clinic on the calendar for this Wednesday. I'm really looking forward
to it.

William, I wish that I had more time to read that H. G. Wells' book.
The sections I looked at were hilarious. "To have a contemplative
disposition and an energetic temperament, sir, is hell. Hell, I tell
you." And it was very interesting to see how much snobbery about
equipment and clothing among cyclists there already was more than
a century ago. I clicked on a couple of other online Wells texts,
and one of them included the epigram: "One does not settle down
very readily at two and forty to a new way of living." And I guess
that's pretty much what I'm up against.

Jeff, I also appreciate very much your posting a copy of that commuting
flyer. But I guess I should be honest and say that I didn't find much
of help in there. It's written with a tone of "It's all so easy and
fun," and again that doesn't really ring true with my experience. The
old saying goes: if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. And I
can't help noticing just about everyone not doing it. :-)

I hope this doesn't sound too dismissive, but I got the feeling that
it was written by a slick advertising copywriter and not by someone
with a lot of hard-won bicycle commuting experience. I've tended to
get more from someone like Kent Peterson, who I know lives this
stuff every day. For example:

http://www.bicyclealliance.org/commute/commute_tips.html

and

http://www.mile43.com/peterson/Safety%20First.html

In my case, after thinking about it for a week or so I suspect that
I could help matters a lot by putting lower gears on my commuter
bike--and getting used to using them. I'm pretty old school with my
recreational road bike, an Italian racer that's on-topic for Classic
Rendezvous, meaning that it's from the early 80s and it doesn't
have many gears, and none of them are very low. I enjoy grinding
up hills when I'm riding for exercise, but for a daily ride it might
good to work on using a less stressful approach.

Just out of curiosity I've created a poll on this group's Yahoo site
about bicycle commuting. I see that the announcement already
went out (and at least one typo slipped through, I see.) It's here:

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/bicycling_in_gso/surveys?id=2160311

Nothing official or scientific about this. I'm just wondering what the
cross-section of the 100+ list members might be like. I've set it up so
that you can check as many statements as you agree with. And if
you've never commuted and/or have no interest in doing so, I'd
particularly love it if you'd take a few seconds to check those boxes
and submit the form.

Thanks again for the replies, and I'll see some of you folks tomorrow
evening.

Peace,

Tim Victor


Come from Guilford College in something under the hour. WHY, sir?

(Ans: Because I'm late for class again.)


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