Bicycles Everywhere! MLCB Post #59 10-8-14

I have noticed recently that my involvement with bicycles has altered my view of the world. I seem to see bicycles and their accessories everywhere. Bicycle lanes, bicycle lights, bicycle racks, the list goes on and on. I’ve been looking into better accessories for the Fuji Tourer this week, and it seems to me miraculous that shopping can now be done, via smart phone, over lunch, or while waiting for a bus. To a man born into a world ruled by the vacuum tube, that still saw the occasional plume of steam locomotive smoke on the horizon, the miniaturization and adaptability of present technologies is still amazing.
Into this world of present technology comes a renaissance of the bicycle. A machine unchanged since the generation before mine were children. Well yes, there are more gears, and aluminum is no longer a precious metal, and new materials like carbon and titanium are making strides at making bicycles lighter, as well as wallets. But the basic machine has assumed timelessness. I think this is because we have discovered the way to make this machine its’ most efficient , and have made the bicycle a elegant, simple means of locomotion .
Support for the bicycle has been long in coming, but finally appears to be here. Sure, some peoples’ attitudes, both drivers and cyclists, need to change. This will help us all avoid conflict on the roads. Motorists need to be able to grant the cyclist a share of the road, as a matter of course. Cyclists need to obey the rules of the road like any other vehicle. The more cyclists, the better. The more polite cyclists, even better yet. Sticking to the rules and being polite makes for good public relations, and good public relations makes for more things cyclists may want, like bike lanes and cycle racks and easily accessible shopping centers.
Corporations have been getting on the bandwagon as well. Sponsorship of biking challenges and races and other events depend on business as well as government support. Everyone benefits when we all work together. It is nice to see things like city sponsored bike racks outside supermarkets. Goodness knows, some supermarket bike racks leave a lot to be desired. In some places, such as Normal, Illinois, there are some bike repair stations with attached tools at the ready. This is really nice. It doesn’t cost a lot, and it provides a way for the cyclist with a mishap, or just a lack of tools, to keep things on the move. And it shows cyclists that they are welcome.
Our inventiveness, as a people, has led us to a point where there are thousands of bicycles and accessories all at the beck and call of a mouse click. But the human element of courtesy and good citizenship is also just as important, and qualities like that are timeless. So ride with consideration, and let’s hope that those who share the road with us do the same. Some bicycle rack ideas may not be the most practical, and some streets designated as bikeways may not be the most convenient, but they show a willingness to help on the part of local government. That needs to be encouraged.

I saw this official Abraham Lincoln Bicycle Rack outside a supermarket in Springfield, Illinois.