Publisher's Statement

I’m locking my bike in front of the local home-improvement center when a stranger approaches me. Though he’s just bought a sizable bucket of spackling compound, he’s got a slightly disheveled look that makes me wonder if he’s trying to bum money for bus fare. Instead, he wants to know about my basket bike. He hoists his bucket up to get a better idea of how much stuff the Wald 157B can hold, and asks me if I think it’s strong enough. I offer him the chance to give it a try, but he’s seemingly sold on the idea.

But then he starts to complain about how much bikes cost. He tells me he doesn’t want to spend $40 on a basket for a $50 bike. I scratch my head and wonder where he’s seen $50 bikes for sale.

Still, I suggest that he go to Kraynick’s Bike Shop and look in the back where the used stuff lives. His eyes light up a bit at the notion of bargain bike parts. He thanks me in a gruff, but notably sincere manner and walks away.
I begin to reflect on the interaction while I’m in the store. Why is the average American is so reluctant to spend money on a bicycle? I can’t count how many of my friends and coworkers have asked me for bike buying advice, only to balk at the notion of spending $500 on a decent entry-level bicycle.

What’s more, I can’t believe how many people don’t already have a bicycle at their disposal, especially the kids I teach. When I was their age and wanted to go somewhere I just hopped on my bike. I didn’t need bus fare. With the economy taking a downturn, a lot of my students are afraid their parents can’t afford to buy them a summer bus pass, and only now are they considering bicycles as a source of transportation...

A half hour later I’m riding home, my basket bouncing ever so slightly under the weight of a 40-pound bag of potting soil. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I’ve got the song Low Rider playing in my head. From half a block away I see the guy from the home-improvement center, he’s anxiously pacing at the bus stop. He sees me, reads the expression on my face, and shouts out loud, “That’s it! I’ve gotta get a bike!”

Urban Velo issue #14, July 2009. Dead tree print run: 5000 copies. Issue #13 online readership: 45,000+

SalsaCycles.com