Any way you look at it, a car can kill you

I have been very fortunate this year to have had many opportunities, including two news interviews, to express my rigorous views on bike commuting. Strangers have come up to me to say they are impressed or that they think I'm "crazy" for riding in the cold.

The overwelmingly frequent comment, however is that the person is inhibited from commuting by their perception of the dangers of motor traffic. In a word, fear keeps them in their car and off the bike.

Let me give you something to really fear. Picture the fat forming at your gut and thighs as you sit docile behind the wheel of your motor vehicle. Picture the lipids solidifying and building little dams in your blood stream--that dam will cause you to stroke out--probably when your blood pressure increases due to the stress of motor vehicle traffic.

The more of us that commute via bike, the more folks there will be that are sympathetic to cyclists' safety when they choose to be behind the wheel. Once you've felt the heat of a truck's engine as it passes you at 18" away, you will always think of the cyclist's safety when you pass him or her with your motor vehicle. Afraid of commuting again? Do four dollar a gallon gas prices scare you?

We sold out of Dahon folding bikes this week. More came into the shop today and we get calls asking about them on a daily basis. Are more folks tired of dying a slow death behind the wheel of their motor vehicle?

Ride, Fold, Repeat. . .

I am thoroughly enthralled with folding bikes and Dahon, by far, is the best option out there. The Bike Guy Stable now contains three Dahons, that have afforded me the luxury of leaving the car in the driveway for days at a time. The commute from Racine to Lake Forest travels through beautifully paved and tree-canopied roads, deer-trodden bike paths and "I am bicyclist,hear me roar" bike lanes. After a ride of 8-9 miles, depending on route, the bike is folded, bagged and brought onto the Metra along with my cup of coffee purchased for one dollar from Ray, the forever polite, Sandwich Stop Cafe proprietor. The train ride often involves a light nap, maybe a quick read, but never angst-ridden, finger-flipping driving.

On weekdays I exit the train at Lake Bluff and ride the last two miles to Kiddles. On Saturdays, I either ride the whole 30 miles, or exit the train earlier yet, at North Chicago.

You may read all the technical data on Dahon Bikes at their web site and who knows, technical data will likely show up on this blog. But for now, we are focused on the prospect of you getting the Dahon Religion and ending your worship of the petrol-burning beast. Like any life change, you will go through contemplation that argues for and against the New Way. One of the many reasons you will buy your bike at Kiddles is the "counseling" you receive--more on my former life as a Mental Health Therapist at a later date.

Dahon has graciously allowed us to purchase certain frame sets for the purpose of creating "Designer Dahons". Most of these bikes have been fixed gear, or single speed bikes, like the one pictured above. They are incredibly light and the 20" versions feature the larger, 451 sized, wheels. I brought my little Dahon Mu fixed gear on a 109 mile ride last year and enjoyed some gritty 21-26mph pace line action. A viable bike? I should think so.