The art of buying a bike
I landed in cycling utopia, so I joined the party
I’ll be honest, I was hesitant to join the bike community. I perceived it as a bit of an elitist culture requiring thousands of dollars worth of flashy equipment to look the part and physical chops to fit the profile of who a “cyclist” should be.
I’m just an average guy looking to buy a bike and use it to get to work. It’s that simple.
I haven’t owned a car in two years, and — not to throw Trimet under the bus, but — sticking to public transportation schedules hasn’t always been smooth sailing. When living in New York City, biking was simply not feasible (poor bike infrastructure, frigid winters, lack of storage, etc). Things significantly changed when I moved to Portland, Oregon, about a year ago. The West Coast brought a new perspective on life and, with it, encouragement to fight my preconceived notions of cycling.
Keeping it bike-friendly
The bike culture is insane here. There are designated bike lanes everywhere, bridges with daily cyclist number counters, and a rack on the front of every Trimet bus and inside every Max train; it’s weird not to see someone pass you on a bike while you’re going for a run or a stroll around town. The urge became even stronger when I was hired at Conveyor, a local content agency located in a very bikeable location, complete with a covered garage for bike storage. Not to mention, Conveyor was about to embark on the #BikeMore Challenge, a competition among Portland businesses to encourage employees to experience firsthand the joys of riding a bike to work.
So, after chatting with a number of people locally and doing some research, I began my journey to find the right bike to get this whole thing started. A combination of word of mouth recommendations and Yelp/Google reviews pointed me to a few Portland bike shops who knew how to make a newbie feel less like a fish out of water.
I was aiming for a solid commuter bike that could definitely withstand the Portland rain and provide a wide enough speed range to help get me up the steep West Hills at the end of each day. In the end, I decided to go with the Jamis Coda Sport, a 24-speed ride with a signature steel frame. Luckily, Seven Corners Bike Shop in Southeast Portland carries Jamis and was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process.
Check yourself before you wreck yourself
It had been some time since I was actually on a bike, so I was looking for a refresher course on the basics and tips on how to best commute around Portland. Fortunately, I came across a Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) one hour urban biking clinic at the end of April. Here they discussed traffic laws, how to handle bike lanes, hand signals, choosing the right gear, how to best plan a bike route around town, etc. Much of it was very straightforward, but there were also a few interesting points:
- When purchasing a bike, you should also make sure to purchase a helmet and a U-lock. These will lessen your risk of death and theft, respectively. Helmets all meet a specific safety standard, so don’t let cost be the only factor influence your buying decisions. A U-lock is the best way to prevent your bike from disappearing while you grab a latte at your local coffee shop. If you plan to ride at night, another must-purchase item is a front and rear pulsating light. These will significantly help motorists and pedestrians spot you in the dark.
- By law, you can be pulled over for a DUI on your bike. Essentially the same laws apply for cyclists as they do motorists.
- In Oregon, it is legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk. However, there are so many conditions a rider needs to meet to ensure that you’re doing it lawfully. Also in cities such as Portland, there are certain parts where sidewalk riding is strictly illegal. I’d highly recommend sticking to traffic/bike lanes as your main biking path.
- In Oregon, you are now legally allowed to run a red light if the signal fails to turn green after one full cycle. Law SB 533 was designed to prevent cyclists from being forced to wait at red lights that continually don’t change.
If you’re new to the game like I am, hopefully this was helpful for at least getting your cycling feet in motion.
If you’re hesitant to get started, know that Portland has great cycling resources with extremely friendly people to point you in the right direction. From events to shops to instructional classes, it’s never been easier to choose a healthier and more environmentally-friendly way to get around.
