Fahrradsozialismus

Nearly 1.5 million bikes were sold last year in Australia, compared with just over a million cars. An heartening figure in itself, even though it does not state whether the figure includes children’s bikes or toy bikes, and the figures in the rise of commuter cyclists are stategically given in relative percentages instead of actual numbers. Still, 22% as a national increase average is still considerable.

More information here.

So goes the somewhat unkind definition for cyclists who don’t wear helmets, using shock to convey the message, as is done in this German public awareness poster though far more sympathetically:

Australia is one of the few countries with mandatory helmet laws, so what self-respecting (regardless of what little there might be to respect) bike blog can do without at least some form of inane dialectics on the issue. I’m not going argue too much about the enforcement of law itself or the effectiveness of wearing a helmet, since there’s already much discussion covering many aspects. It is one of those topics that tend to generate voluminous amount of rather zealous repartee from all participants (cf. PC vs. Mac, CD vs. Vinyl), and so consciously avoiding the usual convolutions, I will simply say:

I don’t like wearing helmets.

Though of course as with all such generalised statements the clarification one must give in order to elucidate what it actually means would easily devour any genuine intention of trying to make a simple point, but verbosity will at least give a semblance of genuine content.

This being the blogosphere, the formula is often to introduce the subject with a personal anecdote enforcing one’s argument, as it is often more difficult to refute someone, at least openly in polite society, when people relate their own experience – though perhaps there’s less reservation in the virtual world. However lucid narratives are things I can’t even delude myself into being able to write, and it will suffice to say that I have had my share (fair or otherwise) of intimate congresses with geographical features – at least once post-bacchanally. As a result these have left some rather strong impressions on me to this day. Only once was I wearing a helmet, and upon that single occasion, the helmet most certainly did save me from something much more severe than a torn bag, a shattered helmet & nasty grazes.

But I still don’t like wearing helmets.

There’s one crucial difference between that single occasion & other times – I was riding my road bike, and I always wear helmet when I ride my road bike for fun or exercise, as I know that I’m far more likely to get hurt. To me this is the fundamental aspect of road safety for cyclists, i.e. the riding style, or perhaps more precisely, the riding mentality – something I referred to in that drivel about cycling attire, but is of more importance here.

Road bikes are optimisations upon what is already a very optimal design, and you can really appreciate the beauty of its streamlined simplicity when using it, in addition to the rush you’d get from the mental focus & sheer physical exertion. I don’t think there’s much dispute concerning the increased (arguably exponential) risk in going faster, indeed risk taking is a major part of what makes things fun & enjoyable. With such increased risks however, it is only rational to have higher levels of protection against accidents.

Cycling as a sport, that is to say road racing, BMX, mountain biking etc, the inherent risk is far higher than riding your clunker down to the shops for milk. Just like F1 or rally racing is far more dangerous than driving your kids to school. I tend to regard these are two very distinct activities, with the only similarity being the vehicle.

When I’m on my commuters, I adopt a completely different mindset, though often the route might be exactly the same. The pleasure is derived from something entirely different; it is a self-powered transportation with unmatched degrees of freedom that allows you enjoy the surroundings when you are travelling. Indeed sometimes I even think to myself why are these other cyclists go so fast – even though I am probably one of them when I’m on a roadie. Such dualistic, even dichotomous mindsets are too often observed in human beings when perspectives change, often subconsciously. It is probably inherently human, but without some degree of self-righteousness there can be no individuality, one of the defining human qualities.

I ride different bikes differently, but there is nothing to stop you from doing so on a single bike. Admittedly it’d be tough to keep a leisurely pace if you are on full Record carbon razorblade, but that is perhaps a reason to think about getting a more dedicated commuter if you travel frequently by bike.

The risk of hurting myself on a bike when I’m commuting is probably as high as hurting myself whilst taking a shower or going for a walk or cooking a meal, which is not exactly low since I am rather clumsy. I don’t really have too strong a position against mandatory helmet laws, since one life saved should be justification enough. But such overly paternalistic prescription are not exactly consistent considering there are many other “risky” thing left unregulated by law, and it is discouraging at least to some potential commuter cyclists, as biased as I of course am. Perhaps it is selfish, but I tend to think that risk assessment in this case can perhaps be left up to the individual.

Incidentally, Mandatory helmet law is one of the main concerns raised in regard to the possible Vélib’-style bike rental system into Australia, as there would be immediate issues concerning hygiene, storage, tracking & fit.

Going through the hit stats for the past few months revealed an curious fact – Audrey Hepburn is still really popular:

By far the most Google hits to my little rant factory are searches for “Audrey Hepburn” linking to the three images I alluded to here, which is really rather interesting since one of the points I tried to make is that having such graceful & elegant idealisations (no matter how selective) such as Audrey Hepburn or the inspiring snaps from Cycle Chic is great for getting people into cycling. If one more person got interested enough to hop on a bike because of this superficial but ultimately human mental association, then all the linguistic & logical burden I’ve placed upon the blogosphere & the English language in general will not have been in vain.

Having recently signed up for flickr, it was wonderful to discover some great pics of bikes with or without people on them, and finding communities where you can share your visual experiences in things that interest you. One particular group of some considerable interest is Vélocouture, dealing with an issue I think quite important to many cyclists & potential cyclists alike - that of what to wear when you ride a bike & look good at the same time. It’s something I think that deserves some serious intellectual scrutiny & contextual analysis - but since I lack the ability to even maintain rudimentary cohension, you’d have to look elsewhere for that.

“Vanity thy name is Whoah man those are some totally awesome jeans!” is something you will never hear or say unless you are a total fool with no regard for the sanctity of the Bard. But beauty, or more plainly looking good - be it appreciating it in others or pure narcissism, is something most people enjoy, regardless whether it is just an uncontrollable animalistic drive or not. Fashion is but one facet, albeit perhaps the most overt & immediate realisation of such mental processes. Whether we admit it or not, we do make choices, however minor, in what we wear most of the time, and having to alter one’s choice just so you can ride a bike is agreeably disagreeable, to say the least – at least in the minds of some potential cyclists.

As it can be seen, however, in all established cycling cultures such as Copenhagen, Beijing or Tokyo, you don’t really need to get all kitted up for the daily commute, though of course that’s all fine & dandy if you combine your exercise/training with your daily commute. In fact it would be actually quite an efficient way of utilising your time. But for most people, especially if you’re terminally lethargic like me, you really can’t be bothered to shower or change once you get to your destination, or lack the facilities to do such things conveniently. Many cyclists are therefore reluctant to commute by bike so they won’t be too sweaty and/or smelly for the rest of the day, and understandably so.

As I shall demonstrate here with obviously irrefutable proof by the very virtue of having given them myself, I’ve posted a few images of yours truly in the Vélocouture of the stuff I wear when I cycle around commuting. If you ignore the pretentious obnoxious poses, you’ll find everything there are just normal clothing that you see on people who drive cars, catch buses or if you’re James Bond, defuse nuclear devices wear.

To me it might have something to do with one’s attitude towards how one should cycle for different purposes. I must admit I do enjoy trying to catch up to (and usually fail miserably) the bike in front when I ride my roadies when I ride for fun, I mean it’s just like a car racing game - except for the car & game bit. Such competitiveness, innate or otherwise, is something we all experience every now & then, regardless of what things like Taoism preach in terms of achieving equanimity through disengagement – something so very ideal & yet impossibly difficult to convince oneself with. What is life but a continual struggle of the self against !self?

Again I did have a point to make apart from drivelling sentimentalities. For most people like me it doesn’t take long to work up a good puff & sweat when you pushing 30km/h, so riding in such a manner when you’re just trying to get from A to B is probably a little excessive, and I ride at a pace which only exerts my body minimally, in fact far less than walking since there’s always wind to cool you down. For most commuting distances – say around 15km one-way, you really don’t save too much time by going from sub-sonic to warp 5, at most perhaps 10-20 minutes depending on your easy going speed & “racing” speed. Indeed the faster your easy going speed is to begin with, the less time you knock off by pushing yourself & going faster still.

A few things that might help in changing the road racer mentality:

1. Ditch that Speed/Cadence/Power computer/HRM/GPS, etc, so you are not constantly trying to keep an eye on maintaining that golden AVG or Cadence whilst monitoring your heart rate to achieve optimum output. Also, your bike also looks less cluttered without all those dials & readouts which imho looks better.

2. Ride “clunkers”. I don’t mean something that’s mechanically broken down, but something that puts more emphasis on comfort & durability rather than performance or speed. In Australia, many who start out to cycle as adults often end up a mountain bike – or more usually an imitation of one, I know I did. There’s nothing wrong with these especially at the price point, and are perfectly adequate for commuting once you get some slicks on them & sort out the riding position. However if you are looking for something more specialised, then some of the modern hybrids are very good also based on what I have read and are designed for commuting, though I have no personal experience with them. For some style (again a personal thing), by which to me is old-fashioned roadsters & ladies’ step-throughs, there is eBay where there’s usually a few on offer in most major cities. Some Danish, Indian & Swedish models are also available in Australia through various retailers. To me, and I am sure many others, full on road bikes aren’t really ideal for everyday commutes, unless it is turned into something that resembles a tourer/hybrid/roadster.

3. Just relax & enjoy the view along the ride, you’ll find there’s so much curiosity & beauty around if you just look, it’s makes the ride a whole lot more enjoyable – just don’t get carried away & missed that turn to school or work, ahem, unintentionally.

Since Monday Canberran cyclists have been able to catch the bus for free if they bring their bike along with them.

I always thought it a great idea for buses to have racks for bikes to encourage cycling, though I’m not too sure whether there is any rational rationale behind it. I myself have only used the racks once, and that was when I got a puncture and didn’t have a spare tube with me. Indeed I don’t see myself using it unless this happens again. On the rare occasions where I did catch a bus since I’ve started cycling, I left the bike at home.

It might have something to do with the fact that the bus services in Canberra isn’t exactly what you’d call developed. Many routes come once every 30 minutes during weekdays, and every hour on the weekends, making it quite inconvenient as you’d have to plan rather carefully around the timetables.

Still, irrespective of exactly how efficient & effective such a system is for Canberra, as a highly visible & cycling-specific infrastructure it does demonstrate the government actively promoting bikes as a commuting alternative, and that is something commendable in itself.

More info here at ACTION Buses’ website.

The recently released ABS Census data for 2006 showed that 2.13% of Canberrans cycled to work, risen from 1.94% & 1.85% in 2001 & 1996 respectively. Though more than twice the national average, the number is still insignificant compared with Amsterdam or Copenhagen, but it is still somewhat encouraging.

In a city where the chances of being shot at or beaten to death with baseball bats whilst riding is thankfully exceedingly low, where your worst enemy is probably the dreaded winter mornings & the occasional killer headwinds (I would add rain, but the term is almost mythical down here for the past few years, bureau of meteorology predicted rain for most of the past week; kilometrage on the bike: 492.1), it’s no wonder more people are joining the fun.

Civic to Conder via Weston. Good commuter route for those living in Weston to Tuggeranong. Also a good alternative route to the City going passed the scenic Molonglo River instead of via Woden.

Tour de Aldis! If you must have weird & wonderful German candies from all of the ACT Aldi stores in one day (or other equally legitimate reasons), knock yourself out.

Melba to Civic via Jamison. Obviously not the best commuting route if you live in Melba, but a great way for getting into Civic if you live on the Southern side of Lake Ginninderra. The route is quite scenic once outside of Cook, and convenient for shopping in Jamison.

Civic to Tuggeranong and Woden. The route takes you right pass Woden Plaza & Tuggeranong Hyperdome, and the cycle paths are quite good for either commuting or exercise. Lake Tuggeranong is small but quite beautiful. Taking the path along Erindale Drive instead of Lake Tuggeranong gives you some variation.

From Melba to Civic via Gungahlin, probably not the best commuter route to Civic if you live in Belconnen unless you feel like a bit of exercise, but it is a very pleasant ride with a gradient resembling the one through Bruce, though the distance is longer making the climbs easier. The cycle paths in these newer suburbs are wider & in better condition, and the ride along Gungahlin Drive is very scenic, with a long strech of well paved cyclepath for sprinting on. The route is also very good for commuting if you live in the Gungahlin area and want to get to either Belconnen or Civic on bike paths alone.

A short ride around Lake Ginninderra, not quite as scenic as Lake Burley Griffin, but a good start for some light exercise if you live in Belconnen. Also there are a few nice restaurants & cafés next to the lake.

Something actually useful for the first post, none of that self-indulgent, introspective, wise-cracking tripe you’d usually find in an initial post - there’ll be plenty of time for that later.

A few routes for getting around on a bike in Canberra, so far all the routes start in Belconnen, but I’ll be gradually adding more for the whole region. As these are mainly commuting routes, most are on shared cycle/walk paths, and are therefore suitable even for those just starting to commute without having to deal with traffic, especially during peak hour.

Routes from Melba to the City via Bruce, passing UC & AIS and directly under the new Gungahlin drive extension. This is one of the shorter routes into the City from Belconnen, but there is a bit of a climb coming back from O’Connor to Bruce, and segments of the path through O’Connor are really sidewalks. Kangaroos & bunny rabbits are common sights going passed the AIS.

Another way is going through Kaleen, again under the Gungahlin drive extension (though of course at a different point). The paths are much wider with fair streches of flats where you can get considerable speed. The gradient is also a bit smoother. It is however a bit longer.

Melba to Kippax. Smaller alternative (in the literal sense, they don’t have specialised goth/emo grocery) shopping centre to Belconnen Mall if you live in Northern Belconnen. The scenery is rather pleasant as the route goes along Ginninderra creek.

Melba to Belconnen Mall. Good for starter commuters, especially if you were catching buses from the suburbs.

The loop around Lake Burley Griffin from Civic, possibly the best scenic & leisure route in Canberra. Most of the touristy spots are either on the route or within a short distance from the path. A must for any cyclist visiting Canberra.