Change in Seasons

Wel,l here in the South San Francisco Bay area the seasonal change is upon us. Winds have been gusty and the cold snap is in the air. Early morning bike rides mean full fingered gloves or just cold digits. Although the evenings will soon get darker I sense that more people are willing or find it more cost effective to commute.

We live in a different world though than when I first started biking. Wannabe commuters are dusting off their pretty Magnas, Schwins, Motives and other big box bikes. Many have taken these bikes out of storage (sometimes tucked away for three or for years) and they are just in horrible shape. These Costco, Wal-Mart bikes were just not meant to be ridden that much. Sometime, I will have to figure out bike economics but $200 is just not going to get you a bike for which you have to rely on to get to work. These big box bikers somehow feel that flats are something that I bike shop should take care of. As the cost of gasoline rises the good news is that more people will ride bikes but the bad news is that many people are ill prepared to buy an appropriate bike and maintain it.