I posted this a while back on my other blog and think it's relevant to post here, as well.
I wrote it in February, 2009.
A few aspects of my life have changed since I wrote this post - I got engaged (!), I bought a truck, and I moved away from the beach and into the redwoods. The move has added an hour to my bike commute to and from work, and about 14 miles. The move has also helped me realize that owning a car doesn't mean I have to use it all the time. Most days, I still commute on my bicycle. I still gather food on my bicycle. When my body needs a rest, I drive.
****Here's the original post, written in February 2009****I made a choice 18 months ago to sell my car and support myself on a bicycle. I was inspired by a book (How to Live Well Without a Car). The premise of this book is "If you can get to work reliably without a car, you don't need one."
I molded my life around this premise. Luckily, I live and work in Santa Cruz so getting to work without a car was not dificult. The rest of my daily routine - surfing, yoga, mountain biking, and food gathering are all within a four-mile radius of my home. I am 106 steps for the ocean for suring; I am four miles from the yoga dive; I am a 45-minute bike ride from epic trails; and I am less than one mile from the organic market. For the past 18 months, I have definitely learned how to live will without a car.
Supporting myself on a bicycle for 18 months has taught me a lot about myself. So far, I have distilled these learnings into my "Four Laws of Bicycle Commuting."
1. Have fun.Sometimes I take for granted that I'm on a bike. Usually this occurs because I'm on my way to work, and in my head I'm already there. When I catch myself in this mindset, I remind myself that "Hey, I'm on my bike! I'm not at work yet!!"
My point here is to always have fun on your bike. You made the choice to get on it - revel in it! All those other things can wait. Some ways that I have fun on my bike include taking and sharing pictures of stuff I see on my ride. You'd be surprised how interested people may be to see, for example, a morning commute from a bicyclist's perspective. The things that you may take for granted when you're on your bike are things that people who commute by car may NEVER experience. And your pictures may inspire your friends, family, co-workers to get on a bike.
Another way to have fun is to talk to people you encounter on your rides. Fellow cyclists are the obvious, and easiest, choice here. I always push myself to talk to other people, too. For example, one time, while stopped at a light, I started talking to a man in a convertible because his gas tank lid was open and dangling all around. I mentioned it to him, we joked about it; and as I was screwing it back in for him, we talked about random stuff.
A third way to have fun on your bicycle is to explore new routes to your destinations. The trigger for me to find a new route is when I stop seeing new things on my current route. Looking at my world from a new perspective injects adventure into my life. And think about it this way...not only have you gotten out of your car, you've started looking for the least direct route to get you to your destination. This "slowing down" has so many downstream benefits...it expands your world, and if it adds a few more miles to your route then you've gotten healthier and stronger, as well.
2. Be prepared.
Bicycles are empowering. The great aspect of bicycles is that, unlike cars, any of us can learn how to maintain and repair them with just a little knowledge. This empowering feeling is a big motivator for me to stay on my bike.
Take the time to learn how your bike works. For example, how does the chain move into different gears? How do the brakes slow you down? How do the wheels fit into the bike frame?
By learning the basics of how your bike functions, you are empowering yourself to diagnose and possibly fix the "mystery noises" that you may hear. If you don't have the knowledge to fix the problem yourself, you are more helpful to the bike mechanic when explaining the issue to him.
Also, stay in tune with the weather. Depending on where you live and the time of year, this might mean carrying extra clothing appropriate for changing weather conditions. For example, in the four month rainy season here in California, the following items never leave my bike: lightweight, waterproof rain pants; an extra pair of wool socks (wool is the best at keeping you warm even when it gets wet); a lightweight rain jacket. I keep all of these in a stuff sack in one of my panniers.
Another item that's in the stuff sack is extra lighting and batteries. Some bike commuters will argue this point and tell you it's excessive. It is not excessive, and it supports Law #1. Remember, the point of bike commuting is not always to get from A to B as quickly as possible. There will be times when you want to explore. Having backup lighting supports the "fun" aspect, while also empowering you.
Another way to be prepared is to communicate. Communicate your route to someone before leaving. This person can be a family member, your co-workers, or your neighbor. Make sure it's someone who knows where you live and is in some sort of contact with you on a daily basis. Don't make this a burden for you or for them, though. Keep it simple. For example, every morning I tell my fiancee, "Hey, Sweets...I'm going to take Glen Canyon to work this morning." She knows what that means. Then when I get to work, I text her to let her know I'm at work. At the end of my workday, we touch base again on my route home - either a quick phone call or text message.
You also need to be prepared to communicate with emergency response personnel in the case of an accident. Spend $10 on a RoadID. Accept this and don't let it deter you from riding. If you are involved in an accident you will either be able to, or not be able to, speak for yourself. In either case it is advisable to have all of your urgent personal and medical information available in one place. Your driver license, tucked somewhere in a bag, under your lunch and between your laptop and your coffee thermos, is not acceptable. Spend $10 on a RoadID.
The third piece of communication is knowing how to interact with car traffic. Does your area support bike culture? Next time you are out, look for signs that support bike culture - bike lanes, signage that instructs autos to share the road with bicycles, bike racks, other cyclists, etc.). The heavier the car-culture, the more important it is to know how to interact with autos. You are a bicycle advocate when you are on your bike. Do not perpetuate the image of some cyclists as "anarchists" who don't follow the road rules. Ride with traffic, not against it. Signal your turns (your left or right arm extended, depending on which way you intend to turn, will do the job). Ride visibly, predictably, and defensively. Know and honor the rules of the road; and most importantly stand up for bicyclist's rights to use the roads.
3. Don't bitch.
So many days during the rainy season, I would arrive at work after my morning commute in the rain. Stoked because I was prepared for the weather and had the right clothing, I would roll my bike into my office, remove my panniers, shake off the rain, and pull out my dry clothes. I never complained because I was energized with what I had just done.
By commuting on your bike, you are making a choice that some people may not understand. Keep your chin up, always. Remember that you have the power to become a bicycle advocate! And you can do it without even saying a word.
4. Don't ask for help when things get hard.
Don't let people bail you out of adverse conditions unless your welfare is at stake. If you are prepared and look at it as having fun, then your bar for "adverse" becomes very high.
For example, on a morning commute recently I had three flats. This created a lot of hardships for me, but none of them endangered my welfare. First, I only had one spare tube and no patch kit. And I was late for work. And it was raining and cold out. I could have easily called someone to pick me up. Instead, I walked my bike back to my home, and fixed the flat. I called my team at work and told them why I was running late. The feeling of self-sufficiency was empowering.
I can write these rules because I have broken all of them.
I have ridden for days where I was having no fun at all. When I reminded myself to look for the adventure, the fun returned.
I have been stranded far from home in adverse conditions because I didn't have the tools or knowledge to fix a mechanical issue. When I created ways to always be prepared, I never got stranded again.
I have complained about the choice I made, and questioned why I sold my car. When I realized the scope of my endeavor, the questioning stopped.
I have slept in on a cold, dark, rainy morning hoping I could catch a ride with somebody.
And in the end, I was the most grateful and had the most fun when I followed all of these rules.
Or this and this:
The guy who came up with the idea is a professional cyclist and coach. On his website he explains his motivation for these jerseys: "I've been honked at, buzzed, cussed out, and pegged with beer cans. When I'm victimized, if I can catch up with the offending motorist at a red light, I always try to talk to them. I'll knock on the window and ask "Do you know that you almost killed me back there?" 
If you take a few minutes to click through some of my previous posts, you'll get a little more insight into the great things that HGP is doing and why donating any amount of money would be greatly appreciated. There are two ways to donate. The easiest way is to click here and download the pledge form. If you do this, have a look at their "Wish List" - these are the tools that are needed to keep the HGP going. When you donate through their website the money goes directly to them. The other way to donate, and just as safe, is to get the money to me and I'll present all donations to HGP at once. Obviously, you'll probably only do that if you know me and know how to get hold of me.
