Ride to Conserve Gasoline
As gas prices surge above $4 per gallon nationwide, expect to see more cyclists on the road. In fact, cycling helps energy prices and lends will to energy conservation.
On Sunday, I hopped on my bike for the 2 mile ride for the morning paper. Not only did I feel good about myself, my wallet really appreciated. On county roads, I’m actually seeing more and more people cycling to work.
I would recommend the following. First of all, wear a helmet. Many states throughout the country don’t have mandatory helmet laws but riding a bike without a helmet is potential suicide. Second, do a check every time you get on bike for a ride of more than one mile. Check the gears, tires and breaks. To check the tires, squeeze the tire and make sure that your thumb is not being depressed into the tire. If there is an obvious decrease in tire pressure from the last time you checked the tires, you probably have a slow leak. Second, check the breaks. I like to check the breaks by straddling the bike and gently moving the bike forward. When you do this, engage the breaks and this should stop all forward movement. If it doesn’t, I wouldn’t ride the bike until the breaks are checked. First look at the pads. If the pads don’t have visible wear, then the breaks probably need adjusting. This is tricky and most people call on a qualified bike mechanic to adjust the breaks. Third, check the gears. Visibly check the gears and make sure that they’re not damaged. You you can gently rest your foot on the chain to see if the chain is not too loose. Any depression in the tire chain of more than 3 inches would indicate that the chain and/or gears need to be adjusted.
Most importantly, have fun. And while you’re cycling, say no to $4.00 gasoline.
