fort mchenry, baltimore; the origin of the national drinking song (star spangled banner) and a wonderful ride across the city.


so, a friendly associate at Velocipede - baltimore's bike co-op and kitchen - wants to make a grassroots bicycling manual to help baltimoreans feel more confident about cycling charm city. he's looking for as many inputs and opinions possible, so if you want to help out (even if you dont live in baltimore, generally, the ideas are the same) email steve at editor at let-off dot com. heres what i wrote;

1) if there was one way you could best improve the safety of all bicyclists in this town (while still having automobiles on the road), and cost was no object, what would it be?

establish a system where bicycles are logically the best solution; eliminate suburbia (the bain of sustainable development, and bastard child of the automobile, dependent as all hell on the car), condense existing urban areas to eliminate the physical disparity between work and home that, in turn, promotes (and in some cases, necessitates) car use, without creating anomie - the degredation of societal norms that are cause to - and promoted by - ghettos. if an urban area is dense enough, parking becomes an issue, underground public transit becomes the primarily viable solution, relegating the bicycle to be the cheapest and yet most direct transit solution available. cars are not eliminated (nor should they be - stores still need stock delivered; drunk people need taxi's), but their importance is greatly reduced, so the opportunity cost of a car is negated. the more reasons to ride a bike, the more bicyclists, the more expected a cyclist is on the road, the safer it is.

2) what are the top three tools you can recommend to a bicyclist who wants to do most of their repairs themselves?

a) the 3 dollar multitool. handles all your allen key needs, and comes with a phillips and flathead for that odd job. absolutely essential.
b) 15 mm box-wrench - for axle nuts.
c) tire repair kit.

with those three, you should be able to handle 90% of what the road throws at you.

3) Judging from the topography of baltimore and the nature of its roads, what do you look for in a bike when you plan to ride around the city?

fat tires; minimal amount of things that can be easily removed.

4) What do you do differently when you have to ride in inclement weather?

wear a poncho.

5) What bike shops do you visit frequently? Why do you choose to go there instead of other places?

velocipede bicycle workshop, and BBW (Baltimore Bike Works). both are >10 minute ride, and run by well-intentioned folk.

6) Why do you choose to ride?

many reasons, and different situations. sometimes its simply to get to work quicker than public transit. sometimes its the only way of getting from one place to another. sometimes its the only way of getting to a certain location (im thinking into parks, up mountains, etc). sometimes its a totally awesome way to get exercise (and sometimes its not). sometimes its to be on a tv show. sometimes its to show solidarity. sometimes its the least impacting option for transportation. its good for racing. good for playing polo. good for cruising to the movie shop. good for meeting people at the pub. good for personal entertainment and fulfillment; ie, the gratification for maintaining ones own ride. and besides, chicks dig it.