A bit about Work. And commute.

The UMass Bike Coop, a small, narrow high ceiling room in the University's Student Union. We try and make it work but space is an issue, to get an idea of the space its about two and a half bikes wide and maybe eight long, we have one stand which two mechanics can work on at once. But with the weather becoming nice here in Western Mass, the bikes are coming out. We do have a small storage space outside under an over hang. We are the underdog student business on campus, we are stereotyped as the goofs and underachievers, I can say we work hard to keep this shop going and as one of the two businesses that is not food oriented its hard for people to understand just what goes on in running things. For the most part, people bring in bikes saved from yardsales or attics, left in snow and rain or was their bike as a kid. Some bring in their trusty commuter, their weekend road bike or mountain bike. No matter what we fix it, we have to, in some cases we should just tell them to put it in the dumpster like some shops do, but they are just riding from their dorm to class of to the store downtown, let them ride what they want. Bikes are like people and people are like bikes. We all look at a bike and judge it, just like we do with people, so in a sense we judge a person by their bike. This is human nature and we can all get past this. I enjoy working on every bike that comes through the doors of our shop, no matter how shitty. Its great to see people ride away, being happy about their bike.

Maybe I care a little too much at times, I love my bike, I put just as much care and effort into others bikes when I fix them as I do my own and hope that when it leaves the shop they care for it just as much. It really is a bummer to fix up a bike and put alot of time into it and then see it back in the shop a month later mangled and rusted, all your hard work ruined. I tell people to treat their bike like a cat or dog, you wouldnt leave your dog or cat outside over night, leave them out in the rain or not give them the things they need to survive. A bike is the same way, if its neglected it will rust and components may stop working, you need to give it lube, air, and attention. Take care of your bike, bottom line.

Just Whats on my mind.

The warm weather is on its way and bikes have been rolling in to the Coop. It feels good to have black hands at the end of the day. People have been coming in with their bikes that have been left on racks all winter, or the yard sale bike they got over break. Its great though, not all people are into riding year round and that's cool. As long as they are riding I am fine. What I don't like however, is when people are embarrassed of their bike. I guy came in with a Huffy mountain bike(not sure of model or year) and was apologizing for how crappy it is. Its fine, your twenty something and cant afford a good bike, does it get you from a to b, yes, good. Having a good bike takes time, its a slow process and should be. When I was a kid I had a BMX, it was right off the show room floor and a rode it for a few months then found something new to keep me occupied. It was not until years later that I started to race Mountain Bikes for the school I was attending, again the bike was handed to me. I learned nothing, I let other people work on it for me and treated it like shit. Then when I was a sophomore in High school I got a yellow Raleigh Sprite 27, for 5 bucks, I fixed it up and rode it until college. On this bike I learned respect for bicycles, I had to work hard to keep it in riding condition and had to work to ride it, it was a piece. College comes and I leave it at home, I entered UMass in the middle of the winter, here is where I began to get into road bikes and track bikes. I am now a mechanic and ride everyday no matter the weather. But it takes time, you cant go from one extreme to the other in a week. So don't be embarrassed of your bike, learn from it, take care of it and progress.

So, the forecast looks good for tomorrow and its the last Friday of the month so you know what that means, Critical Mass. Now, being out in Amherst Critical Mass may just be more of a nuisance than a way to help bicycle awareness. But, to me its a time to ride with my friends and acquaintances in a pack and have a good time. This is how I look at it, when I ride by myself I am aggressive and will let cars know I am there and to give me some room, but when you are riding in a Critical Mass there is no need to be aggressive and yell or punch at cars. During a Critical Mass people driving are aware of you they see 50 or so people on bikes and will get out of the way, this ride is more to express a point that we all ride everyday and cars should be aware that in a group of two or fifty we deserve the same respect.

My commute is short, 2miles, and I get through it with ease every day. Though the mornings suck all up hill the first half. But its quiet and not much traffic. Until the second intersection. Every morning I roll up to it and there is little room between me, the cars and granite curb. In this small space there are pot holes, sand and chunky pavement. On most mornings I slip through and race the cars into campus, this morning however I got pushed into the curb and jumped around a bit. I didn't fall over but it sure as hell woke me up. I gave a friendly tap on the passenger window and relieved myself of some saliva, she looked scared having not seen me, so I smiled and moved on. If you let them know your there, smile and give a wave, they are more likely to remember to give cyclist room. She pushed me a little so I pushed back, this is not eye for an eye but an exchange of "Hello", I am here you are here, we are both on the road so lets share it.