Cardio and Community With a Bike

“Did you build that thing?”

I had never talked to the mom waiting next to me for her kids at school pick-up. I had ridden to pick-up on my “bucket bike” - a two wheeled bike with a large plastic “bucket” on the back. In the bucket there are two seats, each seat with two seat belts to secure kids or other cargo.

“Nope, but I get that question ALL the time.”

And I do! I’ll have people roll down their car window and ask it as I wait to cross a road. Or at my daughter’s soccer practice. Or at my kid’s gymnastics. Or at the dentist office. Sometimes, I won’t even be near my bike and someone will ask, “are you the guy who rides that bike with the thing on the back?” It’s a great conversation piece, but you don’t have to have a funky-looking bike to connect with people.

If you show up on a bike, a bit sweaty and out of breath, your chances are higher of striking up an interesting conversation. Because it’s outside the norm. And people notice and comment on what’s not normal.

“But I live in suburbia. It’s not safe to ride a bike! Everything is so far apart! I’ll get sweaty!”

Nonsense.

If you think it’s too dangerous, use sidewalks and crosswalks (slow down/get off the sidewalk when passing people walking!). Plus, it’s good for you to do something risky - outside your comfort zone. When we take risky actions we’re combating anxiety¹.

If you think everything is too far apart, it’s closer than you think. You aren’t used to traveling by bike. Look at the places I listed above - school, soccer practice, gymnastics, dentist. All those places are not in my neighborhood. I have to cross at least two 4- or 6-lane roads to get to them.

Also, bikes are fast. As my wife and I tag-team shuttling kids to various activities, I’m usually the one on the bike. Sometimes we meet up at an activity, her in the minivan, me on the bike (we only have one vehicle). I race her home occasionally. She beats me nine times out of ten, but not by long - just a few minutes max.

Ok, finally to the sweaty part. Yes, you do get sweaty. I live in Texas; as soon as I get on the bike saddle, I start sweating. I’ve learned to get over my self-conscious thoughts around sweat. Everybody sweats, and honestly sweat is so good for you.

It boils down to this: bikes are only impractical if you choose to believe they’re impractical. You have the power to change that belief.

You don’t need a special bike to start replacing car trips on a bike; you can pick up a used bike on Facebook Marketplace for a reasonable amount. Yes, the bucket bike I have is more expensive, but I saw the benefit, needed space for my little kids, and decided it was a great investment. If you use your bike, it too, will be a fantastic investment in your health.

I’ll see you out there riding,
Brian

1  Dodd HF, Lester KJ. Adventurous Play as a Mechanism for Reducing Risk for Childhood Anxiety: A Conceptual Model. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2021 Mar;24(1):164-181. doi: 10.1007/s10567-020-00338-w. Epub 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33464448; PMCID: PMC7880968.