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15 May, 2004
Learning to Ride a Bike

My wife was recently given a temporary full-time contract as a teacher (don't get me started on the difficulty of getting a job as a teacher in Alberta). She often asks me to drive her to work, and to pick her up. This can result in four trips across town per day. As we cannot afford a new car, this means a lot of gas expense, and a lot of pollution.

I recently suggested that if this four-trips-per-day pattern is to continue, we may want to trade our current vehicle for a smaller, more efficient one. She asked me whether I could take the bus to the residences of the students I tutor. For my current student, I cannot, as she lives in an area with high property values. But I could ride my bike if my bike was in good shape, which it isn't.

After a little web research, I ventured to Edmonton Bicycle Commuters (www.edmontonbicyclecommuters.ca). EBC is a non-profit operation which endeavours to promote the benefits of bicycling, and to assist those who need help getting onto two wheels. It's housed in a grungy little shop in an industrial park, with a small gravel yard strewn with ratty bike parts.

I wheeled my bike in, and said that it either needs to repaired or replaced. They replied that they are a do-it-yourself community workshop, and that they would help me fix up my bike. I heartily agreed, recalling the adage "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for day; teach him to fish and he'll eat forever."

I learned how to remove both wheels, "true" them, and replace them, how to check the alignment of the rear derailer and bend the frame to re-align it, how to set the derailer cable tension and inner and outer limits, how to tighten the brakes, and how to sand the rim to increase brake efficiency. I also bought a membership.

During the time I spent there, the shop assisted, among others, a group of three older Slavic men, two young Asian men, a German guy, and then another Slavic guy. One of the staff took a brief phone call, in which he recited, "No, I'm sorry sir, we do not sell bicycles. We are a community workshop, not a retail outlet." But they did sell a beat up, non-functional, parts-missing scrap of a bike to one of the three Slavic men for him to fix up at home.

It felt good to "do-it-myself", and I left feeling capable and satisfied. I had been willing to replace my bike, but, given the sheer volume of stuff manufactured in the world every hour, I didn't want to contribute to the congestion of the planet by doing away with a bike if I didn't have to. And, as EBC showed me, I didn't have to. I recycled, I learned, I contributed to a non-profit organization, and I made friends. I even picked up a bike trail guide that shows an easy route to my student's house. For those who don't care about hippie nonsense like recycling, community, and new friends, I point out that I also saved a lot of money.

Speaking of that, what can we do about these high gas prices? Well, they say prices are high because of low supply. Maybe if we lower the demand by driving less, we'll pay less, as well as pollute less and get exercise and fresh air. But, if gas companies see that our response to increasing gas prices is to keep buying fuel-inefficient SUVs, it's hard to imagine them lowering gas prices.

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