Bicycles

San Francisco is a bike town. Anyone who has driven down Valencia St. has inevitably had tons of hipster cyclists go whizzing past you as you drive. So here's my thing: I love bikes. I would love to bike on a regular basis. I think retro bikes look great, I think it's phenomenal exercise, and more often than not, hopping on a bike and tooling around town just seems like fun.

Here's my problem: my bike is old and broken down. The tires are flat, the brakes don't work, and I can't adjust the height of the seat at all. Hopefully, this can be fixed, but that takes (a) the initiative to bring my bike in to a reputable shop and more importantly (b) money. I have no clue what bike repairs cost. So what happens? I think about getting the work done and never do. Then I think about buying a new bike so I don't have the hassle. Then I realize I have a decent bike in my garage that just needs some TLC. It's a vicious cycle. (hardy har har) So we'll see how this story progresses. I mean, all of this goes along with the issue of the fact that I'm horridly out of shape these days (which motivates me to want to bike, and keeps me from it at the same time).

There is one thing, however, that drives me nuts about cyclists. As I stated earlier, SF is a bike town. However, despite all the bike lanes and critical mass and all that jazz, for some reason a small faction of asshole cyclists can't seem to figure out that, two wheels or four, all means of transport have to stop at red lights and stoplights. I get so damn paranoid when I go through intersections in bike-heavy neighborhoods because every time I do, some cyclist flys in front of or behind me against a red light. It's madness. Now I'm not saying if and when I fix up my bike and get out there I'll follow every traffic rule to a T, but I'm waaaay too cautious to do shit like that. So, my automotive friends, let's not forget our two-wheeled peddlers, and bicyclists, red means stop.