When bicycles and cars coexist

I saddled up this morning for my daily commute. It is National Bike To Work Day, and since I work I thought I might as well bike. Boy, what a grind. Six blocks, downhill. I broke 5 minutes, easy. It was nothing new. I’ve done it for years in the warmer months. It’s usually sometime in May when I do the switch from hoof to pedal, stopping the walk to glide through the morning air atop my beloved 25-year-old Japanese bicycle, which despite its noble scars is a genuine thing of beauty. It’s my second bike now. My yellow Cannondale speeder is for weekends. The old Bridgestone I bought from Bill Asplund’s shop back in my youth is now the around-town bike, used for the very practical purpose of going from here to there cheaply. I’ve got it set up just right for street life — plump tires for a smoother ride on Wenatchee’s concrete cobbles, fenders to keep the sprinkler spray off my work clothes and a saddle bag for a milk run. It runs great, and shifts like a Swiss watch.  READ MORE »