Becky Jo’s Carfree Life: Ode to Zen Bike Guy

I remind myself that when I yell, I don’t really yell at other people, I yell to hear myself, and to reinforce my own anger. Neither method of yelling ends up being a productive conversation.

It has taken me years to finally approach a near zen state. I think a big chunk of it is reminding myself that I definitely still prefer biking, and my reasons are generally unassailable. For trips under 3 miles it is almost a 100% guarantee I will be faster door-to-door by bike. My odds of being caught in traffic and being late is about 0%. My legs are hot. Beer tastes better when you arrive parched.

On the flip side, as said above, yelling rarely improves anything. I still communicate my disapproval of certain driver actions, but instead of shaking my fist at a red light runner, I instead look at the driver behind me, and give a disapproving shake of the a head, trying to convey “whoa, can you believe that guy. you’d never do that right?” I theorize that seeing a real life human express how something was scary to them will affect their future behavior.

Most of us slow down as we get older. I know I’m much slower (and heavier) at 52 than I was 22. Definitely more cautious and hopefully wiser. And some days the arthritis kicks in, a reminder of all my injuries from my so-called youth. But I agree with SilkySlim, I still prefer cycling…

In high school I was too young (stupid) to be scared, everything I did was zen because I was incapable of comprehending the consequences of anything. Even when my gf was hit while we were on a ride I don’t really think I understood how close of a call it really was.

I’m still zen-ish, but more from experience now, I guess. I’ve bike commuted for a over a decade and now I can sort of predict the most common patterns of driver stupidity. The right hook, the left cross, getting doored. Knowing good lines through these situations keeps me lower the amount of “omg I’m going to die” moments. I’m not a big fan of reflective stuff, honestly. A lot of dangerous scenarios don’t involve headlights on you until it’s too late. A good front light and a good rear light (flashing) is what I’ve settled on after a lot of variations. Regardless what you wear, bike like you’re invisible, because if you’re not shaped like a pick up truck drivers are blind to you for sure…

For me, the thing that keeps me going is that the more bikers we have on the road, the safer all of us are. We’re all part of the solution, no matter how zen or non-zen you are 🙂

Upload and train your mind to autoexecute this mantra whatever novelty appears to happen

“I guess it doesn’t matter anyway”

Ahh Grasshopper, zen wisdom comes with total awareness. Pay attention, know your event horizon and know that, like a rabbit (read Watership Down) even though you are clever and agile your environment is dense with killers. I still go sort of crazy in a real close call but NEVER touch the offending car. People carry guns.

It took me a long time to become mostly inured to the motor vehicle madness and I never really got used to it. The facts are:
-The average American is at more risk of injury per mile biking than driving. Both driving and biking in Portland are safer than average, so I suspect this is also true in Portland.
-Unless you were reliably getting 30 mins of exercise every day pre biking, the health benefits of biking far outweigh the additional danger.
So I always tried to tell myself that the benefits of being healthy (and my kids having a healthy parent) outweighed the cost. Plus there is the whole climate change thing.

I like side visibility; there is a British company selling dual side blinkies that I recommend. I agree with the above that visibility on the bike is the most convenient.

https://brightside.bike/

If you someday get an e-bike, I found my experience of unexpected dangerous motor vehicle behavior to decrease dramatically once I started mostly e-biking in the middle of the right lane on 4-lane roads. People driving have a full lane to pass you in, don’t right hook you, and don’t pull out unexpectedly from side streets. The actual safety is questionable given more cars around and higher speeds but I found the experience less jumpy than being stalked by cut-through traffic on greenways while on guard for side-street stop sign runners and waiting interminably at most intersections with major streets.

The threats and honking on big streets increase dramatically, though, if you bike slow.

In terms of how to actually be calm after a perceived near-death experience, I don’t know. Never figured out that one. A speaker did help in order to have good-mood music blaring.

“How are you not constantly having a heart attack?”

Mostly, it’s just time spent in the saddle. It just gets better and better.

I take something from riding motorcycles to heart: “Ride like you’re invisible”

But also being predictable helps. I have these rules I follow:
1. I really hate riding on sidewalks because people in cars aren’t expecting a fast-moving flesh and metal bullet to be there.
2. No music except for that inside my head.
3. Flashing rear-light at least during the day and solid lights at night (I carry a full backup set just in case).
4. Don’t ride on 82nd or MLK/Grand

1. Have a strong front and back light, make sure you have some side visibility either through reflective tire sidewalls, or spoke lights. The spoke lights are a great way to feel festive.

2. Ride defensively, assume people don’t see you. As importantly, ride predictably. By that I mean to try to ride in a relatively steady line and at a steady speed so cars know how to adjust their timing to you.

3. When a car passes you and looks like they may be slowing to make a turn, alway be ready to make a quick right-turn with them to avoid a t-bone, though you may still end skidding into them sideways.

4. If you’re riding next to a congested lane, and cars have stopped up ahead to leave a cross street clear, slow down and proceed cautiously, there is often a car about to ‘shoot the gap’ of those cars that have stopped. I also employ tactic ‘6″ while i slow, which is drift right or left to be more visible to car potentially crossing.

5. I generally do try to make eye contact and look people in the face. You can usually, though not always, see if a person really registers you or if they are ‘vacant staring’ past you.

6. If you are riding in a bike, or greenway, drift in the space depending on you are trying to be the most visible to. If you are riding in a R-side bike lane and are worried about people pulling out in front from cross streets, try to ride as left in the lane (near the cars) as possible so they are more able to see you. If you’re worried about someone you riding next to that might turn in front of you, drift a little further right so you’re less likely to be in their blind spot.

I also don’t appreciate your writing style, and your comments about “that guy” feel sexist to me. some of us have just been riding longer than others. I saw a person walk confidently across the crosswalk the other day, but it never would have occurred to me to ask them how they don’t have a heart attack just because they can cross the street. It seems like someone who is going to write articles for a bike blog might as well know what they are talking about. I’m tired of the “whoa is me!! cycling is so hard!!!” If you want to empower female cyclists or any cyclists for that matter, you might refrain from the stale “cute little basket” comments or , “adorable fresh cut bangs” -is this supposed to be an insult? I’d love to see some articles on family biking from someone with a confidence perspective that does not pander to the US vs THEM scary story that the media wants to portray. On another note, I wonder how much time you have spent writing the article, and then commenting on it ( only because I’d like you to be paid fairly for your time) Let’s do better.

One word: experience.
After you’ve seen enough of the same scenario play out, you learn to recognize what’s going to happen before it happens.

Other than that, I try (emphasize “try”) to keep the following things in mind:
1. You must babysit everyone. Pedestrians expect full right-of-way at all times (as they mostly should), which means they expect bicyclists to watch for them. Drivers expect full right-of-way at all times (which they shouldn’t), and expect bicyclists and pedestrians to watch out for them. You, as the bicyclist, are always expected to stay out of the way, even though you don’t always have to, legally speaking, and there are many times you can assert your right-of-way safely, usually to the consternation of drivers (so be prepared).
2. Wheels don’t lie. Turn signals lie; wheels don’t. Drivers imbue their vehicles with a “body language” that you will learn to read, but it starts with wheels. If wheels are moving, the car is moving. If wheels are angled, the car will turn, regardless of signal, etc.
3. Wheels also speak. Audibly. Listen for the sound of car wheels slowing behind you. If you hear it, it isn’t because the driver is being careful to pass you, it is because they are about to turn. Also, they don’t see you, or they think they can beat you to the corner and turn in front of you. Act accordingly.
4. If you think drivers aren’t going to look where you are, move to where they are looking. This generally means moving farther left, when safe. This is especially pertinent at driveways where drivers are looking for the tiniest of gaps to floor it into. All the reflective tape in the world will not move a driver’s head or eyeballs.
5. Keep in mind the Salmon and the Tuna. One day the Salmon comes up to the Tuna and says, “You’re always in salt water—you should try swimming in fresh water once in a while”. To which the Tuna replies, “What’s ‘water’?”. Most (most) drivers are completely clueless as to what it’s like to use a road any other way than in a car, and have no idea how to share or cooperate with any other type of road user. See #1.

I take a philosophical approach to it.
Cycling is an inherently safe and pleasant activity. It’s just disenfranchisement and the monomodal built environment that can make it seem otherwise. I look at environments and how they influence behaviour, then I have nothing to do with the bad ones that create conflict. I don’t see motorists as crazy and evil but regular people who are simply going along with the system and reacting to a frustrating environment. The best thing is to not be in those places. I seek out greenways and PBLs, slow down when there’s some nutty traffic thing ahead, etc. I’m both relaxed and aware of what’s around me. This is pleasant.
My time in the Netherlands was an eye-opener. What I learned mostly is that even after attaining a system that completely includes cycling there will still be people driving cars. (The rhetoric I heard before here was that once gas got very expensive there would be fewer cars around and then we’d get the streets back.) I also saw the Dutch and how happy they are. They make a lot of decisions based on quality of life and equity. It changed my approach to advocacy. I no longer saw it as a fight against an oppressor and now see it as fixing a systemic lack of inclusiveness.
I also got myself a style of bike that’s more like they have over there. Upright, efficient and with stable geometry. It makes a huge difference. I feel more in control and very comfortable.
My style of biking has changed with this bike. I now do speed control changes instead of stops-and-starts. I see something ahead and slow down well before until I know what’s up instead of continuing until the thing is a problem and braking. Again, relaxed and alert.

While I hope that the built environment improvements will continue it’ll always be an ongoing process so I’m having a good time now with what there is now and getting my mobility needs met.

Being Zen is a practice and also a heightened state of awareness. Zen bike guy isn’t throwing caution to the wind, being too care free, or naive to danger, they have likely been cycling a long time on the same streets and even though they look like they might be a little lackadaisical, are probably very capable of dealing with a dangerous situation quickly, efficiently and safely as soon as they are aware of it.