Bicycling: The People's Transportation

On Bow St., still chained to a sign post, lie the twisted remains of one of the most revolutionary machines known to man. There, with its spokes broken and seat stolen lies one of the vehicles which helped North Viet Nam break the back of the American military might. Bicycles like that one daily transport the 800 million people of china and most of the rest of the people of the world. Americans with their taste for the automobile are a tiny minority. Bicycles represent the most efficient method of transportation known to man. They allow us to travel five times as far and three times as fast as we can walk. A bicycle is truly a revolutionary machine.

While the wheel has been used for 5000 years, the bicycle was not developed until the last century. Will Baron von Drais de Sauerbach ever go down in history with Henry Ford? God knows he deserves to. The Baron's 1816 bicycle was a little crude, but it developed quickly. By 1884 it had evolved into a 21.5 pound cruising machine a point beyond which little improvement has been possible (today most bikes still weigh over 30 pounds).

Bicycles are far and away the most popular vehicle in the modern world. The annual production of 35 to 40 million bicycles far outstrips the worlds output of automobiles. In most developing nations bicycles represent the only viable means of transportation, and even in the United States, more bicycles than cars are sold.

Where does this leave the bicyclist in Cambridge? If not with physical superiority to all the automobiles, at least with a distinct aesthetic superiority. While an automobile is a true pig among vehicles, a bicyclist can go farther with less energy than anything else, manmade or natural. What with the traffic in Cambridge a bicycle will probably also leave you where you want to be faster than anything else.

Bicycling in its century of existence has developed in diverse ways, and a cyclist can pursue his riding in many forms. Here are the three most common.

The Turkeys

The turkeys are the riders that you see everyday. They are the students who want to get down from the 'Cliffe in less than fifteen minutes, the Cambridge kids on their Banana Bikes--the bread and butter of bicycling in the area. Before you laugh at them, realize that bicycles really are the fastest transportation in the city. Cyclists have been known to pass police cars, even when the police have the aid of their siren.

Most turkey riders don't know how to fix their bicycles, which is a pity because bicycles are so easy to fix (but also not much of a problem because bikes don't break down that often).

The number of bicyclists has skyrocketted in the past few years and with it the number of bicyclists in traffic accidents. Bicycling in Cambridge is not the safest of all "sports". Unfortunately many of these accidents are the bicyclist's fault. Massachusetts law allows bicycles on all roads (except expressways and limited access highways), but it also requires that they obey all traffic regulations. Bicyclists have frequently disregarded one way and stop signs, occassionally with disastrous results.

Bicycling has expanded tremendously in the past few years, and with the price of gas expected to rise above 60 cents a gallon, Cambridge can look forward to still more bicyclists next summer. Turkey power here we come.

The Tourists

Bicycle touring is one of the fastest-growing areas of cycling, with good reason. A strong cyclist can cover 100 miles a day, carrying all of his equipment with him, and pay only a couple dollars a day for food.

Given a good bicycle, the investment needed to tour is small: $30 for a light-weight sleeping bag, $15 for cooking utensils and a stove, and $5 for miscellaneous supplies (the more exotic among us require a tent, but a sheet of polyethylene will do quite well). Obviously this is a bareminimum budget, and given the money, there are ample opportunities to spend it.

A good ten speed really is a necessity for touring both for the efficiency and reliability that it gives you. You may never break down with a three speed, but you will also never keep up. And while you may keep up with a cheap ten speed, you may also end up with a breakdown somewhere out in East Jesus.

For those interested in organized touring, the Charles River Wheelmen have rides almost every weekend and will provide a wealth of good advice. The Wheelmen encompass the full range of riders, from weekend daytrippers to international Tourists familiar with the most exotic of places.

The Racers

The racers are the elite of bicycling, the riders who do everything the way it should be done. Bicycles have been raced almost as long as they have been ridden, but for various reasons the sport has enjoyed limited popularity in recent years in the United States. In Europe, bicycle racing ranks among the most prestigious of sports.

There are two major forms of bicycle racing: track and road. Track events are held on steeply-banked oval tracks, either indooors or outdoors. Because the nearest track is in Flushing, New York, this form of racing has been limited in the Boston area. The Metropolitan District Commission has expressed some interest in building a track, but the investment necessary may run as high as $100,000, so the prospect of having a track in the area is still some years off.

Road racing as the name implies is held on ordinary roads. Boston and Cambridge have a strong contingent of road racers including Harvard B School student and three time Olympian John Allis. Road races vary in length and course from Criteriums held on circuits often less than a mile in length (with the riders doing 50 or more laps) to stage races that cover hundreds of miles and take several days to complete.

Amateur races are sanctioned by the Amateur Bicycle League of American, and in the Cambridge area most racers are riding with the Northeast Bicycle Club. James Kunkmeuller (of Dover, and the man to talk to about racing) describes the program as very strong, although he would like to see a stronger contingent of women from the area.

Unfortunately for the competitor, bicycle racing is an expensive sport. The initial investment for a bicycle runs into the hundreds of dollars. Unless a racer is very good, and able to find sponsors or support himself from prizes, he will have continuing expenses for tires and other repairs. Because the popularity of bicycling has blossomed in the past few years, it is possible that sponsors will be easier to find. At present the finances of racing are still tight.

Ten Speeds

Why is it that one bicycle sells for under $100, while another looking very much the same will cost $600? Why would anyone want to pay $600 for a bicycle anyway?

The differences in bicycles are differences in cost, weight and performance. A $100 bicycle will weigh over 30 pounds, flex in the wrong places when you try to pedal hard, and get you around the city just fine. For a little more money the manufacturers use lighter rims, more reliable components, and take more care in building the frame. If you are willing to pay $160 or more you can get a bicycle with some of the steel replaced with lighter aluminum, and the weight will begin to come down. A cycle like this will carry you in style anywhere you might want to go.

Above $200 you enter the relm of racing bikes. These machines come close to the ultimate in light weight and performance. The frames are handmade of special alloy tubing, the tires are known as sew-ups, (very light with the tubes sewn inside). Having the tubes sewn inside makes them a real pain to patch, but there is no other way of making a tire as light (often less than 200 grams per tire) or as strong (racers ride with tire pressures well over 100 pounds per square inch), or as easy to change. While a bicycle like this is designed for racing, the truly dedicated tourist may also insist on one. In the past few years, with the vast increase in the number of tourists (and in particular, rich tourists insisting that they need the very best), the demand for these bicycles has soared. A bicycle that sold for $170 only a few years ago, is now often priced at almost $300.

What do you need in a bicycle? To get around Cambridge, a real turkey will do, and a three speed is luxury. If you plan to commute on a bicycle, particularly if you will have to cover much distance, a ten speed may prove valuable, (think of the money that you will save on gasoline.) If you are racing or training seriously, a good ten speed is absolutely necessary. How good is good? Well, that depends on how much money you want to spend