Bike Shops...

Today I visited a couple Baltimore bike shops -- Joe's Bike Shop and Broadway cycles. Both shops were great. Talked with one guy at Joe's and I told him how impressed I was of the commuters in Baltimore. (Especially the fixed gear folks) I even picked up a T-shirt to add to my collection. I did a basic internet search on cycling in Baltimore and discovered there are several cycling groups online... no surprised after seeing so people on bikes. In my quick search I also discovered several biking trails in this area also. This can be quite the place to be if bikes are your thing. Although I find it sad that Maryland doesn't have a 3-foot law whereas Florida does...and I don't quite get the 'sharrows' (lanes with bike graphic intended to remind motorists to "share the road") but I still say if bike commuting is viable here, then viable most anywhere.

I am impressed...

Vacationing in Baltimore, Maryland this week and I am so impressed with the bicycle commuters I have seen here. I am really amazed with the single-speed bikes I see all over town. Lots of clips / at home I rarely see anyone with clips on their pedals. Baltimore is not the "flatlands" like most of Florida. Seeing people commute in the conditions of a city like this, I am further convinced in the viability of full-time bike commuting. Between the volume of traffic, noise and air quality of downtown Baltimore I don't know how these folks do it but there are more than a few folks who ride full-time.

Local magazine called the "Urbanite" even had an article this week discussing the city's first full-time bike & pedestrian planner, Nate Evans. An avid cyclist, the article has him riding a cruiser bike wearing a necktie and using messenger-style bag. I haven't seen anyone using panniers yet -- and only a few bikes with rear racks. Many of the bikes have been single-speed or road bikes...
today I actually saw two mountain bikes one being a sturdy (and heavy) Huffy. (I even saw a fella on a folding bike this morning huffing and puffing up Charles Street downtown) Some hearty souls these riders are, in my humble opinion.




I can't wait to get home and pedal forth.