EDGAR Zavala doesn’t own any form-fitting bike attire. He doesn’t know the brand name of his bike.
He has never heard of “Bike to Work Day.” But he’s participating in it.
Zavala, 29, bikes to work every day to the Denny’s in Annapolis, because he doesn’t own a car.
“It’s too, expensive,” Zavala said through a translator at the Center of Help on Forest Drive.
Bike to Work Day is a national event to promote bike commuting. Anne Arundel county residents will forgo their cars on Friday, dig their bikes out of their garages and take smaller roads to work.
Events are planned around the county and the state. The BWI Business Partnership and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of Government coordinated rides and celebrations in Annapolis, Parole, all along the Baltimore Annapolis Trail, as well as in Hanover, Odenton and Annapolis Junction.
Biking can be either costly or affordable.
Zavala’s used bike costs him $180. But bikes can costs as much as $15,000, said Brian Shannon, a bike mechanic in Arnold.
The average new bike costs between $700 and $800, said Jon Korin, president of Bike Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.
The average racing bike costs between $1,000 and $5,000, Shannon said. Different materials and technologies make the most expensive bikes lighter and faster.
“You can spend very little or the sky’s the limit,” Shannon said.
Biking is popular among baby boomers and millennials. A popular slang for older cyclists is “Mamil” or “middle-aged men in Lycra.” Hip millennials—hipsters—like to be seen with fixies, old-fashion fixed-gear bikes. Biking has even become “the new golf” for some, Korin said. People go on bikes rides to network and do business.
Cyclists chose bikes over cars for environmental, health and financial reasons.
Shannon, who bikes to work every day to the Bike Doctor in Arnold, does it for all three.
“It’s kind of obvious. I’m helping the environment by taking one car off the streets,” said Shannon, 32.
He said biking saved him tens of thousands of dollars in car costs, including gas, insurance, maintenance costs.
“It’s certainly easier to jump into a car. It’s a lot more fun to ride a bike. It adds excitement to the day,” Shannon said.
Shannon owns a Surly road bike, with a steel frame and fatter tires that costs on average about $1,000.
Outside of his commute, Shannon goes mountain biking and rides scenic routes. He has different bikes for different rides.
Korin owns a Specialized Roubaix, a light weight, high-performance bike designed for distance rides, as well as a hybrid—between a light-weight racing bike and a heavy mountain bike, and a tandem bike “for togetherness.”
Korin rides three or four times a week to commute and for fun. He has a car but prefers to ride.
“Biking is my first choice,” Korin said. He considers factors like “Do I have time? Am I going some place else after? Do I have a lot of stuff I have to carry?”
Schuh, who will take part on Friday in a Bike to Work ride from Severna Park to Annapolis on the trial, said he rides a Cannondale. He takes 20-mile recreational rides on average, 60 miles for biking events.
“One hundred is a big day,” Schuh said. “I’m not fast.”
Schuh said he’s taken memorable rides through Italy and the Czech Republic. He said it’s a great way to see interesting landscapes, locally and abroad.
Cyclists of varying experience levels will hit the road Friday. And even though it’s just another day for Shannon, he’s excited to share the experience with new people.
“A lot of people are in the dark about how fun and easy commuting by bike is,” Shannon said.
TNS
Image credits: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News