Velo Orange "Campeur": One Year In

It was exactly one year ago, today, that I completed the build of my Velo Orange "Campeur" and began to reap the benefits and joy that such a well thought out bicycle could bring. The Campeur is my idea of an ideal commuter bike: comfy, practical, fairly nimble, and full of options. In addition to being an excellent commuter, the Campeur is more than capable tackling gravel and touring-duties as well.

The Velo Orange "Campeur" frameset, awaiting to be built, Spring Break 2013

The Campeur has lived up to, and in some cases, has even surpassed some of my expectations that I had for the frame, and the following are some of my thoughts regarding the frame and the build:

Options:
One thing that I've always appreciated about touring and cyclocross frames, when compared to their racier brethren, is their ability to offer more options in the way of wide tires and fenders. In addition to being more comfortable on rougher roads, studies have shown that wider tires can be more efficient than narrower options. And as far as year-round commuting goes, full-coverage fenders is a no-brainer. Mounting fenders on the Campeur couldn't be easier thanks to the conveniently placed threaded bosses that can be found on the seat-stay bridge, chain-stay bridge, and under the fork crown. Not only does this allow for quick and convenient fender-mounting, it also results in a very clean look and eliminates possible rattling that can come from using fender brackets.

Clean aesthetics thanks to convenient threaded bosses

Threaded boss located underneath the lugged fork crown, a nice touch

Thanks to the generous clearances on the Campeur's frame and fork, you are able to fit some fairly wide tires on this bicycle. Velo Orange officially says that up to 700x38c will fit with fenders, although I have heard of people fitting as wide as 40mm and 45mm tires. Currently, I am running Panaracer's Pasela TourGuard in a 700x35c size and have had absolutely no clearance issues when combined with Velo Orange's 52mm "Zeppelin" fender-set.

Another nice touch that sold me on the Campeur was the dedicated kickstand plate that is welded onto the bottom of the frame. Unfortunately, kickstands have become somewhat of a faux pas in the cycling community. However, I am a strong believer in kickstands, especially if the bicycle is to be used for more recreational-type purposes.

Campeur shown utilizing its kickstand. Note: Zeppelin fenders not shown in this photo

Ride Quality:

To say that the Campeur is a comfortable ride would be quite an understatement. The steel frame, the curved legs of the fork, and the previously mentioned wide tires all contribute to the super-comfy ride. The slightly slacker head-tube and seat-tube angles make the handling more stable and predictable than racier road bikes, but it is still more nimble than some of the touring/adventure bicycles that I've thrown a leg over. The threaded steerer-tube, quill stem, and slightly extended head-tube allow you to get the handlebars up higher, in more of a comfortable, up-right position. The lower bottom-bracket add to the up-right nature of the bicycle and makes for a very stable ride when on gravel roads or when in a touring situation, keeping your center-of-mass low.

The Build:

For the build, I decided to go with some tried-and-true 9-speed Shimano components. Like most everything Shimano makes, these parts are dependable and I appreciate the clean, silver alloy look (something that has become a little bit of a rarity in this day and age).

Bombproof Shimano 9-speed bar-end shifters

Tiagra 9-speed rear derailleur and Tiagra triple front derailleur (not shown)

Sora/Tiagra-level Shimano brake levers

Velo Orange "Sabot" pedals have become a favorite of mine

No commuter bike would be complete without a bell!

Finishing up the build is a set of 36-spoke wheels composed of Deore LX hubs laced to Mavic A119 rims. The cockpit is made up of a Velo Orange Grand Cru seatpost, my go-to Brooks B17 Special saddle, Grand Compe ENE stem, and Nitto's "Noodle" handlebar.

Future Plans:

Future plans for the Campeur include switching out to some even wider tires and doing some more adventuring on gravel roads. The Campeur might possibly see a rack or two later this summer in order to pursue some light touring and possibly even a day or two of RAGBRAI.

Until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy each-and-every mile that I get aboard this trusty steed.

More information regarding the Campeur can be found at Velo Orange's website. And if you're looking for a place, locally, that can help you out with building up this or any one of Velo Orange's beautiful frames be sure to contact Europa Cycle & Ski.

Have any further specific questions for me? Be sure to ask in the comments section below!

-Jonathan, PedalBound

My Raleigh International Build

Assembling a complete bicycle, part-by-part, is something that I feel all self-proclaimed bike nerds should experience at least once in their life. There is something very special about envisioning each and every piece of a build and then seeing that plan come to fruition and being able to ride the final product for the first time. For my Raleigh International build, the anticipation couldn't have been greater.

I vividly remember when I first spotted the International in Raleigh's 2011 catalog (cover photo as well as pages 24 and 25) shortly after I had started working at the shop. Like many fellow steel-frame-aficionados, I lusted after the bike, but immediately wrote it off due to its premium asking price. Later that year, after receiving a larger than expected income tax refund, I reconsidered the purchase of the frameset, as this seemed like more of a viable option (as opposed to purchasing the very pricey complete build).

The frameset, as I received it back in June of 2011

The plan was to purchase the frameset through my employer, Europa Cycle & Ski, and then slowly build it up over the next year or so, in order to spread the purchase out rather than one large lump sum. Little did I know that almost 3 years would pass before I would complete the build.

A few months after receiving the frameset, I acquired more parts in the form of wheels and a headset from Velocity USA and Cane Creek, respectively.

New Velocity A23 wheelset and Cane Creek 110 headset!

Over the next couple of years some small parts continued trickling in slowly; handlebar, stem, bottle cages, etc. Then, this past February, I stumbled into some excess cash and decided that this was going to be the year that I finished the build.

I placed orders with Brooks England, Continental, and Campagnolo in order to finish off the build and then waited patiently for the items to arrive.

This felt like (Campy) Christmas Morning

Once all of the parts arrived, it was time to finish the assembly- but not before I prepped the frame with J.P. Weigle's "Framesaver".

Several laborious hours later, I had the finished product: a brand new, complete, rideable bicycle. I enlisted my good friend and cycling buddy, Randy Timm, to help me document this memorable experience by photographing the finished build while on its Maiden Voyage. The following are some photos that we took mid-ride:

The International's frame utilizes a steel lugged construction using Reynolds' high-end 853 CroMoly steel tubing. Note: the custom/modified minimalistic Europa Cycle & Ski decal below the 853 decal.

Raleigh USA uses real metal headtube badges on all of their steel-framed bicycles. Their badge pays homage to the original Nottingham, England company.

The "gruppo" is Campagnolo's Athena 11, which is not only my first Campy groupset, but also my first 11-speed group.

The tires are these beautiful, German, handmade "Grand Prix Classics", which combine a great throwback look with Continental's modern "BlackChili Compound".

The cockpit is composed of a Ritchey "Classic" Curve handlebar, wrapped with Brooks England's Leather Bar Tape.

Finishing off the build is a Thomson Elite X2 stem and Elite seatpost, a Brooks Swallow saddle, Velo Orange Moderniste bottle cages, and Shimano A600 SPD pedals.

So far, I've only been out on one glorious ride with this steed, but I hope to get out and enjoy many more miles on it this spring and summer! Thanks to all of the manufacturers of these great products that made this beautiful bicycle possible! Thanks to the great customer service that I received from Jerry at Campagnolo North America, John at Velocity USA, Tyler at Raleigh USA, and Brett at Highway 2! Lastly, thanks to Europa Cycle & Ski for allowing me to support myself through college by working everyday with one of my passions, and of course, access to industry-specific-discounts! 

Be sure to leave any comments or questions in the comments section below. Also, be sure to check out my friend, Randy's, work on his Flickr and his Tumblr.

Until next time!

-Jonathan, PedalBound

My Favorite Gear: Portland Design Works Aether Demon

Every once and a while you stumble upon a product that is so simple, practical, and seemingly necessary that you wonder how you ever lived without it. This is how I felt when I purchased the Portland Design Works "Aether Demon" USB rechargeable tail-light. In the past, I have owned several different tail-light models from various brands, and have had hands-on experience with many more through the shop, but I still hadn't found that "holy grail" of tail-lights. After purchasing my Nite Rider headlight back in 2012, I was spoiled with the conveniences of a rechargeable, internal, lithium-ion battery and the USB charging interface. Throwing away alkaline batteries felt so wasteful and it was something that I wanted to eliminate completely from my lifestyle.

Meet the Aether Demon:

Its form-factor is quite comparable to that of the very well-known Planet Bike "Superflash" and to my surprise, both lights actually use the exact same mounting bracket! 

PDW Aether Demon on the left, Planet Bike Superflash "Stealth" on the right

I've always been a big fan of the mount options that the Planet Bike tail-lights included because they are a simple design that keeps the light exactly where you want it, at the angle you want it. When you install the light into the mount, it is accompanied by a solid "click" that lets you know it's secure and not going anywhere.

The Aether Demon shown here mounted using the included "Seatstay Mount"

Or mount the Aether Demon using the included "Seatpost Mount"

What I like about the Aether Demon:

One of my favorite things about the Portland Design Works Aether Demon is the simplicity in both the operation and the design. On the bottom of the unit there is simply a single (power) button, and a rubber flap, which when pulled back, reveals the Mini-USB port used for charging.

Operation:

To turn on the light, simply press and hold the power button for 1 second and the L.E.D. will activate. After you've turned the light on, you can cycle through the 4 operating modes, which PDW describes as: "Dance", "Breathe", "Group Ride", and "Rock Steady". One cool thing about the Aether Demon is that when you turn the unit off and on, it starts up in whatever mode you left off in. I've been a big fan of the "Breathe" mode for its subtle, yet effective nature. To get an idea of the "Breathe" mode, think of the sleep L.E.D. on an Apple MacBook, but at a slightly faster tempo, and with a red L.E.D. as opposed to a white L.E.D. I feel that this does a good job at grabbing the driver's attention, but doesn't annoy the driver at the same time. It's simply saying "Hey, I'm here on the road, please do not hit me. Thanks!" rather than a lot of other models on the market which get others' attention through much more obnoxious flashing patterns. When you're ready to turn off the light, simply press and hold the power button for 1 second and off it goes. The fact that you have to press and hold the button avoids accidentally turning the unit on when transporting in a bag or in your pocket, though it'd be nice to see a lock feature like that found on the Nite Rider line of headlights.

When it's time to charge the unit, you'll know by the light's low-battery operation. The light continues to work for some time, but it runs at slightly less power that is characterized by short flashes from the L.E.D. It's quite obvious when the light enters this mode, as none of the other modes are quite like this. In comparison, I've owned many tail-lights that do not have this friendly warning, but instead, simply turn off in the middle of the ride, or give off such a low amount of light that it basically renders the light useless. Obviously, neither of these cases are ideal and this can be very dangerous! It's nice knowing that the Aether Demon has your back, literally, and gives you a little bit more of a warning.

Charging:

Charging the unit is dead-simple. Once the light has entered the "warning mode", simply plug it in using the supplied USB cable into any powered USB port. You'll know that the light is charging once you see a flashing blue L.E.D. After the light is done charging, the flashing blue L.E.D. becomes solid. It's that simple. No bizarre flash patterns to have to remember or look up in the manual, no more wondering if the L.E.D. is amber or green. It's simply flashing (charging) or solid (charged). Simple.

The Aether Demon, fully charged.

Drawbacks:

The only things that I would like to see different in this product would be that I'd like to see future versions use the more modern "Micro-USB" interface, as this seems to be the interface that most modern electronics (non-Apple branded phones, tablets, etc.) are going to and this happens to be the interface that my Nite Rider Lumina and my mobile phone use. This would really simplify things by only having to bring one USB cable with me wherever I go. Secondly, it might be nice to see a "lock" feature like one that was mentioned earlier in this post, but I could see this taking away from the simplicity of the operation of this device. That being said, I have not run into an issue where the light has turned on accidentally while in a bag or a pocket.

Conclusions:

The Aether Demon is a dead-simple, high-quality tail-light that'll bring you many miles of safe riding. It can be purchased through virtually any bike shop for $49.99 or less, and I feel that it is worth every penny.

What do you think? What is your favorite tail-light? Please feel free to discuss in the comments!

-Jonathan, PedalBound

Quality Bicycle Products' "Frostbike"

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend one of my favorite bicycle industry events of the year. "Frostbike" is hosted by our good friends at Quality Bicycle Products. If you don't happen to know who Quality Bicycle Products is and if you didn't happen to click through to the Wikipedia page, QBP is the largest distributor of bicycle parts and accessories. Chances are fairly good that if the product you recently purchased at your local bike shop is one of the thousands that QBP carries, it passed through their hands. Established in 1981 in a small office in Saint Paul, Minnesota, QBP has grown exponentially over the last few decades. In addition to being a wholesaler of parts and accessories, Quality Bicycle Products also owns and manages several bicycle and accessory brands such as Surly, Salsa, All-City, 45North, Problem Solvers, Foundry, and others.

QBP's headquarters, located in Bloomington, MN. Photo courtesy of the StarTribune

This is how QBP describes Frostbike:

"Frostbike is more than a tradeshow. It's a product expo, QBP open house, and social event all rolled into one fun weekend. We provide a warm, inviting environment where bicycle industry professionals can connect, see emerging products, learn and share successful business strategies, and acquire the latest technical information.

Our goal is to create the future of the bike industry together, and have fun doing it.

Meaningful, memorable and fun. That's Frostbike."

(from the page source of QBP's "Frostbike" event website)

This was my third time attending Frostbike, and this year did not disappoint. True to Frostbike-weekend-fashion, the Midwest saw some nasty weather just days leading up to the event. Unfortunately, this resulted in my trip being postponed a day due to bad roads and interstate closures. I arrived in Minneapolis Saturday evening and was able to attend Forstbike the following morning.

It's going to take more than this to keep me from attending QBP's Frostbike!

After arriving at QBP headquarters, I headed directly to the Spokes Café, where we were treated to some nice breakfast items in the form of coffee, orange juice, breakfast sandwiches, and donuts. I was anxious to start my busy day and so I headed to the expo immediately following the completion of my meal.

I made it!

One of my favorite parts about Frostbike is the expo. It's such a cool thing to have so many vendors, industry professionals, and influential people in the industry all in a single location. The expo gives me, and many industry employees like myself, the ability to talk face-to-face with the owners, designers, customer service/sales representatives of the very products that we love, use, and recommend every day!

Other perks of the event come in the form of tours of the state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly building, tours of their massive warehouse and how order fulfillment works, demo a fatbike, seminars on helping your retail store grow, and one-on-one sessions with some of QBP's best and brightest.

Since I was at the event for a day less than I had planned, I was able to get around to doing the bare-minimum of what I wanted to accomplish. As a result, I didn't have a ton of time to snap photos of all the new and exciting products, but luckily for you, some of my friends were able to do just that.

For some additional news from Frostbike, be sure to check out this excellent photo gallery, as well a writeup from a coworker of mine on some of the exciting new things on display at Frostbike. Lastly, be sure to check out Quality Bicycle Product's YouTube page for some short videos highlighting some of the vendors' new products.

If you are curious about any of the specifics of any of the products on display, I may be able to give some input based on what I saw or heard. Be sure to ask in the comments section!

Until next year!


-Jonathan, PedalBound

My Favorite Gear: NiteRider Lumina 650 Headlight

Never before has there been as many options on the market for bicycle accessories as there is today. It can be an overwhelming experience finding exactly the product that you want. Through a series of posts, I hope to help ease the decision-making process for some of you by showcasing some of my favorite products that I've run across during my 4+ years experience in the bicycle retail industry.

I will start this series off with an accessory that I feel is absolutely necessary if you plan to be out riding anytime between dusk and dawn, and in many cases, it's the law: Lights!

Over the past few years there have been huge improvements in the light technology available for cyclists. Throughout my time at Europa Cycle & Ski, I have had the opportunity to test and own many different options from multiple brands. I've seen some terrific products, as well as some less-than-desirable products.

What Makes a Good Light?
 A light must be more than just bright. A good light must have a solid, easy-to-use, and universal mounting bracket. It must be dependable and provide convenient power/charging options. A good light must be durable and be able to withstand the occasional drop. All of these things must be present plus much more.

After searching for multiple years for what I felt was the most ideal headlight, my search led me to the Lumina line from NiteRider. The Lumina line offers incredibly bright CREE LEDs, powered by an internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and available in a small, convenient form-factor, all while at an affordable price.

The NiteRider Lumina 650, mounted on my Fuji America

NiteRider has been around for decades and they specialize in lighting solutions for cyclists. They pride themselves in the design of their products, and many, if not most of their products, are designed, assembled, and tested right here in the United States.

What I like about the NiteRider Lumina:
What drew me to the NiteRider, initially, was the solid overall feel and quality of the product. Many competing products just feel cheap; poor or inconsistent button activation, unintuitive operating logic, poorly designed mounting solution, the list goes on.

The NiteRider mount also drew me to this particular product. The NiteRider mount is one of my favorite mounts that I have used. Simple and yet solid, you can trust in the mount keeping the light exactly where you want it to be and it is adaptable to virtually any handlebar diameter without needing a different sized mount.

Image courtesy of QBP.com

The CREE LED provides an incredible amount of light and the lithium-ion battery provides plenty of juice on each charge. The light charges via: a convenient micro-USB port located on the bottom of the unit. A rubber flap/seal keeps moisture and debris out of the port when exposed to the elements. I was pleasantly surprised that the new Lumina line contained a micro-USB port, a nice upgrade from the older MiNewt line which utilized a now less-common mini-USB port. This means that I am able to use my existing micro-USB cables that I have for my Motorola smartphone in order to charge the device. That being said, the Lumina line does come bundled with its own USB cable, but whoever complained about having multiple charging cables on-hand?!

Unit with USB charging cable attached

Operation:
Using the NiteRider Lumina is an absolute breeze. Like I mentioned earlier in the post, the main/power button has a very solid feel and is accompanied by an audible "click". I know that this sounds silly to even mention, but this was something that some of the competitors that I tried lacked and this really comes in handy when it's dark and you are trying to turn off the light or if you have thick gloves on and are not sure if you activated the button or not.

When you receive the light and first get it out of its packaging, you'll notice that the light shipped in "locked mode". This is to prevent accidental power-ons and is extremely convenient when transporting the light in a bag or in your pocket. To confirm that your light is in "locked mode", you'll see that when you press the power button, the button actually lights up with a red LED. To get the light out of "locked mode", simply press and hold the power button for 5 seconds and the button LED will change from red to blue. Then you simply press the button again to turn on the device. This is also how you go about accessing the flashing mode, which I don't personally use all too often, but some people find it helpful when riding in the daylight and wanting to get drivers' attentions. To lock the light again, simply press and hold the power button (in either on or off mode) for 5 seconds. The light will cycle into the flashing mode, continue to hold and it'll then go into the "locked mode".

Once the light is on, you simply press the button to cycle through the the low, medium, and high modes. The operation is dead-simple and you are already used to it after just one use. Again, this simple operation was something that I found was lacking in some of the other brands that I tested. To turn off, without locking the light, simply press and hold the power button for 2 seconds and it's off. Simple, intuitive, consistent.

Charging the device is equally as simple and straightforward. Simply plug in the unit using the included micro-USB charging cable and the LED on the top of the light will light up red. Once the battery is fully charged, the LED changes from red to blue. It's as simple as that, you will never wonder if/when it is fully charged.

My street at night, light turned off

Lumina 650 on Medium setting. Notice the illumination of the street signs

Drawbacks:

It was tough to come up with some drawbacks for a product that I feel so positively about, but if I had to come up with some it would probably be these two minor things:

The 6 hour advertised charge time can sometimes feel like an eternity, and I've even had times where it had exceeded the 6 hours to charge the unit. I am told by NiteRider that because of the nature of the lithium-ion battery, a full discharge, followed by a full charge is not always necessary, but the O.C.D. in me likes to try and keep with consistent, full, power cycles. An easy solution to this would be to start the charging process when you go to bed or to start it when you arrive at work (assuming you work longer than a 6 hour shift).

Secondly, the overall aesthetic could be prettied up a little bit. That being said, the light is a fair amount sleeker and smaller than the previous MiNewt line, but I'll take all of the other design benefits over this slight issue any day.

Long-term use:
I've found that even after 14 months of ownership, and commuting with this light almost every day of the year, the battery still does an excellent job holding a charge. It's difficult to keep real close tabs on the runtimes, as I primarily use the light for commuting and I am not religious about tracking each-and-every minute, but it definitely still seems to be inline with the advertised runtimes (High: 1.5 hours, Medium: 3 hours, Low: 5.5 hours). And when it does come time to replace the lithium-ion battery, user-serviceable replacement batteries are available, a definite plus in my book.

I primarily use the Lumina 650 (a slightly older version of the Lumina 700) for year-round commuting, but have also taken it on our local single-track mountain bike trails. The highest-end models (650, 700, and Flare 650) all include a helmet mount which can prove more practical for off-road riding. If the light will be primarily used for commuting purposes, you may be more than happy with one of the lower powered models, such as the Micro 250 or 350, but not all commutes are equal and you'll have to make that decision for yourself.

The Lumina line is offered in 5 models with prices ranging from $69.99 - $169.99, depending on the level of brightness (measured in Lumens) and can be purchased and/or ordered at virtually any bike shop in the country (may I suggest one?). Because of the high-quality nature of the headlight, and it's wide range of price-point/brightness options, this product has my full support and I look forward to many more happy miles with this light!

Stay tuned for my next post where I'll be discussing my favorite taillight!

Any comments or questions about the NiteRider Lumina line of headlights? Any corrections or requests for gear that I should review? Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section!


-Jonathan, PedalBound

7 Reasons Why I Commute by Bike

One of my favorite things about the bicycle is how easily it can be used as a viable means of transportation. From its low cost of entry and ownership (when compared to an automobile), to its efficiency, environmental, and health benefits, the bicycle has a lot going for itself. Below is a list (in no particular order) of some of the reasons why I love to commute by bike and why I try and do so at just about any given opportunity.

Convenient Parking
Ever been running late to an event only to arrive and find that there are no parking spots left? Sick of spending money each year on expensive parking permits? When commuting by bike, you are fortunate enough to avoid headache-inducing parking lots and more times than not, you are able to secure a spot right next to your intended location. No bike rack? No problem. With modern cable-style bicycle locks you are able to lock your bicycle up to just about anything, be it a tree, fence, bench, etc.. You'll be amazed how creative you will get.

Bike racks can be found all over University of Northern Iowa's campus

It's Fast
Commuting by bike is significantly quicker than walking. A typical commute to my classes at the University of Northern Iowa is around 10-15 minutes when walking. If I go by bike, I can usually cut that time in half and that includes getting the bicycle out of the garage and locking up on campus. This allows me an extra 5-7 minutes to finish up breakfast or to sneak a little more reading in before class. It doesn't seem like much, but over an 80+ day semester it adds up!

It's Stimulating and Engaging
Riding, when compared to driving, is a much more engaging activity. You are fully in control of the bicycle and all of its functions. By the nature of this, you are more engaged. Riding is also, on average, slower than driving. This gives you the opportunity to take it all in. You'll be more appreciative of the weather and nature, you'll explore new neighborhoods or roads that you didn't bother exploring before.

A beautiful sunset overlooking the Cedar River

It's Free
After you've made your initial investments in the bike and the gear, rides become virtually free. No worries about spending money on expensive gas, ride until your heart's content or you're too exhausted to continue riding, whichever is first. When it is time to maintain and service your bicycle after many miles of riding, you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover how much cheaper it is to maintain than its motorized cousin.

It Benefits the Local Economy
When you purchase products or services from a locally owned bike shop such as Europa Cycle & Ski or Bike Tech, you are pumping money directly back into the local economy. These locally owned businesses give back to the community in the form of charity, local groups, team sponsorships, events, the list goes on. The same cannot always be said about fuel, foreign or domestic, purchased from a large chain or corporation.

It's Much more Mobile/Versatile
One of the benefits that I've really grown to appreciate over the years is the fact that you are not restricted by the massive size of an automobile. Road closed ahead on your usual route? Just hop on the sidewalk. Fallen tree branch from last night's storm? Go under or around it. Can't get around or over a snow drift? Just pick up your bike and walk over it. All of these are things that I've run into and have been grateful for being on the bicycle at those particular moments.

A downed tree that I encountered one day on my way to work, went right under it

Want to add some variety to your mundane commute? Mix it up! In the Cedar Valley area, you have your choice of commuting by bike via:

Paved roads...

Seerley Blvd., along with several other streets in Cedar Falls, contains bicycle "sharrows"

Gravel roads...

Miles, and miles of gravel roads in and around the Cedar Valley

Dirt paths...

An extensive network of "single-track" trails maintained by the nice folks at CVAST

Paved trails...

Cedar Valley Nature Trail contains over 110+ miles of paved trails!

The choice is yours when your on a bike!

It's Fun!
And last but not least, riding a bike to get where you are going can be fun! Studies show that those who commute by bike are happier. Riding a bike puts a smile on your face!

Eileen, heading to class on her bike

What are some of your favorite reasons for commuting by bike? Feel free to leave comments below. And if you have never done it before, what is stopping you?! Give it a try, you might find that you really enjoy it!


-Jonathan, PedalBound