By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint

If you want to ride first thing in the morning, but have trouble motivating yourself, set out all your bike gear and clothing the night before. Some people wear their bike gear to bed! When you invest in the ride ahead of time it might be the nudge you need to get on your bike instead of taking the car. Driving is too easy. Unless there has been a snowstorm you can generally just jump into your car and go. A more radical solution is to get rid of your car. Motivation is less difficult when you have no choice. I have no car so if I want to get to work I have to either walk, take the bus or ride my bike. Riding my bike is the easiest choice most of the time.

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint

At a four-way stop sign make eye contact with car drivers in the intersection. Even if you are riding with lights and reflective clothing, it is possible for a driver not to see you. Signal your intentions clearly by pointing in the direction you are going to go. If possible take the center of the lane when you get to a stop sign. You are much less visible to cars if you are over to the right and a car taking a right turn is more likely to turn into you.  

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hints

A banana holder keeps your banana from getting squished in your backpack or pannier on a long ride. You can get one online or at Outdoor Gear Exchange. Even if the hinge snaps off, as mine did, a rubber band will keep the two halves of the banana holder in place. If you don’t want to get a banana holder but enjoy bananas, you can squish a banana with peanut butter and put it in a small plastic container. It makes a good fast-energy snack. I prefer peanut butter with no sugar added, and I miss the peanut grinder at City Market. It was removed soon after the pandemic began. I enjoyed making my own peanut butter. I liked watching the machine extrude the freshly made peanut butter. I keep a  supply of snacks on hand for longer bike rides. I have dried fruit, pretzels, apples, and trail mix, and of course bananas. I like my bananas ripe and you can often get reduced price bananas at City Market. They have some brown spots but they are perfectly edible. I try to stop every hour for a snack.  Admittedly a banana holder is not a necessity, but I like specialized equipment that improves my bike riding experience. I don’t own a car and the money I save is significant but it would be easy to spend it all on high-end bike equipment. I do not include a banana holder in the category of high-end bike equipment.

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hints

Every commuter bike should have fenders. They make a big difference if you are riding in the rain or in slushy conditions. They are especially useful during mud season. Fenders are available for most kinds of bikes. Fenders are lightweight and will not slow you down.

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint

Consider joining a Facebook group such as Bikeable Burlington Now or Vermont Bike Commuters. Being part of a virtual bike community can help you feel less isolated as a bike rider. If you are riding all winter long, it helps to know that others are doing the same thing and sharing some of the same challenges. It is also a great place to get answers to your bike-related questions and find out about infrastructure developments and ways you can help improve bike riding and walking for everyone. Also, don’t forget to join and support Local Motion!

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint

Whenever possible ride on the road.  Sidewalks are primarily for pedestrians and when you are on the sidewalk it is easy for car drivers to ignore you. This means that when you are crossing a street it is more likely that a car will turn into you. 

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint 

Clear safety glasses or goggles are a great option on a cloudy day or when it is dark outside. You can get them at a hardware store. They protect your eyes from dust, bugs, or snow when you don’t need protection from sunlight.

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint

To be seen by motorists run front and backlights, day and night. If your front light is very powerful, turn it off when you are on a bike path to avoid disconcerting oncoming bike riders and pedestrians. I prefer rechargeable lights to ones run on batteries.  You can also get battery-free lights charged by the motion of the bicycle. If you choose not to ride with lights during the day consider wearing bright reflective wear.  A lightweight reflective vest is a good option. I think my black and yellow one is rather stylish. I have had a headlight stolen from my bike. Now if I am going to park in one spot for any length of time I take my lights off the bike and put them into my pannier. So far they have been safe there.

By Peter Burns

Helpful Hint for the Month

Stuff a plastic bag under your bike seat or in your backpack.  You can use the plastic bag to cover the seat if you have to leave your bike out in the rain. I still have a bunch of plastic shopping bags from when they were in use in Vermont. When they run out I will use the plastic vegetable bags most grocery stores still provide. Plastic bags are also good if you find something on the ground in the rain. Sometimes I find a wet bandana or tee shirt or some wet fruit and I put the found item in the plastic bag so the inside of my backpack does not get wet.

By Peter Burns

Hat and Coat

This past spring a friend told me about an Ibex wool cap she had seen in the parking lot of the paintball place on East Road in Colchester.  I am proud to say that over the years I have trained her to be a scavenger.  Unfortunately, she was with her boyfriend who strongly objects to bringing home found items.  She let me know about the hat instead of picking it up herself.  A few days later I rode out East Road.  It is not my favorite route.  The road is too narrow, people drive too fast and the sightlines are bad. I went because I wanted that hat!  I found the hat and put it in my backpack.