About three weeks ago I finally bought a new bicycle. I've been riding the same Ross 10-speed since 1972. I love that bike and have put a lot of miles on it, but the hills of Astoria and a buy-in to the American car culture have kept it in the basement for long stretches of the last 10 years or so. Several things ran together to drive my decision to spend $605 on a fancy new bike. I'm carrying around a middle-aged spread that I'd like to get under control. My daughter has learned to ride her bike and wants to go touring. There have been several instances when I needed to do work beyond locked gates where having a bicycle would have made entry more efficient than walking in....
But the clincher has been the recent rise in gasoline prices (and the politics around that increase). Those in other countries undoubtedly have little sympathy for a country where people will spend $3.00 for a cup of coffee, but go into seizures at the thought of paying that much for a gallon of gas. Most other countries haven't seen $3.00 per gallon since the 70's.
There's been a low grumble all summer about gas prices among birders, that has finally broken out to a genuine discussion in the last several days. A significant subset of birders routinely hop in their cars and drive several hundred miles to get to a bird or birding spot. Chasing rarities is part of the birder lifestyle for many and a 50% rise in fuel prices is no small thing for that group. It's actually surprising that the whining has taken this long to rise above a whisper.
I've never been much of a chaser. I chased the CURLEW SANDPIPER that turned up at Nehalem Sewage ponds last week, but only because I was already as far as Cannon Beach (about 15 miles away from the bird) on work related business. Even so, that 30 mile round-trip detour cost me $2.90.
My new bike is a fancy hybrid, beefed up to take the stress of off-pavement riding, but with large larger diameter, narrower wheels for greater efficiency on streets. I also sprang for the disc brakes; I actually feel like I'm in control going downhill. I'm hoping to use my new bicycle on my regular, local patrols of birding spots. Birding by bicycle combines intimacy of walking with the efficiency of a car across distances. I'm less likely to miss birds on bike compared to a car and I can cover more ground on a bike than I would walking. I'm also hoping to reduce my fuel bill in the process, effectively paying for the bike without a substantial reduction in birding hours.
Those curious about these new hybrid bicycles can check out this site.
Posted by mbalame at October 25, 2005 4:29 PM