I've been attempting to bike around town now for a little over a month, and let's be honest, I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. It's probably a miracle I haven't been killed yet. I have a zillion questions, still, about bike-etiquette, and while I've picked up on a few things (mainly by observation and process of elimination) I'm still pretty clueless. Why yes, I am 29 and supposed to be a grown-up. Don't judge me.
1) Can you get a ticket for running a red light on a bike? What about a DUI? I feel like I should get SOME points for being at least a little responsible...at least I'd just kill myself on a bike, not someone else. Points for trying?
2) Do I pretend I'm a car or a person? I definitely see people doing both of these things, so I just go with whatever works better for me at that point in time...
3) Are hand signals really necessary? Sometimes I think I might crash and die w/out 2 hands on my handlebars at all times, so you know...safety first?
4) I got a bell for my bike, but found I don't need to use it because my brakes squeak SO LOUD all I have to do is tap them and everyone within a 0.25 mile radius knows I'm there.
5) a. What is the probability of my front wheel falling off while I'm trying to ride my bike? I saw this happen to some dude and it's got me totally freaked out.
b. What's the probability of a homeless person tackling me on the bike trail as I'm going by and stealing my bike? This is what I think about when biking, alone, at night.
6) If I can barely make it up a paved hill in Boulder, does that mean I'm just not cut out for actual mountain biking? Like, don't even try?
7) How much harder is it to pull one of those bike-trailer things? I want to buy one and put Tucker in it, but let's be honest, he's kind of a chunk, and we've already established the fact I strugglefest up even small, paved hills.
8) How on earth do I bike wearing a dress without accidentally showing off whatever panties I decided to wear that day? I've seen other women biking in dresses...I just don't think I'm that graceful.
9) Is it normal to take longer to lock your bike up than it takes to actually bike somewhere? I thought I'd get faster with practice but I'm pretty good at dropping things and basically looking like a complete idiot.
