The more baskets, the merrier
by Alice Martin (avid Panama City Beach trike rider)
My bike is a trike.
No, not a sporty
recumbent, but a heavy,
full size, six-speed adult
trike, complete with front
and rear baskets, two extra
bright ATV safety flags,
bright handle bar streamers
and coffee holder.
When it comes to trikes, the more baskets
the merrier.
The adult trike is the mini van of the bike
world and has just as many uses if not more.
No “bike” family should be without a trike.
My love affair with the trike started shortly
after the unbearably high gas prices.
Anything that didn’t require the purchase
of gasoline was getting a second adoring
look in my household, including the 1970’s
Schwinn Traveler ten-speed in the garage.
I took the Schwinn to a local bike shop to
knock off the cobwebs. My thinking was
“you never forget how to ride a bike.”
However, I don’t quite remember bike riding
being so darn wobbly.
A few trips to the local grocery store had
me rethinking the alternative transportation
situation. The old Schwinn was getting me
there but it wasn’t getting me back with the
ease I had hoped for.
Balancing the groceries with the amount I
could carry was becoming quite the task.
Each time, it started out the same. I was
going to the store to get just a few items
Each time, it ended pretty much the same
— too many items, not enough bike storage
space.
I just love a good sale. Carrying home a
good sale, however, was problematic.
The solution became obvious after a few
trips — a trike.
Since getting my trike, I now have to
remember to start my van from time to time.
My car mechanic misses me.
They say it’s not good for those gas-eating
machines to sit too long without use. But
since I am a fair-weather trike rider, the occasional
inclement weather is usually about the
time I need to start the van anyway.
I am surprised how far and how long I can
ride my trike.
I am surprised how long and I mean LONG
it is now between gas tank fill ups with the
van.
People watching me load shopping bags on
the trike are totally amazed how much I can
carry. Ten grocery bags really isn’t a challenge
at this point. I also carry an insulated
bag for freezer items.
The grocery store is far from being the
only place I ride. The trike provides a wide
footprint on the roadway making me feel
safer with the higher visibility, so I ride
everywhere. Granted, those of us living in
the Panama City Beach, Florida area are
lucky that most of our roads have bike lanes.
When riding my Schwinn, I felt that cars
were “squeezing” by me. On the trike, they
have to go around me.
Feeling safer on the road encourages me to
ride for most of my daily errands. Errands
are no longer dreaded — just the opposite.
No guilt in shopping to go get just a few
items. I no longer have to wait to combine
trips. I’ve even been accused of running
other people’s errands. Heck, I’ve been
known to ride many a mile to take advantage
of a sale.
When the journey is better, the destination
is better.
Carrying everything to the beach or to the
state park near my home is a breeze on the
trike. It is not unusual to see me pedaling to
the beach with a folding chair, beach towel,
beach bag, drinks and food. Lugging the
stuff from the parking lot to the water’s edge
is another story though.
Riding this much is what made me aware
that every one should be able to ride ANY
road, ANYWHERE.
Prior to errand running on my trike, I really
hadn’t given the whole bike access rights
thing much thought. It wasn’t like I was one
those bike jersey wearing fanatics, right?
There is nothing more frustrating than to
set out on my trike and have to debate if the
roads on my route are suitable for trike riding.
All roads should be suitable.
Distance isn’t the problem. Safety is. The
route to my doctor’s office recently became
unsafe for me to ride by new roadway construction.
Boy that was an inconvenient surprise.
What priorities would cause a decision to
take away safe bike access? The construction
widened the road, removed the bike lanes
and I guess that shared two-way thing is a
multi-use path or something. It zigzags back
and forth across the street. If I had nine lives,
I’d give it a try. I’m not real sure what it is -
bike lane, shared-use path, sidewalk, but in
my opinion, any two-way shared access is
not safe. I should know as my gated community
has it and that is where I have had my
closest calls.
When my car tags came up for renewal, I
purchased the SHARE THE ROAD tag. I put
the mini tag on the rear of my trike, complete
with my actual license plate number. At the
https://www8.hsmv.state.fl.us/eci/ website, I
linked my Florida tag number to my emergency
contact information. This information
could come in especially handy on shared
access paths.
Once I started receiving my Florida
Bicycle Association newsletters, I was anxious
to get together with my fellow trikers.
Uh oh... not one triker “meet and greet” listed.
No “triker” weekends. Hmmmm. I know
there are other FBA trike riders out there or
at least I hope so. There is no shame in riding
a trike. It’s SMART.
I have an RV that I enjoy. When camping, I
carry firewood on the trike. Most state parks
sell firewood at the entrance of the park, at
the ranger station, which is usually a few
miles from the campsites.
This is also where one usually has to go to
rent paddles and life jackets for canoeing if
the park has canoe rentals. Lots of stuff to
carry for lots of distance makes me proud to
be a trike rider.
Since the trike is my primary transportation,
it only makes sense that I bring it along.
I can start the van in the garage when I get
home.
When planning your next bicycle meeting,
don’t forget us trike riders. We are not just in
your local retirement communities. We are
just waiting to be invited.
I almost feel like a trike rider traitor as I
have recently been looking at a Trek
Navigator 3.0 for campground use for riding
around and light trails.
I made the purchase and yesterday, rode
my spiffy new Trek Navigator 3.0 20 miles.
Did basically the same route today on my
trike.
What a HUGE difference in how motorists
respond. If you want respect on the roadway,
ride a trike. The difference was so dramatic
and it has me totally rethinking of just when
and where I ride the new bike.
http://www.floridabicycle.org/fbalibrary/archive/pdfs/Summer2010.pdf