Commuter Biking and Other Ways to Save Transport Costs

With the rising price of gas, diesel and other fuels, many people are now turning to biking as a good way of getting around their local area and even getting to work. Many workplaces are jumping on the bandwagon and offering incentives to their employees who are willing to give up the car even a few days per week and either bike or take public transit into the office.

Of course, many people have fallen out of the habit of biking and, may have never even considered jumping on their bike to go to work or school. There are quite a few mistakes that people are likely to make when first starting out, such as purchasing a bike that doesn’t suit their needs or spending way too much.

While many bikes sold for sport, such mountain bikes are not really suitable for road biking in most cities. They tend to lack the amenities that are taken for granted with getting a bike in Europe. Commuter bicycles are made with softer, rounded tires that are suited for hugging roads rather than hilltops. They are also usually equipped with bells, lights, kickstands, baskets, a chain guard and fenders.

Making sure your bike isn’t stolen is also very important. Cars may come with locks, but it’s up to you to keep your ride safe when you’re out on biking trips. Though it is far more common now to see racks to chain your bike to than it was even a few years ago, many places are more interested in creating parking spots for cars.

Assuming you can find a reasonably safe place, be sure you invest in a good lock. While there will still be a few determined people that can get through the best locks, if you can’t take your bike in with you somewhere, you can at least be reasonably certain that most people won’t bother a bike locked up in plain sight.

Commuter Biking and Your Road Rules

Learning the rules of the road are also part of safe commuter biking. While you certainly are entitled to a whole lane, and you don’t have to cling to the side whenever a car comes up behind you, it is also required that you signal and ride on the street. Sidewalks are actually more dangerous places for bikes, especially now that more and more people are out walking. You may not ride your bike when drunk, either.

While this hasn’t been very safe in recent years, many municipalities are putting in bike trails and bike lanes that make it much safer to get around, though it is still very important road biking not claim your life. It’s still more dangerous to get in a car and drive around, but you should always be on the lookout for low-traffic routes. While they may not be the shortest route between points, such side street biking adventures are far safer and nicer to enjoy.

In some cities you’ll need to have a helmet. It’s also often required and always a good idea to have lights. This should include a flashing LED lamp that you can clip to what ever is on your back end and most visible. You will probably want to invest in a lamp that will actually light the way for you, especially if you live in a suburban area with less light density.

Biking is not only a great way to save money on your transport, but you can also chuck your membership to the gym. When you get in the habit of making regular biking trips to work and entertainment, you’ll be getting a good workout in, too. You’ll have a chance to enjoy the seasons, especially if you invest in some good clothes to keep inclement weather off. An old biking maxim in milder parts of the country is, “there’s no bad weather, just bad clothes.” Both wool and synthetics are appropriate.

Bike maintenance involves keeping the chain lubricated and dealing with the occasional flat tire. With all the money you’ll be saving on gas, auto maintenance and insurance, you’ll be able to pay someone in your local area a modest fee to do the maintenance for you on a regular schedule.

Many people combine a bus pass with biking when they decide to give up the car. However, you don’t have to give up your car to enjoy the considerable savings that using a bike can offer you when the price of gas closes in on $5/gal ($1.30/L).

Biking is also a good choice for families that want to get out and get some exercise in the neighborhood. You can use this as an excuse to patronize the local economy, visiting nearby restaurants and getting groceries from the local co-op or farmers’ market.

Other related modes of transport include skateboarding, ride sharing, car sharing and using highly efficient vehicles. Scooters, motorcycles and hyper-efficient smart cars are all becoming increasingly popular options for saving on transport costs. But, few are as elegant and problem-free as the biking.

Great Destinations On A European Bicycle Tour

A European bicycle tour is a thrilling way to see the sights of Europe. A cycling holiday has many advantages over the traditional European vacation, which typically involves plans, trains, rented cars, hotel reservations, and laundry lists of cities to visit.

First of all, biking through Europe is good for your health. You’ll burn a lot of calories covering 50-80 miles a day on your bike; this exercise, in turn, will give you plenty of opportunities to fill up on delicious local fare. Second, one of the last remaining ways to see Europe cheaply is by bike. Tour Europe in any other way, and (if you’re from America) you’ll be shocked at the exchange rate between the Euro and the dollar. Third, traveling by bike affords you flexibility during your Europe trip, especially if you’re carrying your tent on your back.

Although a bicycle tour of Europe ultimately requires less planning than a traditional European vacation, the planning that you do undertake will carry far greater consequences. The route you chose can make or break your bicycle tour. Europe has some fantastic, scenic, not crowded bicycle-friendly roads. However, some European roads are ill-suited for long-distance biking. Before you plan your racing or mountain biking tour of the continent, keep in mind these top ten European biking spots.

Provence, Southern France – Hot Spot Bicycle Tour

Provence, in southern France, is perhaps the best-loved region of Europe among biking enthusiasts. The roads that traverse the countryside of Provence are largely free of traffic. The land is mostly flat, for easy biking. During early autumn, you will feel as though you can bike forever through the same golden fields of corn that inspired Van Gogh, and that now line both sides of the road. In the summer, Provence is full of wildflowers. If you want to add challenge to your rides, veer eastward. You’ll be rewarded with an opportunity to visit out-of-the-way hilltop villages.

The Italian Dolomites are one of the best places in Europe for arduous mountain biking. Every year, the professional cyclists ride through these intimidating peaks during the course of the Giro d’Italia, the most important bike race in Europe after the Tour de France.

The French Alps are a European bicycle tour hot spot for a similar reason: the difficult terrain of the Alps forms the arena for the yearly Tour de France competition.

If you’re not yet ready to tackle endless mountainous ascents, the lesser, but still quite challenging hills of Umbria and Tuscany can be a good place to begin your bike tour. Italy gets very picturesque here. You’ll be biking among sunny hills, vineyards, villas, and gothic churches full of Renaissance paintings and frescoes. During the course of your journey through the countryside, you’ll pass through a few local villages. These are great places to purchase cheap, good wine.

If you prefer Spain to Italy, consider the option of a downhill mountain bike through the Picos de Europa. Of course, when you’re riding in the mountains, you’re going to be riding up as well as down. The Picos de Europa, located in northern Spain, are a challenge to bike, but the natural scenery (and absence of cars or even other cyclists) is certainly worth it.

Until recently, Eastern Europe has been overlooked as a cycling destination. One of the best and most challenging Eastern European bike routes is what’s known as the “amber trail” between Budapest, Hungary and Krakow, Poland. Bikers along this route follow the path taken by medieval and early-modern amber traders. The route takes bikers through farms and through villages and along the banks of Danube river. Eventually, the route takes the bikers into the Low and High Tatras mountain ranges, which makes for a grueling trip in either direction.

A good historical bike route follows the Way of St. James of Compostela through France and Spain. The Way of St. James is a historic pilgrimage route along which medieval pilgrims–in a sense, the first tourists–traveled by the thousands.

The Dordogne Valley and the Loire Valley are two more French biking hot spots. The Dordogne Valley features prehistoric cave paintings, while the Loire Valley boasts many views of French chateaux (castles). Finally, for easy, flat cycling among some of the most beautiful and melancholy scenery you’ll ever see in your life, try starting your European bicycle in the Netherlands (specifically, in Holland).

Next Page »