BIKE: Easy way getting around downtown?

[Eric Anderson]

Jay:
 
Boy, many folks would dream of being 10 blocks from work. For most, this would be way below the threshold of arriving sweaty, particularly when ten blocks could be navigated with a calm un-hurried walk (maximum 20 minutes), or bike ride, at a non-sweating crawl (6-10 minutes).
 
If walking 10 blocks is too far for a bike-list subscriber, I would feel incredibly pessimistic about the prospects of a livable city and walkable downtown. Are we ugly americans that lazy? Why Bother?
 
I personally feel incredibly lazy when I ride my bike, rather than walk, the three blocks to the corner-store, or the five blocks to my favorite Mexican restaurant.
 
I do not buy the "hot in summer" argument against walking or biking. This may be because it has been ten years since I was officed in a hermetically sealed institution. Granted, bike-commuting five miles, or in the heat of August, two miles, points out the need for mandatory shower facilities at large workplaces and somehow encouraging access to such at smaller businesses.
 
Short of showering, lacking access or not quite drenched, there's the whole range of bringing extra clothes and the rest-room spit shower. When I head downtown for a meeting, commission hearing, or city council, the short ride of less than two miles typically does not make me all hot and sweaty. This ride is sometimes at 5:00 or 6:00 pm at the heat of the day. Still, under these conditions, I do the rest-room under-the-arm-pit wipe-down, and more if needed, then small towel rinse as needed. Pulling the clean shirt from a zip-lock bag, so goes the small towel and sweaty shirt.
 
Now if you need a powered conveyance, for about 5 grand,  the Segway meets your needs best: walking without sweating. Instead, I would have you check-out the electric sccoters at Alien Scooters, and focus either on the most full blown urban-commutting models with +/- 20 mile ranges per full charge, at $1,500 to 2,000 plus. Or check out the downsized stand-up models built on what looks like a skate-board, some at less than $800. For the ranges that they are built for, I have found the electrics to be dependable, though everyone ends up replacing the high-grade battery after +/- two-three years of use. For Mopeds, check out the selection at Texas Coffee Trader's Longhorn Scooters located at 1400 East 4th St. The 50 cc yellow Taiwan built model is the one I would buy.
 
Speaking of mandatory commuter facilities like shower facilities, and bike racks, add the electric bike/scooter charging stations (outlets adjacent to bike racks).
 
Eric
 
Jay Paulson <jay> wrote:
I recently moved downtown and live only about 10 blocks away from work. 
My question to you is what are some options that I have to get to and from
work? I really don't want to take my car and I don't want to arrive
sweaty and smelly from walking/riding my bike. I usually go home for
lunch since I'm so close so when it gets hot this summer it's not really
an option for me to ride or walk to/from work every day. I was thinking
about getting a used moped or something of that nature.

Any ideas?

Thanks!


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Eric Anderson <bikeeric>
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