Comments on: BikeUMentary : A UCLA Transportation Documentary

By: chunkymonkeybiker

chunkymonkeybiker — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:31:07 +0000

Thank you for the short film! I lived in San Bernardino and took the metrolink to downtown LA and rode my bike to the usc campus during gratuate school. It was totally fun! I miss it. Keep riding!

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:33:43 +0000

Nice little film! I’m always glad to see anything that promotes commuting by bicycle, and this one is short, simple, and interesting.

As far as Kevin goes, I see him post on quite a lot of different forums, and he always has very strong opinions about what is ‘proper’ for cycling – he often refers people to the Dutch model, and to his own brand of bike (Pashley).

BikeShopGirl said “the perfect commuter bike is the one the person loves to ride” and that’s the basic issue that a commuting cyclist needs to address. If you like riding your bike, then you’ll do it more often. Depending on your commute, you may find a rack, lights, and fenders useful (and therefore you’ll enjoy riding your bike more). But in some areas, they aren’t a necessity at all.

All in all, this is a nice, positive film about cycling as an alternative to driving. Well done!

By: Columbus Commuter

Columbus Commuter — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:25:51 +0000

Thank you, Bike shop girl- “the perfect commuter bike is the one the person loves to ride.” I cannot fathom why Kevin Love is so obsessed with dictating that everyone should be on the type of bike he describes. The young woman in the video even says, I believe, that her bike is suitable for her eleven mile commute because it is fast. She is young and apparently in good shape. For her purposes, Kevin’s bike would be totally unsuitable.

By: Merlin

Merlin — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:53:55 +0000

Definetly a great idea to educate people about the most appropriate equipment, we get so many beginners who are really enthusiastic but have no idea what to buy.

By: David

David — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:07:40 +0000

Thanks for posting this. I sent them an email congratulating them and their system created a support incident. LOL.

By: Sirinya

Sirinya — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:31:47 +0000

I think I’m apt to agree with BikeShopGirl: The best commuter bike is the one you ride!

I think we could debate all day on what constitutes a proper commute bike. Mine is a hybrid, sans chain gard and rear rack, and I carry a backpack. Sometimes I get a bit dirty, but it is what it is. I confess that I ride the bus on days when it is raining.

By: Kevin Love

Kevin Love — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:15:20 +0000

If we want bicycle chic style, how about this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQyqNYkli08&feature=player_embedded#!

By: Kevin Love

Kevin Love — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:02:21 +0000

I was born in Palo Alto, long before “Silicone Valley” had ever been heard of. Although I don’t live in California anymore, I can attest from personal experience that the roads do get wet. A 365 day of the year bicycle needs proper mudguards, chaincase and coatguard.

As to “the bike you like,” bicycles for commuting are like shoes or any other transportation appliance. If someone wants to walk to work in 15th century troubador shoes with bells in their curling toes, go for it. But for mainstream walking to work, the discussion about shoes tends to be about fit, comfort, arch support, etc.

Same with bicycles. If you look at cities with a bike mode share above 20% you will see the vast majority of people riding proper commuter bikes. From Bejing to Tokyo to Copenhagen to Amsterdam to Gronigen to Basil the bike of the ordinary commuter looks like this:

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/01/anatomy-of-reliable-everyday-bicycle.html

As to looking fashionable, this is obviously a matter of opinion, but in my opinion a proper commuter bike is the easiest to look fashionable with. Because the bike protects my nice clothing.

I’m not the only one with this opinion. Take a look at:

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:12:56 +0000

Great film. I’ll send a link to this to my friends who ask about commuting on a bike to help motivate them. I laughed at the first comment. You can commute on just about anything. It’s California, it doesn’t rain for about 9 months a year!

Go Bruins (and anyone else who rides a bike)

By: Bike Shop Girl

Bike Shop Girl — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:48:33 +0000

Kevin,

Thank you for the positive feedback on the film.. as for the commuter bike, the perfect commuter bike is the one the person loves to ride. This film was shot in LA, where the weather is nice.

Not everyone needs to carry things and the messenger fringe crowd tends to like the fixed gear with messenger bag anyways.

In areas like LA, looking good is part of the commute!