Gas Tax Blues
Gordon Hobbis March 10, 2008

You would be excused if you thought that the Bike Guy was overjoyed with the news of the carbon tax that will soon be placed on gas. After all, the extinction of the car is what bike people all over the world dream about. I am sorry to burst the bubble, but I am as upset and disappointed about this new tax as most of you are. Why would that be? I think that more needs to be done to encourage the new rather then discouraging the old. Taxing gas more will increase the cost of most goods and services and the prices of bicycles and most everything else will go up. As for slowing down our collective use of fossil fuels lets consider the ‘Frog in the Frying Pan’. If you were so inclined to put a frog in a hot frying pan he would likely jump out, but put a frog in a cold pan and slowly apply the heat the frog may not notice when the pan gets too hot. By the way, this is just an analogy, please no calls from animal rights groups or those wishing frog recipes. Slowly raising fuel prices is slowly turning up the heat and we may not know when to stop jumping to the pump.

Has the Bike Guy become too philosophical or am I just a negative Nelly? Well, you can bet your frogs legs that I’ve got an idea or two to encourage less driving and more bike riding. Let’s face it, our cities and lifestyles are designed around cars and most of us have to drive sometimes, just not, all the time. The efforts should be on encouraging people to choose a way to get around that is healthier for our planet; eliminating the trans-gassy car trips from our transportation diet so to speak. I propose a special “green” license plate for car drivers who drive less than 10,000 kilometers a year. If veterans, Olympic supporters and the self-obsessed get custom plates why not green drivers?

Now with Spring starting this week you may just be getting around to stowing the ski equipment and finding the bicycles buried at the back of the shed. A few things to do before heading out on that first ride would be to air up the tires, dust off the grass clippings, oil the chain and check the fit. Airing up the tires is easy if you can find the pump. A full size foot pump is the fastest and easiest way to correctly inflate bicycle tires. If you need to purchase a new one look for one that has a built in gauge and doesn’t tip over easily. A less green option is one of those nifty air compressors that plug into a cars cigarette lighter. Fill the tires slowly at first, stopping when there is about 20 PSI in the tire and give the wheel a spin to check that the tire is staying seated on the rim. If you see the tube bulging out from the tire, stop and get help. Tires have a pressure range marked on the side. For example, it might read 55 to 80 PSI so inflate the tire to somewhere in the range marked on your tire. Go with the lower pressure for more comfort and the higher pressure for more speed.

Cleaning your bike is next. All you need is a rag to wipe the dust off and a bucket of soapy water to wash. Pressure nozzles and car washes can be very harmful to bikes as they blast water into places it shouldn’t  be. Take the time to clean your bike and get to know each other again. While cleaning watch out for things that are loose or don’t look right. After washing, put some bike lube on the chain. Don’t use motor oil, cooking oil, or any other oil,  because only a lubricant made for a bicycle should be used. Then if everything is tight and you are up for a ride take your bike for a shake down spin. Don’t forget to wear a helmet. Does the fit seem right, do the gears shift and the brakes work? After a short ride you will know if a spring tune up is needed or if you can jump right into riding and keep those pedals turning.