October 4, 2010
— Gloria Ogboaloh Lessons I learned from bike riding
I recently started biking on campus. I’ve noted a few things:
- Pedestrians don’t walk in straight lines and often stop abruptly.
- A bike rider is both a vehicle and a pedestrian.
- If you role up your left pant leg, people will think you’re a hardcore biker and respect you more.
- Bike + tight pants = mistake …. Bike + no belt = unforgivable
- Bike + pedestrians + Speedway = obstacle course
- Bike + downhill = no pedaling required
- Bike + uphill = walking
- I can’t see anything but the road when I’m riding my bike. If I look at anything, I’ll probably crash.
- I need both hands to ride. I tried to adjust myself with one hand once and crashed into a wall
- You can park your bike almost anywhere, no permit required
- When it’s raining, it’s better to walk
- If you struggle too much with a key, it could break inside your bike luck. (I know, No duh Sherlock! but it happened to me once!)
The most important lesson I learned was patience. Patience with pedestrians and cars — waiting my turn. Patience with myself while I was learning how to ride safely on campus.
I like biking because it’s kind of like a traveling oasis. You can ride away from traffic, hectic work, and just escape on your bike. It gets pretty serene on my bike some days as I’m whizzing through campus on my bike. It’s a good place to think… just as long as I’m not going uphill 
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If you’re interested in riding a bike on campus, UT has a bike rental program called the Orange Bike Project where you can rent a bike for a whole semester. If you’re even in the least bit curious, try it out. It’s pretty efficient. PLUS, you’d look pretty spiffy on a bike!
- Timi
September 30, 2010 | Permalink | 
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Comments are closed for this post5 Comments to Lessons I learned from bike riding
You should get a permit through PTS for your bike! That way if it is stolen they’ll have a record… they also do want bikes to have permits when you lock them on campus! But yes, bike riding through the 40 acres can be a real treat… or nightmare!
October 5, 2010
— Christina Brooks @Christina: Whew! Good call.
I realized I mispoke…mistyped. I meant to write that you don’t have to PAY for a permit. My bike is registered with PTS. I have the burnt orange sticker with my bike registration number. All this bike registration stuff is FREE!
Make sure you register your bike! Bike thefts can happen to anyone.
@Gloria: Thanks girl! 
October 6, 2010
— Timi Something else which I bet you’ve discovered: within a range of about a mile from campus, bicycling is usually quicker than a car, partly because of the traffic you pass but also because of what you mention about parking anywhere. It’s way more fun, too!
November 10, 2010
— Madison Madison: I’m starting to discover the fun part of bicycling on campus. I get around verrry quickly!
November 16, 2010
— Timi
This is hilarious, Timi. Especially #3 & #5.