#BikeDiary “Mass transit!!” is the obvious response, but Ft. Collins isn’t even in the outer limits of the urban density universe where mass transit could be robust enough to really serve their needs. We can lament the past century of sprawl-based urban planning, and try to correct for it as we move forward, but that’s a solution on a timescale of…what? 20 years? 50 years? more?

Decarbonization means finding “never replace the old car” choices that my parents could wholeheartedly embrace •now•.

#BikeDiary I chatted with my parents yesterday about the new bike. As usual, they’re delighted that I’m delighted. We all wondered whether there’s a similar option for them: in their 80s, and very healthy considering, but…energy, back pain, and •extreme• danger from a fall are all showstoppers for them. My 111-mile week last week was very much a product of my middle-aged health and good fortune.

What would a world look like where they could do their errands on…an e-trike, maaybe? A golf cart?

#BikeDiary An important reminder here for all of us bicycle advocates from the ever-thoughtful @grimalkina:
https://mastodon.social/@grimalkina/113261303557693460

All these different forms of climate action are about each one of us doing what is possible for •us•, taking advantage of the choices we’re individually privileged enough to have. At the societal level, we need to find ways to make more choices and better choices accessible to more people — not to squeeze people into choices they don’t have.

#BikeDiary I notice after a week with the cargo bike as primary transportation that I'm getting a •lot• more sun — which isn't great news for this pale-skinned redhead with a family history of skin cancer.

Anyone out there have opinions on bike helmet brims / visors / sun shades? It matters to have 360° of shade, not just the front. “Da Brim” looks promising. Anyone have experience with it? Other recommendations?

#BikeDiary This from @ClimateJenny is so, so true: https://mastodon.social/@ClimateJenny/113254906789433356

I also find myself discovering side missions. Today my kid and I stopped by Minnehaha Falls just to look at the waterfall on our way back from an errand. ~17 years in this neighborhood, and I don't think we've ever •once• had a spontaneous quick visit to the falls by car.

Neighborhood businesses are definitely profiting from my spontaneous side missions too!

#BikeDiary Searching online after I did this, apparently the problem is incredibly common. If you're somebody who's not mechanically inclined, take it to your dealer. But if you have some tools and elbow grease and mechanical know-how…apparently also take it to your dealer, because you'll bend the seat rails trying to fix it.

I took it to the dealer. They apologized profusely for not warning me about it. No biggie, but I did have to ride on my other bike's seat for a couple of days!

#BikeDiary My one really big fail with the bike: the seat has a handle underneath that looks for all the world like it’s for lifting the bike.

Do not lift a Tern by the seat handle!!

Despite all appearances, it’s not for lifting. It's for a rear passenger to steady themselves. If you lift the bike by the seat handle, the seat top will pop out of the rails — as I found out!

It's the the one really big design fail I've found on this otherwise excellent bike.

#BikeDiary One week in, I’ve put 111 miles on the bike. I needed a car exactly once. Still love it.

#BikeDiary I also notice nature. I mean, this seems obvious, we all know that’s part of cycling, but:

Earlier in the week, along the Mississippi, a bald eagle came gliding down fast and silent and plucked a squirrel right out of the middle of the road not 50 feet from me. Full, long view of it — not out a window, no roof, just full view — as it lifted off and sailed away.

Would this have happened if I'd been in a car? Unlikely. Would I have had that view? Definitely not!

#BikeDiary I notice that I greet people a lot more commuting on the Tern. Just a nod, a smile, a friendly hello — but not a thing I did inside a car. The electric part helps: I'm not out of breath. And again, the upright riding position has a surprisingly large effect. I notice more of the community. I feel like a part of the place I’m riding through.

#BikeDiary I just realized that I can take the big, bulky car key off my regular keychain. I don't need to have it in my pocket all the time anymore.

#BikeDiary Figuring out my locking / security strategy has been a joooouuurrney. I’ll post details on where I ended up later, but one big thing that’s easy to write up now:

There is bicycle insurance that’s a lot like car insurance: theft, yes, but also damage, liability, medical. Who knew? I got this one: https://velosurance.com It was a quick online application, and it will run me ~$33/month. Reasonable enough for what it gives. Hell of a lot cheaper than car insurance!

#BikeDiary Quick build notes for anyone specifically considering a Tern:

- Just get the lockstand extensions
- Just get the wide decks
- Just get the side lights
- Consider the belt drive if you’ll be riding in bad weather
- Consider a battery cover if you'll be riding in the cold
- Consider Tannus Armour inserts (fewer flats)
- All the bag, seat, rack, and passenger shelter choices are good choices, exactly what they seem to be on the web site; go based on expected usage & needs

@harpaa01 #BikeDiary …I don't know if it loosened up with usage or I just got better habits or what, but I like it just fine now. It works. It’s not futuristic and amazing, but it works well. And one •huge• advantage: you can shift back down to the lowest gear when at a complete stop, no problem. That means starting from a dead stop is perfectly fine, even if you didn't have a chance to prep for it while decelerating.

CVT remains one of the few things that's not aaaawwesome.

#BikeDiary Answering @harpaa01’s question:

At first I •hated• the Enviolo CVT (continuous variable shifting). My instincts were all wrong. I rubbed a spot on my thumb raw trying to move it the ways it didn’t want to be moved.

TL;DR: You still have to stop pedaling to upshift in anything but •tiny• increments. You therefore still end up shifting in discrete steps, not continuously adjust as you accelerate (as I’d wrongly imagined). BUT…

https://mastodon.social/@harpaa01/113250400373561081

#BikeDiary By far the most difficult and frustrating part of it has been storing the bike. I keep my bikes on our porch, which is up a short staircase. I'm used to just hopping up the stairs with my light little Redline. Getting •this• bike up the stairs is an ordeal. I'm a mess at it. Searching for new strategies. Considering a ramp.

The bike’s vertical storage is ingenious, but maneuvering it in & out of a tight porch, I feel like I'm parallel parking a semi truck.

#BikeDiary The Tern’s design is just chock full of Good Choices. Over and over I’d notice a potential problem and then notice, “Oh, they thought of that!” Examples: the way the lockstand works, the way the cargo bags latch and fold, how the shape of the seat fits the riding posture, the way it remembers that I want to always ride with the lights on, the brake light. It has a brake light! Frigging brilliant.

The beautiful nerds who designed this bike are my kind of people.

#BikeDiary There are so many good choices now! There’s a lot to be said for the simplicity of the Urban Arrow: it’s basically a giant bucket, a simple design concept that’s super versatile. I could really see enjoying a Yuba Spicy Curry if I were looking for something a little less heavy duty (and less pricey). Folks love their Xtracycles (though somehow it didn't click for me in the test ride).

What did I love about the Tern? Absurdly configurable and modular, compact, over-engineered.

#BikeDiary Probably the bigger question for many is how I came to the Tern GSD in the first place. The answer is the obvious one: I asked around, got opinions from trusted people, thought hard about my needs, did a •lot• of homework, and then — this was crucial — I test rode half a dozen bikes.

I cannot recommend the test ride enough. No amount of photos, videos, specs, and explanation can substitute for experience.

After the test ride, the real contenders were the GSD and the Urban Arrow.

#BikeDiary That narrowed it down to the S00 and the R14, and as one person at the bike shop (Perennial Cycles ) put it about the R14’s extra fancy features, “If you’re not asking for it, you don’t need it!”

The Terns are super duper modular, which means that there are a •lot• of decisions to make (and also means that you will spend a •lot• more than the bare base price, be warned). I like the choices, but…be prepared.

May publish full build if there’s interest.
@charliepark