Though I haven’t been a bike owner since I was a little kid, I purchased this shiny green beach cruiser last week. And I love it! I live in Santa Monica, which is a fairly contained little city, so I am enjoying biking to the bank, the library, and all of the nearby locations to which I normally drive. I have also been enjoying taking the bike out on long rides around the little streets of Venice and along the bike trail by the coast. The South Bay Bike Trail stretches 22 miles from Pacific Palisades to Redondo Beach. I have only been able to manage to ride about 13 miles at a time, but I’ll get there.
For visitors to the Los Angeles, I think that renting a bike and cruising the South Bay Bike Trail is an excellent and quintessentially southern Californian activity. The scenery is fantastic and the people-watching is even better. You ride alongside the luxury hotels in front of the beach in Santa Monica, by Muscle Beach and the Venice Boardwalk in Venice, the funky houses on Ocean Front Walk, the little streets of the Marina. For out-of-towners, there are bike rentals everywhere along the beach. It’s not to be missed. Every time I ride it, I think about how lucky I am to live right here.
I am, however, one of the dorkier and more awkward riders one will see along the trail. First of all, I wear a helmet, which I believe is SAFE and not dorky, but most people don’t seem to be wearing them, making me feel like the Too Cautious Kid on the playground. And my helmet is this intense, psychedelic blue color so it may actually be more of a hazard (causing distraction to other bikers) than a safety measure. Also, I’m sort of a klutz in general and once got my pants stuck in the gears of the bike and had to pull over and rip the fabric out. And then my pants were all frayed. Dorky. Another time, I overestimated my biking finesse and pulled over to get a smoothie from Red Mango. I was happily riding along, drinking my smoothie … until it flew out of my hands about 30 seconds later. I also haven’t really figured out a more effective carrying device for my stuff than the purse I typically carry, which sort of gets in the way and flops around while riding. In general, I am not one of those people who generally looks cool while exercising. Or, you know, ever.
So I need to work out a few of these kinks before I commence my training for the Tour of California. (I may also need a bike with gear shifts.)
