Citybikes is ending. Slowly and painfully.

Citybikes, which hasn't been a workers cooperative in some time, is on its final march to the sea.

The Annex building sold a few weeks ago. Three people will become quite comfortable from that sale after all the bills are paid, at the expense of the many former co-owners whose hard work built the business over the last thirty years.
The original location posts hours but does not always honor them.
Today, I found that the web site is down, with only this written in tiny font at the top:

"Please come back later."

Yeah, no.

Is it the fault of the folks who wrote the by-laws back in 1990, and who never created a plan for closing down the business and distributing assets fairly to all former owners? Perhaps, though to be fair they never anticipated an outcome like this when they created an egalitarian workers' cooperative. They were young and a little naive, and everyone who signed on to be part of the co-op was in agreement about sharing resources and profits for the greater good. Most of those people are in their sixties or older now, and the younger generations just aren't buying into peace, love and understanding in the same way. They want what's theirs while there's still a world to spend it in.

Is it the fault of the three younger co-owners, who came on in the years after I left, who forced out (and literally locked out) the fourth remaining co-owner when he wanted to keep the co-op going, and who found a lawyer to be their pit bull against all the outcry? Sure it is. They could have handled this with a lot more maturity and patience, but instead they chose to cash out and take what they could while they could as quickly as they could. Is this indicative of an entire generation of small business owners? No, but it sure does tell me where their values lie. Generationally speaking they're only playing to type.
That doesn't bode well for the future of worker-owned co-ops in general in this country.

Is it the result of trying to run an idealistic co-op in a capitalist economy?
Absolutely. You cannot simultaneously buy into the cooperative ideal and check your self-interest at the door in the United States. It simply cannot be done. The balance will always tilt towards self-interest, and stronger personalities will always prevail against quieter ones. Sorry. This is America and it comes with bags and bags of self-interest woven into its DNA.

There is not one guilty party here.

But when I left in 2012, I knew that after my ownership share was paid back to me, I'd never see another dime. So I left with a clear conscience. Whatever would happen after my departure was not mine to worry about.

Although I no longer worked in a bike shop -- or full time -- ever again, and my personal finances have never been as steady, I dodged a huge bullet by walking away when I did. The longer this collapse takes, the more I see that every day.

I predict that Citybikes will close for good by Christmas.

Hopefully, I'll still be riding a bicycle.

No hard feelings, kids.

Seen by bike: a ride report in photos

As you know, I’m not riding as ambitiously or as often as I did before the pandemic, 

Long Covid kept me off my bike for more than two years. Every time I tried to ride I’d get dizzy and have to walk the bike home. As I slowly recovered from Long Covid, most of my symptoms faded, except for the balance issues which are still a nuisance. I can ride again, but only for short distances.

So my post-lockdown rides are neighborhood rides. That’s not a bad thing. Riding hyper locally allows me to see where I live in a more intimate way. Slow riding gives me time to take in the scenery and enjoy the colors and the gentle breeze as I roll along. If I get dizzy, I stop, get off and walk my bike or just sit for a little while. None of my rides are ever more than two or three miles, and that’s okay too.

Today’s ride was on a lovely, deliciously cool summer day. Temperatures will warm up again later next week, so I have really enjoyed this respite from the heat.

Happy riding.

A really awesome solution to a broken swing platform.

A fabulous tree fort. Lucky kids.

A stop at ReClaim It! To see what interestingness has been salvaged has been gleaned from the dump.

The table is a winner, and a total laugh. As if the previous owner will lend any cache to a large, unwanted dining room table. Please.

More Alberta District home decor.

A sweet little skate park that must have gone in recently. I’d never seen it before.

If I still rode a skateboard, I’d be tempted to try this one. It’s really cute, and the curves look doable even by some beginners.

As with most of my bike rides these days, this one will be followed up by a little nap.

Doesn't everyone stare at their lovely bike now and then?

At the end of a nice ride, sometimes I sit and relax and stare at my lovely bike.
For half an hour.
I can’t be the only one.
#admitit
#bikelove
#peugeotorientexpress
#fixupthegoodoldbikes

E-bikes: I'll die before I buy one.

I see many more e-bikes on the streets these days.
A shocking number of my friends who used to ride human-powered bikes as primary transportation have switched to e-bikes.
Some of them genuinely need the electric assist to get up hills more often as they've aged.
Others simply like the convenience of riding without having to sweat so much, or ride farther than legs alone could handle.

That's great for them.

An e-bike starts at around $3,000 for something decent and durable. The average e-bike owner spends upwards of $250 a year on maintenance and repairs.

A safe, functioning pedal-powered bicycle can cost as little as $25 used. In some cases, I've seen ads for FREE bikes that people no longer ride. The average regular bike owner spends between $50 and $75 a year on maintenance and repairs, and most regular bike owners can fix their own flats and adjust their own brakes,

E-bikes discourage self-sufficiency. You can't easily fix a flat on an e-bike by yourself, at home or on the road, without using Slime-in-a-can or Fix-a-Flat, or some other unsustainable and noxious chemical aid. Shops that do fix e-bike flats charge upwards of $30 for the service, plus parts. Many newer e-bikes are belt-driven, and there is NO way to deal with a drive belt on the road. You need special tools that cost more than the belt itself.

Now, to be fair, self-sufficiency for bicycle riders was being discouraged long before e-bikes blew up. While I worked at Citybikes, the number of bike riders actually willing to get their hands dirty doing basic upkeep was already dropping, due to demographic and generational shifts that reflected decreasing self-sufficiency across society. But the steep rise in e-bike ownership definitely accelerated that shift, especially in the last four or five years.

I no longer work in the bike industry. Arthritis has done a serious number on my hands. But if I were stuck by the side of the road I could still fix a flat and get home. I've taken steps to ensure that, which include carrying a patch kit, levers and a pump on my bike and choosing to ride 26"/559 wheels because those tires are easier to remove and reinstall. Simple stuff.

This is a rambling rant, inspired by a recent BikePortland.org article about the rise of e-bike ownership and rising demands for electric-powered car infrastructure.

I certainly can't afford to buy an e-bike. But if I could, I wouldn't. And I won't ever own one.
I think self-sufficiency is good for society and good for communities, and technology that discourages both is bad for us. I'd rather fix my own flats on a bike that's simple and efficient, than have to rely on someone else to maintain my bike for me.

Bicycle used to be simple and elegant technology. I will fight the good fight to keep mine going for as long as I can.

(My Centurion Super Le Mans. Eugene, Oregon 1997. I learned how to repair and rebuild bicycles using this as my laboratory, and rode it until it was totaled in a collision. Then, I used my skills to build up a replacement bicycle from parts.)

(The bike I ride now. Still simple and elegant, and repairable at home.)

The pitfalls of being too disabled or not disabled enough

My doctor says that I should ride my bike and/or walk in order to keep my heart and lungs health, and to keep my blood pressure under control and maintain a steady weight.

All good.

I am awaiting a disability decision on a claim I filed last winter.
I filed for disability because a combination of multiple health issues prevents me from doing what I know how to do even half-time anymore, and because retraining programs for anyone over 60 years old are not government subsidized.

There are penalties involved for anyone trying to move around a little to keep from getting sicker, when getting sicker is exactly what the government expects one to do when they are disabled.

Being disabled according to the government's standard means:

-- you're not supposed to medically improve.
-- you're not supposed to medically stabilize.
-- you're not supposed to have fun or laugh or have a social life, basically ever.
-- you're supposed to keep getting worse and die quickly so we don't have to pay you any of the Social Security you've put in over the course of your working life.

On top of that, Social Security will make it so hard for you to see your claim through to a positive outcome that eventually you give up (and please die already).

Well, FUCK that.

I'm still here.
I can't do what I used to be able to do, but I can still laugh and cry and enjoy my time with my beloveds and engage in the life and well-being of my city.
If I can do that sustainably, then by God I will do that.

See you at Bike Happy Hour.

(below: part of a quit I made by hand over 20 years ago. I can't hand sew like this anymore, but I'm glad I was able to make this and I cherish it greatly. Because I'm a human being and I get to have a life, however small and local it may be.)

Bicycle resale end times

The end is near.

😂😂😂

Selling your soul to the devil and then begging for a do-over will only make the devil laugh harder.

Electric cars are supposed to be the great savior of the environment, and the next chapter in the story of wheeled transportation. And I suppose if this had come about thoughtfully and carefully, at a measured pace that would allow people and governments to transition sensibly and sustainably, perhaps it would be more widely accepted by — and accessible to — a larger majority of drivers.

Instead, competing types of cars were introduced at lightning speed before the longer mileage issues were worked out, and before there was sufficient infrastructure to support a nationwide transition away from fossil fuels. And as in so many instances of chest-thumping in capitalism, there were buffoons with too much money and too little consideration for the greater good elbowing their way to supremacy.

And this is how we got here:

This is the Tesla Cybertruck, a monstrosity of steel, excess and testosterone unleashed onto an unsuspecting world by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and a whole lot of other things I won’t bother with here.

A stainless steel hard-on.

This vehicle retails for between $61,000 and $110,000 before add-ons, making it one of the most expensive consumer vehicles on the market.

But that’s not the most interesting part.

Apparently, if you buy a Cybertruck, you cannot resell it during the first year of ownership. If you violate this clause, you must pay Tesla a fine of — sit down — $50,000, and you may be permanently barred from ever buying another Tesla.

  

That’s right.

Selling your soul to the devil and then begging for a do-over will only make the devil laugh harder.

If you Google “used Tesla Cybertruck,” you’ll find a number of these behemoths available for sale, used. Either the owners decided they could afford the penalty, or they already know they’ll never buy another Tesla, or more likely, they got in way over their heads.

I have not an ounce of pity for these buyers, or their remorse. If you’re wealthy enough to buy one of these grotesque, offensive hulks, you’re smart enough to read the fine print (or pay someone to do it for you and translate). 

I also feel no pity for Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has shown himself to be a rich, unrepentant oaf and possibly an antisemite, or for anyone employed by Tesla (nobody pointed a gun at you and forced you to choose this clown act as your employer).

Anyone who earns enough to spend his money this way — and I’ve yet to find evidence of a woman buying one of these things — and buys in has drunk a poisonous brew indeed. You think that buying something like this is going to get you into the same club as Musk or Bezos? Nope. You’re just rich guys aping the super-rich, and you can’t keep up. You could do a lot better, so much more truly good stuff, with your money, and you chose to spend it on this? You don’t have enough political juice to persuade state and local governments to make roadways, parking spaces and garages bigger so you can park your hundred thousand dollar Hot Wheels(TM)  Terminator(TM) edition clown car. 

No pity here.