enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

yep, love the bike.

IMG_6914

I've been on two rides.

On Wednesday, I rode downtown to meet some new friends for lunch.

Today, I rode downtown again to the UPS store.

I stay on the sidewalk because I'm terrified of cars.

This means most pedestrians are terrified of me.

Note to self : get a bell for the handlebar.

But OH MAN.

Riding a bike is so cool. It's great to be moving and have the freedom to look around and actually see this pretty city. To not have to worry about the million and a half one way streets. To not have to scrounge for quarters to feed the meter. To avoid traffic (except the people traffic).

I'm obsessed.

Details : my bike is a beach cruiser. It cannot change speeds which means I do my best to always be riding downhill. I hit the breaks by pedaling backwards. I bought the bike and basket at Beach Bikes for about $180 with tax. The brand is Urban Lady. My helmet is embarrassing but awesome because it will hopefully save my life in case of a pedestrian and/or wall crash.

I highly recommend.

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29 responses to “yep, love the bike.”

  1. Stacy Avatar
    Stacy

    You’re so brave! I am terrified of riding on the streets here. My husband wants to get me a beach cruiser but we live in a hilly neighborhood right now. We’ll see. =)
    Happy riding!

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  2. Rebekah Avatar
    Rebekah

    You can get a multispeed bike cruiser. If you ask for it they can install it. I had one installed on mine and I love it! Of course it costs extra but it is so worth it.

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  3. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    oh no, not brave at all. I ride on the sidewalks and walk the bike through large intersections. 🙂

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  4. Jessica O'Brien Avatar
    Jessica O’Brien

    pretty good price! there was a quote i jotted down from “no impact man” that i thought of when reading your love of biking: “Transportation by bike means you are riding in, not driving through like a car. You are life-experiencing, not sight-seeing. You are in it and of it, and the beauty goes so deeply inside you that you could weep, and you just never want to get off the bike again.”
    oh, and if the sun ever comes out, bike over to the W and have a cocktail on their sunny, sandy rooftop deck. [http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/dining/attraction_detail.html?propertyID=1433&attractionId=1000492710%5D 🙂

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  5. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    Thanks for the tip. I tried some speed ones and was not a fan. Too loud and complicated. 🙂

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  6. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    omg. love that quote. perfect. Thank you.

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  7. Monika Wright Avatar
    Monika Wright

    I remember riding my bike as a young girl. It came from Sears and had those monkey bar handles. It was a sparkly gold. I thought of it when you mentioned turning the pedals backward to brake…I had not thought of that bike in years. I’ll have to see if my Mom has any photos of me and bike together!

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  8. lala Avatar
    lala

    I love biking but around here (NW Ohio) it’s illegal to ride on sidewalks. Growing up in one town over, I was actually “pulled over” by police.

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  9. maggi Avatar
    maggi

    i really want this orange bike bell, but it doesn’t really make sense on my off-road bike. i was mocking up a bike yesterday on the website as well…just wishing.
    http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&navAction=jump&id=18288647

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  10. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    I think it is here too. Well see how it goes …

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  11. naomi chokr Avatar
    naomi chokr

    i miss SD!!! I miss living in the city!! i want a cruiser now too

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  12. desiree Avatar
    desiree

    glad your having fun with it. watch out for those pedestrians, I was actually one of the ones who got ran over one time….. it really hurts.

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  13. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    Oh no!!! I will for sure.

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  14. Suzanne Avatar
    Suzanne

    Oh gosh! I was hit as a pedestrian too, but by a car; I would much rather get hit by a beach cruiser! I had a brain hemmorage and it took months to recover. I would definitely ride on the sidewalks too, good call, Elise! Congrats on that beautiful bike. I use to work on B street and took the trolley from the Coaster. Your post reminds me of those busy SD pedestrian streets and one-ways!

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  15. Johanna Avatar
    Johanna

    I am so doubling the bike love! I really want to get a new one which can actually carry a basket, but my yellow mountain bike is such a smooth runner, too. I love to feel the breeze when riding and I love that my (also embarrassing) helmet provides a bit of shade on these sunny days. A friend of mine doesn’t want to wear a helmet because she wants to save her hair-do, but I sure prefer to save my life 🙂 I remember being unsure navigating between the cars and in intersections and such when I really started biking again 5 years ago, but I got accustomed quite quickly, so I foresee you trading in the sidewalks for the streets at some time as well. Are there no bike lanes where you live? This might be a crazy question to ask, but there are bike lanes pretty much on all major city streets here in Germany.

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  16. Maryn Avatar
    Maryn

    Your bike is totally cute! I love that helmets now come with a place to poke your ponytail through. 🙂

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  17. julie Avatar
    julie

    in lieu of a bell “tip”: i have friends who bike in philadelphia – narrow streets, lots of bikes and pedestrians – one friend was telling the other how to avoid colliding with pedestrians who step into your bike path or lane, “just yell like you’re about to collide into them!” it’s probably funnier to hear him yell in person – but it works!

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  18. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    omgosh, Suzanne, that is so scary. I am glad to hear you are doing okay now. I am very careful, I promise. Too much of this post was in jest I think.

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  19. Suzanne Avatar
    Suzanne

    I agree! Your post offered much inspiration! And it feels good to be free to joke about a head injury that really turned out well! Enjoy that bike! I can’t wait to get another too!

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  20. Guin Avatar
    Guin

    Love your bike! It’s so fun to ride around. It’s not legal to ride them on the sidewalks where I live, so I checked and it looks like you can ride on the sidewalks there, but not in business districts, whatever that means. I have found that riding in the street is not as terrifying as I thought it would be, but I try to stick to bike paths. This website (http://www.icommutesd.com/) has a link for “bike to work” and will show you all the designated bike lanes in the city. You’ll feel much safer riding in those, no dealing with car or foot traffic!

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  21. José (It's a Dutch Girlsname) Avatar
    José (It’s a Dutch Girlsname)

    I’m from the Netherlands, No. 1 bike country.
    There about 16 milion Dutch, and about 18 milion bikes. There are bikelanes alsmost everywhere and almost no one is wearing a helmet (but, there are also no hills here..). I thinks it’s funny to read your blog and all the comments about it 🙂
    A bike here, is almost the number one form of transportation! You learn to ride a bike when you are like 6 years old! And then have to bike to school every single day 🙂
    Love your bike! I think it’s cute!
    Good luck!

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  22. Tori Avatar
    Tori

    I just stumbled upon your blog, but I am so happy to see this post! I’ve been wanting a beach cruiser bike for a long time, but I can’t find one quite like I’m imagining… I’m glad you shared that website so I can order one online!

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  23. Mim Avatar
    Mim

    I have this bike bell http://www.pylones-usa.com/pylones/item.php?product=64&item=PY-BFOW&theme=Millefiori from Pylones. They have many different motifs to choose from.

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  24. Alissa Fast Avatar
    Alissa Fast

    LOVE your bike!
    LOVE the soft yellow color.
    i’ve been wanting a beach cruiser for awhile and with only $28 for shipping, i might have just found one!
    thanks for the link!
    a

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  25. Verity Avatar
    Verity

    have you seen this? I thought you might like it, as both a bike – and an art lover!

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  26. Verity Avatar
    Verity

    Have you seen this?
    For one day only, ride your bike to MCASD Downtown and receive two-for-one admission to the Museum! Park your wheels in the bike valet and enjoy a tour of Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape and other special programming throughout the day.
    It’s all happening on August 1, 2010, from 11am to 5pm.

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  27. Giuseppina Avatar
    Giuseppina

    just came back from vacation in santa barbara. i SO wish scott and i had brought the bikes. it’s almost more fun as an adult than as a kid 🙂

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  28. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    I want an update on this bike! You still riding/loving it?

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  29. elise blaha Avatar
    elise blaha

    I should update … havent been riding it as much as I should be!

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