Bike riders love to ride their bikes, even through the icy Chicago winter.
“My bike is my main source of transportation,” said Paul Harris, Treasurer of the Bike Club. Riding has numerous perks, he says. “I pass two or three buses and a line of cars in traffic (on my way to school).”
Dedicated bikers like Paul Harris ride their bikes year round, regardless of the inclement weather. “It’s much warmer to ride a bike than to stand at a bus stop,” he said. He has yet to have a single accident while riding his bike in the snow.
Paul has a car, but he chooses to ride. According to Harris, winter riding is not as difficult as it seems. Other members of the bike club choose not to have cars. The biking club does not discourage riding cars, it just wants people to know and experience the benefits of riding a bicycle.
The bike club is working with the Green Cycle Group to promote a cleaner environment. The mission of the club is to get students to ride their bikes to and from school. Bike riding is cleaner for the environment, fun, and saves riders the hassle of setting time aside to workout at the gym by getting a workout while commuting back and forth from home to school.
There are bike racks outside of every building, however the bike club would like students to lobby for better and safer bike parking, such as indoor weather protected lock-ups. Aside from using bikes for commuting, the bike club also uses bikes for recreation. They have ridden in Chicago Critical Mass twice, and they will be riding as a club for Earth Day on April 22.
Currently the Bike Club is working on making tool kits, tire pumps, and emergency locks available on campus.
The club also aims to teach people the proper requirements for riding and repairing a bike in the city. Paul Harris advises people to stay away from mountain bikes, which are meant for the mountains, and to stick to road bikes, which are lighter weight. The number one place to purchase a vintage bike, according to Paul Harris, is from the Working Bikes Cooperative at 1125 S. Western Avenue
(http://workingbikes.org/).
Recommended places to purchase new bikes include Boulevard Bikes in Logan Square, Rapid Transit in Wicker Park, On the Route in Lincoln Park, and Uptown Bikes, located in Uptown.
The Bike Club at Northeastern is a new club that just started this semester. They meet every other Thursday in classroom building in 3056. All students are encouraged to join.