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For Bike to Work Week, members of the Jawnt team share what they love most about their two-wheeled ride, along with tips for the fellow bike commuter.
The Jawnt squad runs the gamut when it comes to biking: we’re a bunch of daily riders, bikeshare enthusiasts, weekend warriors, leisurely beach cruisers, and everything in between.
While we don’t all ride the same way, we’ve all picked up some useful tips from our time in the saddle. Below, members of our team share what they love most about their two-wheeled ride—and some pro tips for fellow bike commuters.
What do you love about your two-wheeled ride?
I love the freedom it affords me. I love that I can leave my place in San Francisco, and be across the Golden Gate Bridge at the top of Hawk Hill in under 40 minutes.
Fun story?
My bike is a happy story by extension of a sad story. I bought my first bike off Craigslist with my COVID stimulus check, as I was working for myself at the time and not flush with disposable income. I loved being able to get out of the city without a car, being able to socialize, being able to take on big hills—all of it. Someone working on my apartment left the side door to our garage open one night, and my bike was stolen. I didn’t have the funds to replace it, and hadn’t added it to my renter’s insurance policy, so I was going to be sans bike for some time.
A close friend and roommate at the time texted a group of close friends and family about pooling funds to replace my bike, and surprised me with enough money for a new bike. Two of those friends (one being my Grandma, one being a really close friend who passed away too young just after I got the bike) are no longer with us, and I think about them every time I get on the bike. It’s perfect for morning laps over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the Marin Headlands.
What do you love about your two-wheeled ride?
I love that it’s an electric bike, but it feels very sleek with the drop frame. I don’t know why it’s not a more popular design. It also didn’t feel crazy expensive for an e-bike ($2250). They changed the design to be bulkier in 2021, so when my bike was stolen last spring (😭) I hunted down an identical one from 2020 to replace it. Because it’s pedal-assist, my renters insurance fully covered it. This newer model is on sale for $1800.
Electric or acoustic?
Electric pedal assist is a nice balance for me. When I hear people say that e-bikes are “cheating”, I always want to ask them “who told you that, a car?!”
Biking around Oakland on electric BayWheels was fun, but I was already such an avid cyclist, the weather is so mild, and the city is so flat, that it didn’t really change my behavior. I rode to the same places as often, but a little faster, and I guess I showed up less sweaty. But then I moved to Somerville, with hot summers and real hills, and buying an e-bike became a game changer. I’ll bike from Somerville to Roslindale (10+ miles each way) for dinner without hesitation, so it’s helped me resist the urge to abandon friends too many train connections away. Boston is also such a terrible city to drive, nobody is ever going over 20 mph anyway, so I feel more comfortable knowing that I’m as fast as anything else on the road. Biking is the best way to get around Boston, and only getting better with all the new trails and protected bike lanes coming up each year.
Tips for year-round biking?
When I first started biking back in college, I’d stop around October because I got too cold. Now I realize it’s not the cold, but the wind, and that’s easier to prepare for. A cheap pair of leather gloves goes a long way, and then in the dead of winter, I’ll use a visor to block the wind out of my eyes. It helps too that the cities plow the bike lanes, and I see people biking cargo bikes full of kids in the dead of winter, so that helps normalize biking later into winter. I didn’t think I’d ever identify as a year-round cyclist, but here we are!
What do you love about your two-wheeled (Indego) ride?
I love that my two-wheeled ride can never get stolen. I love that I can ditch my two-wheel ride wherever and whenever I want. I love that my two-wheel ride is electric when I need some extra juice and acoustic when I’m ready to do a light workout. And I love that my two-wheeled ride is subsidized by my employer :)
Fun story?
Since I first started biking in NYC in 2012, I’ve been perpetually concerned about my bike getting stolen (see above). Because of that, I’ve never wanted to spend $$$ on them and instead have opted to only buy bikes at garage sales. Somehow (🤞🤞) I’ve managed to get by without getting any of my bikes stolen. But now, I’m a habitual garage-sale-bike-buyer.
My most recent find was a c. mid-1990’s Bianchi Eros. For $65, I’ve been thrilled with it. I get lots of compliments from other riders on the frame and the Campagnolo brakes. It’s super light and great for jetting around Philadelphia.
I hate to say it, but I’ve become rather attached to this one. Hoping to keep it for years to come!
What do you love about your two-wheeled ride?
This may sound silly, but I love how I’ve decorated it. My Fuji is plastered with stickers I’ve collected from local cafes, breweries, movie theaters, artists…at this point it’s as much of a moving billboard as it is a commuter bike. (I’ve also heard that stickers and other DIY decorations can also help deter theft, which is a nice bonus.)
Electric or acoustic?
I’ve always ridden an acoustic bike, even though I live in one of the hilliest neighborhoods in San Francisco (sup, Bernal). But please don’t get the wrong idea: I definitely do not have thighs of steel. I’ll be the first to hop off and walk up a hill when my legs start burning—no shame!
Tips for the occasional biker?
Although I’ve always loved rolling (my other wheels are a pair of roller skates), I can’t say I’m a super experienced city biker. Also, it can be scary biking on shared roads in the city, especially if the streets don’t have protected bike lanes. San Francisco’s been making a lot of bike-friendly changes though, so if there’s a route I’m not familiar with, I’ll check the SF Bike Network Map, or even walk/ride the bus around the area ahead of time to get familiar with it before taking my bike.
What do you love about your two-wheeled ride?
For years, I had a dream of riding my bicycle across America. The only problem was—I didn’t have a bike.
Well, I had a bike, but it was a 1975 Schwinn Continental that had seen better days, having been struck by five automobiles in New York City with my butt in the seat. I knew that if I were going to make it from Pennsylvania to California in one piece, I needed a fresh start (and maybe some more conservative riding practices).
So in 2019 I found the Sancho Panza to my Don Quixote in this beautiful Trek Checkpoint, purchased brand new from Cedar bike Shop in Scranton, PA. Within a year we were on the road to California.
Fun story?
While the aforementioned automobiles were the most common and consistent enemy throughout the ride (luckily every car from Atlantic to Pacific was evaded), the most surprising and downright terrifying enemy were hungry Appalachian hounds. Let me explain...
Imagine riding your bicycle at dawn on a bucolic one lane country road through the misty Blue Ridge mountains when an actual Hound of the Baskervilles comes bounding out at you from the run-down home that you just passed, teeth bared through watering mouth and heart-stopping bark. There is a primal fear in that moment that cannot be fully understood without feeling a warm breath on your right leg as you pedal with all your might.
Lucky for me, I was able to escape from the 10+ such encounters without a scratch thanks to the high gears of this beauty of a bike. My 1975 Schwinn Continental could never.
The Bicycles of Jawnt will undoubtedly grow in number as we add more folks to our team, so look out for a Part 2 sometime in the future. And next time you see one of us hopping on an Indego in Philly or zipping up and down the hills of San Francisco, be sure to say hi!
