Last weekend, I did something on impulse that I’d been considering for ages. I bought a bicycle.

I grew up in a suburban neighborhood, so my childhood was filled with bike rides that dealt very little in traffic.

But, I live in Portland. Which, for those of you who don’t know, is a bicycle mecca. It seems like we have more bikes than cars on the road, and it is sometimes easier to find parking than a place to lock your bike.

For the last year, I have lived just over a mile from my office.

I walk to work about twice a month.

All other trips were in my car.

This is absurd. Bad for the environment, bad for my health, not awesome for my wallet. All of those things.

I was paralyzed with too many options. In Portland, it seems like bike shops outnumber coffee shops, even. Some have dorky bikes. Some have designer bikes. Some have used bikes. There were just too many options, it seemed.

I talked to a friend, who said he had a bike he never used, did I want it?

He brought it over, and said I’d have to take it somewhere to get fixed, because the tires were deflated. I might even need new tires, he said. So I asked my landlord where I should take it. She mentioned a shop five blocks from the house. Walking distance was key, since this thing could not be ridden.

My Experience at A Better Cycle

I walked to A Better Cycle and told the guy behind the counter that I would like to get my bicycle in riding condition. I told him I was new, and needed all the help he could give.

He started pumping my tires, but he didn’t look happy with the bike I brought in.

“This is a cheap department store bike from 20 years ago,” he said. “It’s a heavy mountain bike, and I think you’ll hate riding a bicycle if you try to make this your daily transport.”

I’d had a feeling that was coming.

So, I asked him what he could do.

He asked my budget, and I said, “Ideally, I wouldn’t spend more than $500 on everything: bike, helmet, lights, lock…” I trailed off.

“That’s going to be tough to do.”

In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought. “Okay, how about we find a bike that is around $500 and not spend more than $150 on everything else?” I asked.

Turns out, a) I picked the right place (there are probably hundreds of right places here, but something felt right about a worker-owned cooperative bike shop, and, the clerk, Ian), and b) I picked the right season to buy a bike. They were having a sale: 25% off all new bikes, plus 20% off any accessories you buy on the same day that you buy your new bicycle.

The first bike he showed me was too small. Or so he said. It made me feel big to have an adult bike be too little for me. But the second one was perfect.

“This one’s a hybrid,” he explained. I asked, “oh, does that mean it has a motor?”

I think that’s when he realized just how much a beginner he was dealing with. But he was super nice, really helpful, and adjusted the bike to fit me.

He asked if I wanted to take it for a test ride, to see if I liked it. “At this point, it’s not so much a matter of liking the bike. That is, I won’t know if I like it because they do say that it’s like riding a bicycle, but it’s been so long, so I’ll just have to trust you.”

Half an hour, and $610 later, I rode off on unsteady legs. Ian sold me new pedals, lights, a lock, a cool helmet and a bicycle, and the bike already had fenders and some metal thing that I’m supposed to bungee cord a bag (or more likely a milk crate) to, though I’ve not done this before.

Bungee cords aren’t yet my thing either.

And now it’s a part of my routine. I’ve ridden it every day to work, and carrying my stuff around in my backpack instead of a cute purse or something.

I love it. My only regret is waiting this long to finally buy a bike, but I think that on a deep subconscious level, I was waiting to pay off my student loans.

Will a bicycle replace my car?

Since my only remaining debt is my car loan, I’ve spent the last several weeks contemplating whether I should keep the car or get rid of it and be a true cyclist. You know, the kind that does everything on their bike. Maybe they have a bus pass, or they live with someone who has a car. Or they bum rides off people.

I’m going to explore some car-sharing solutions in another post, but for now, I don’t think I’ll be selling my car.

I am a product of my environment, and the girl who grew up in the suburbs is having a difficult time with the idea of not having a car at all.

However! Just as some bloggers track their “no-spend days” as a way to keep themselves accountable to their budgets, I will start tracking my “no-drive days” to pat myself on the back every time I keep the car parked all day.

This $610 payment was the most I’d spent on anything since I bought my car 2.5 years ago. It felt a little icky, to be sure, knowing how hard I work for that money. But sometimes, even us Frugal Portlanders have to spend money. I know that this is ultimately the frugal choice, anyway. I’ll save money on gas, parking, insurance, parking tickets, getting towed, all of that. So it’ll pay for itself in about six months.

Not to mention the extra bit of exercise my body’s getting now that I’m using my legs to transport me somewhere.