Ride with Mandor

 There are lots of reasons to switch your main form of transportation to bicycling. Biking is great for your mental and physical health, it saves on gas, and is a more sustainable mode of travel. I ride my bike almost every day whether it be to school, work, or the store. I look like a quirky Zoe Deschanel type as I ride a lime-green street cruiser with a pastel purple basket up and down the streets. And yes, of course, I do carry a tote bag. 

What people don't tell you is the strange experiences you open yourself up to when you frequently ride a bike. I am here to share some of the strangest things I've seen on bike rides and also share safety/pro tips along the way. This story today is a two-in-one. 

To start off, invest in a U-lock. Make sure that it is a nice U-lock and keep the warranty that comes with it. I got my U-lock after my bike was stolen outside of my apartment. It was the type of lock that also came with a chain that attached to the lock so you can lock up your back tires. I got a new bike and brought it up to my front porch to lock it on the balcony. On the second day of having a new bike and a new lock, someone cut the chain that locked up the tires. It was almost as if someone was taunting me, saying "we'll steal all of your bikes if we have to." I promptly went to Home Depot where I had an employee cut me a chain that someone could not cut through. I now lock up my bike with that chain and a U-lock. In short, I don't fuck around with my bike. 

This is relevant to this story because this morning I went out on my bike to meet my uncle for lunch and stop at the store along the way. As soon as I got to the lunch I noticed something wrong with my U-lock. It would budge open, after messing with it for a bit I finally got my bike locked up and went to enjoy some lunch. 

As soon as we finished up our meals a drugged man comes up and stands next to my bike. He proceeds to pull out a can of spray paint and huff it through his nose. He then takes off his pants and removes the belt to use a lasso/whip. I am not sheltered and I have actually been in very similar (perhaps even more dangerous) situations to this in the past. Maybe I will blog those sometime. Keep in mind that I am a 5' tall woman and though I consider myself pretty tough, I am not dumb. I know that I should not go alone over to my bike. My uncle reluctantly walks me to my bike, but to our dismay, my lock will not budge. We try for a good few minutes, trying to ignore the actual crazy person next to us, but my uncle eventually gave me a look saying "sorry you're on your own." He told me to be safe and to walk home and come back later to see if the man was gone. I agreed but instead went inside the restaurant. I found two very tall, burly construction workers on break and asked them in the sweetest voice if they could do me a huge favor. By now, everyone in the restaurant was aware of the man huffing paint and swinging a belt around next to my bike. I explained to the men my situation and one of them agreed to assist me. This man was strong, I could tell, but even he could not get my bike unlocked. I could tell he was starting to get anxious, who wouldn't in this situation. By now the police had arrived and he was about to tell me that "I'm shit out of luck" when he popped my lock open. THANK GOD. I very graciously thanked the man for helping me, even in an uncomfortable situation, and rode off as fast as I could. 

That's the end of the exciting part. I rode over to the skate park where I found my roommate who is very passionate about biking. I knew he would have what I was looking for. I asked if he had bike lube and sure enough he did. We lubed up my U-lock, cleaned it off, and it worked fine. I may or may not be looking into the warranty on my lock right now. What a day, and it's only noon!! The biggest thing to keep in mind on a bike is safety. Whether that be protecting your bike from theft or yourself. In my case, a paint huffing, belt swinging crazy man. I've seen a lot of drugged-out weirdos, but this guy was on some INTENSE stuff lol. 

This is my first post and I am very glad that I had a very blog-worthy experience today to kick it off. Safe travels!