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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1987/University Daily Kansan
Lawrence biking enthusiasm reaching healthy high point
By DEBRA A. PETERSON
Special to the Kansan
It's a Saturday morning in a Lawrence bike shop. A man is discussing the merits of one children's bike over another as his daughter reaches out a hesitant hand to pat a fender here, poke a tire there.
Then the man lifts his little girl into the air and setters her on the seat of a small bike with training wheels. Her cheeks flush, her eyes sparkle and her hands and feet settle on handlebars and pedals.
With a delighted squeal, she pedals the bike in a mad dash around the store. Another bike rider is born.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 32 percent of United States citizens said that they had bicycled at least once in 1983. In 1985, the United States imported 6.4 million passenger cars and 5.6 million bikes.
Perhaps as recognition of the popularity of bicycles, Lawrence may soon provide better facilities for bike riders. At a July 13 meeting, the city commission appropriated $50,000 for non-motorized traffic improvements, including sidewalks, curbs, signs and bicycle paths.
This allocation is an indication of the importance of bicycling in Lawrence, but this has not always been the case.
Very few adults rode bicycles before the 1960s. Kevin Beals, owner of Uptown Bicycles, 1377 Massachusetts St., said he thought the bike craze took off during that decade because of the baby boom generation.
The baby boomers, who swelled the populations of the nation's campuses in the 1960s, cast about for cheap vacations during college breaks. Because the exchange rate for the dollar was good then, Beals said, many college students went to Europe and bought bicycles there to get around. When the vacation ended, they shipped their bikes home. And they kept on riding.
"There were no 10-speedes before college kids started going to Europe in the 1960s. "Beals said. "There were millions and millions after."
Along with the 1960s biking craze came back-to-nature movements and frightening prophecies about pollution. Bicycling began to be perceived as the way that environmentally concerned citizens got around.
Now, a health craze that's swept the country has boosted the popularity of bicycles even more. Physical therapists and doctors recommend bicycling because it exercises the
body without taxing it.
Some cities recognize the popularity of bicycling. Some do not.
Tim Miller, chairman of the Lawrence Traffic Safety Commission and long-time bicycle enthusiast, said that Eugene, Ore, was one city that provided advanced biking facilities, including special river bridges built for bike and pedestrian traffic only.
"It's absolutely amazing," he said. "They have freeways for bikes. But we hardly have bike paths in Lawrence. You can go to almost any comparable college town and they have better bike facilities."
That situation may change in the near future, with the $50,000 appropriation made for non-motorized movements by the city commission.
Many of the riders who will use those paths in the future will probably be KU students. Spokesmen from three Lawrence bike stores said that KU students were among their more loyal customers. And each store offers something unique to keep the customers coming.
Bram Sheafer, who orders bikes for Sunflower Surplus, 804 Massachusetts St., said that KU students made up at least half of his store's bike customers. The store offers regular Saturday workshops on bicycle maintenance that cover basic bike repairs such as changing or patching tires. The next series of workshops is scheduled for the second week of September. The workshops cost $5.
The Lawrence Schwinw Cyclery, 1601 W. 23rd St., maintains the Schwinw tradition of catering to families, even though KU students provide more than one-fourth of the store's business, said Gary Long, the store's owner. The store offers customers the opportunity to buy a custom-built bike.
Uptown Bicycles advertises itself as a specialist in mountain bikes, also called all-terrain bikes, which feature tough tires, powerful brakes, high-mounted handlebars and more sophisticated components than the average 10-speed. Store owner Beals said the mountain bike was ideal for riding on city streets because it was sturdy and comfortable.
Beals said mountain bikes were originally produced by a group of 10-speed bike racers in California in the late 1970s. The racers would take old one-speed bikes and ride down mountain roads for fun.
The most famous bike run, Repack Road, got its name because at the
bottom of the hill, the bikers would have to repack grease and ball bearings in the rear wheel where the brakes were. Beals said that sometimes so much pressure was put on the brakes that they smoked all the way down the mountain.
The first mass-produced mountain bikes hit the market in 1981, Beals said, and retained at about $750. Now, a comparable bike costs about $350.
But a biker is headed for heartbreak if he doesn't protect his purchase. Bake Avery, Lawrence police patrolman, said that many bikes were stolen every week inside KU residence halls while students were in classes. He cautioned against using inferior security devices.
"We don't recommend anything that can be cut easily." Avery said. "Nylon cables can be cut easily. We recommend link chains. And you don't want to put a $1.98 lock that anyone can open on a $700 bike. Combination locks aren't that hard to figure out."
A Lawrence city ordinance requires owners to register their bikes with Lawrence police. The registration sticker costs 25 cents and lasts one year. Avery said that Lawrence police were unable to return three-fourths of the stolen bicycles they recovered because the owners hadn't registered the bikes.
Hannes Zacharias, assistant city manager, said bicycles were subject to the same traffic laws as motor vehicles.
Transportation
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takes over Trailways. Greyhound has said it will continue everything Trailways has."
Nine buses depart Lawrence daily bound for Kansas City, Mo., seven buses for Topeka and four buses for Wichita and Denver. Three buses go south through Ottawa, Iola, Chanute and Coffeeville to Tulsa, Okla.
A one-way ticket to Kansas City, Mo., on a Greyhound bus costs $12; to Topeka, 7; to Manhattan, $12; to Denver, $5; and to St. Louis, $59.
The maximum price for a bus ticket is $119 one-way and $169 round trip, Jensen said.
Students who want to travel by train need to be early risers. An Amtrak train to Kansas City, Mo., leaves Lawrence at 5:30 a.m., and a Topeka-bound train leaves at 1:40 a.m., an Amtrak ticket agent said.
"It never hurts to ask about specials. Prices are always changing, and bus lines are always looking to increase ridership with discounts," he said.
A train ticket to Kansas City costs $10, and to Topeka. $8.25.
For students in a big hurry to get where they are going, it is possible to charter an airplane at Lawrence Municipal Airport.
"We need a little warning so we can match up an airplane and a pilot," said John Martin, a lineman at the airport.
"The cost varies on charters. It depends on the distance and the number of people going," he said.
Students needing to get to Kansas City International Airport have several choices
It is possible to get to KCI by bus, taxi or, for those in a real hurry, by airplane from Lawrence Municipal Airport.
"We have no scheduled flights to KCI. But have charters that can get you to KCI in 15-20 minutes," Martin said.
A ticket from Lawrence to KCI would run $60 for a three-seater plane, he said.
Corporate Coach of Lawrence Inc. offers four bus trips daily from Lawrence to KCI. Departure times from Lawrence are 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m., said Kristen Prater, Corporate Coach spokeswoman.
The trip starts from the All Seasons Motel, 329 now, Iowa, with five-minute
stops at the KU information booth at 15th and Iowa streets, Travelodge Motel, 801 Iowa, Hallmark Inn, 730 Iowa, Park Inn Moln, 2222 W. Sixth St., and Holiday Inn Holdome, 200 W. Turnpike Access Road.
The one-way cost is $22 for adults and $11 for children 2 through 10 years accompanied by an adult. Children 2 years old or under ride free, she said. It is necessary to make reservations in advance.
"We need to know what airline you are on, flight number and date and time of arrival." Prater said.
Not having a car while going to school is surely an inconvenience, but there are many ways for students to get where they want to go. It's just a matter of having flexible travel schedules and, of course, money.
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