How to Get Started Biking

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

WIRED

Technology

4.1 • 574 Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For a lot of people, riding a bike through a crowded city—or even on suburban avenues—might feel daunting. Should you get an electric or acoustic bicycle? What gear do you need while you ride? How do you avoid getting hit by the great big gas guzzlers that take up most of the road? These are valid questions, and we've got answers. May is national bike month here in the US, and Gadget Lab is ready to get you rolling.

This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So joins us as we cycle through all things bikes: How to start riding more, what to look for in an ebike, and what's the best frame color for your grocery-getter.

Show Notes:

Read more about Adrienne’s guide to the best ebikes. Here’s our roundup of our favorite bike accessories.

Recommendations:

Adrienne recommends the book A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit. Mike recommends the Lil Guy hip bag from Road Runner Bags. Lauren recommends Adrienne So’s WIRED story “A Letter to My Fellow Asian Mothers From the Multiverse.”

Adrienne So can be found on Twitter @adriennemso. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

This show originally aired May 19, 2022. Here's a full transcript.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, gadget lab listeners. We're taking the week off for the Memorial Day holiday.
0:04.9	But we do have a special replay for you coming up this week. It's an episode that we recorded
0:10.8	last May, May of 2022, with our colleague, Adrian So, and it's about bikes. Yes, specifically
0:18.1	how to get started biking. You're probably noticing a trend here. Last week, we talked about how to get started lifting. This week, it's about biking. We just want to make sure that when you're listening to your podcast, you're moving around. You're getting some exercise in. But basically, biking can be intimidating for a lot of people. And Adrian has some really great advice around
0:37.8	whether you might need an electric bicycle, an acoustic bicycle, other gear and accessories you might
0:43.0	need while you ride. Mike, you also have some great tips for bikers. I try. I really do. Like,
0:49.5	don't get hit. That would be great. Keep your wits about you. Keep your headphones out of your ears. That's right. But also, May is Bike Month. So we wanted to bring you this special episode to encourage you to get out there and pedal around a little bit, maybe to work, maybe to school, maybe wherever you're going. So we hope you enjoy the episode. And we'll be back with a new episode of Gadget Lab next week.
1:11.9	Mike.
1:12.5	Lauren.
1:18.0	Mike, this morning, I offered you a ride in my car to the office, so you wouldn't have to ride your bike.
1:19.3	But you normally ride your bike.
1:20.8	So what made you accept the offer?
1:22.7	To spend quality time with you, of course.
1:24.6	Oh, stop it.
1:26.6	But aren't you supposed to be bike
1:28.1	colore? I mean, you're a bike guy. I have been known to be a bike person, yes. And as much as I
1:33.0	want to be a bike person, I'm not totally converted. And maybe I should be. I think we will get
1:39.0	you there over the next 35 to 45 minutes. I should probably start with like an actual bike though, right? Yes. We'll work on that too.
1:46.2	Let's talk about it.
1:51.7	Hi everyone. This is Gadget Lab. I'm Lauren Good. I'm a senior writer at Wired. And I am Michael
1:59.8	Kalori. I'm a senior editor at Wired. And I am Michael Collory. I'm a senior editor at Wired,
2:01.9	aka BikeColori. Hit me. And Wired Senior Associate Reviews Editor, Adrian, so is here. Or at least
	...

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