dutch-bike-ride-los-angeles

My First Dutch Bike Ride in the Busy Streets of LA

Now that I've learned how to turn and stop, it was time for my first Dutch bike ride to an actual destination. What better destination than the authentic neighborhood taco place? Once I accomplished the feat of riding my step through bike near actual traffic, I would be rewarded with tacos

The Dutch Bike Ride...

The Dutch bike Ride was about 4 miles which seemed like near eternity for me since I had just gotten the hang of stopping and didn't consider myself great at it! But I was really riding somewhere for the first time and no one was going to stop me. When my boyfriend and I first set out to go to the taco place (Rigo's Tacos), we were on sidewalks in neighborhoods. It will probably not come as a surprise to you that I was too scared to ride on the actual street. The problem with riding on a sidewalk is that you typically encounter pedestrians who assume you can ride a bicycle well because you are an adult. After I accomplished this small feat there where many other Los Angeles bike rides that awaited.

dutch bike ride los angeles

Found a nice path to get away from the traffic

I found that yelling the phrase "IJUSTLEARNEDHOWTORIDEABIKEPLEASEMOVESOIDON'THITYOU" at passersby wasn't very effective. Luckily, there was a feature that came standard with my Peace Dreamer which made getting around pedestrians a little easier--a BELL! This bell probably actually saved some people from getting injured as I swerved around them. It may also be important to mention that, because of my bicycle inexperience, I had to maintain a certain speed to keep the bicycle upright. Slow and leisurely riding wasn't really in my sight at this point.

dutch bike ride los angeles

Riding in areas with traffic on the way to the taco stand forced me to practice two elements of riding that I am still working on-starting and stopping. At this point, I had a difficult time starting the bicycle quickly, but, thanks to the step through bike frame style of the bike, I at least had the luxury of ease to mount it correctly at stoplights. I also mastered the art of stopping the bicycle with the brakes before putting my feet down on the sidewalk, which is much more effective!

We finally made it to the taco stand after I white-knuckled my way through the busy streets of Los Angeles. Feeling the breeze in my hair and the taste of chorizo tacos made the ride worth it! The Dutch bike ride to the taco stand is now a favorite date for my boyfriend and me.

Peace Bicycles

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