I don’t do 20-mile rides. I don’t like hills. And I surely don’t like how much a car costs to run and maintain.

I have become a bicycle enthusiast by force. My dad gave me his 1980s Fuji road bike for my birthday five years ago, and it has been my main mode of transportation ever since.

Selling my car was the only practical option, as I have been a broke student, traveler and intern. When I returned from traveling, I couldn’t fathom incurring the expense of owning a car. Once you go car-less, it is hard to go back — all those extra dollar bills in my pocket can attest to that.  

The tips and tricks I learned along the way have since made my life of bicycle riding as easy as walking. I use my bicycle to get from point A to B every day. Work. Zola’s Coffee. Fred Meyer. Goodwill. The Auburn Transit Station. Sunday farmers market in the summer. It is faster to get to some of these places by bicycle because of the nature of the dead-end roads and traffic around town.

The Green River Valley is an absolutely perfect location for bicycle errands and travel — coming from the hills of Bellingham and Seattle, I feel like I have moved to an idyllic, flat town. People of Auburn, you don’t know how good you have it.    

Here are a few tips to make the bicycle an effortless mode of transportation in the flats of the Green River Valley.

1. Seat height and angle – one of the easiest things one can do to exert less effort. Make sure your seat height is such that when each leg is on the down swing of the pedal, it is almost fully extended. That way, you get the most power out of each stroke. You are the engine of this simple machine, let’s not use more gas than we have to.  The seat angle is also important. Start with it level, and only angle it a couple of degrees up or down if necessary.  

2. Proper fit — any bicycle store should be able to help with this. Whether you want a ‘cruiser’ feel, (sitting upright) or a road bike feel (leaning forward), you can adjust many parts of a bicycle, including the handlebar height and angle and the placement of the hand brakes. Creating a comfortable setting is crucial for an easy-and-smooth ride.  

3. Tire pressure — just like a car, to get the most gas mileage, your tire pressure needs to be at the optimum. The same is true for a bike. The more inflated the tire, the less tire surface is in contact with the road. That means less resistance or ‘drag’ on the bike — and less work for the peddler.    

4. Basket or pannier — until last year, I always carried my large bag on my back with books, sweater, water bottle and whatever else I would need for the day. To say the least, it got a little awkward when the bag slipped or it was extremely full. Once I started commuting to work, I saw that all the commuters had pannier bags on their bicycle racks to carry their work gear. I thought they must have known something I didn’t.  After checking the bike shop for rack bags, there was no way I could afford to drop that much money on a bag.  This is where we must get a little creative.

Goodwill wicker basket? Check. Zip ties? Check. Used bike rack? Check. And for under $10 — drum roll, please — a load off my back! I was absolutely amazed at the ease of riding when I started making my bicycle hold the load instead of my body. And when an unexpectedly large shopping trip happens, you now have two bags worth of grocery storage while riding.

5. Kickstand — there is not always a practical place to prop a bicycle when you are around town. And if there is no place to lock it up, you can always stand it up with a kick stand, slip the lock through the front wheel and the frame so it can’t “roll away.”  This is one of the most convenient things to have when making many stops. Just make sure you empty your basket if it sits high on your rack before you prop it up on the kick stand, or you will have a top-heavy load.

6. Gloves and fenders — fall and winter can be chilly, but once on a bicycle, your working body warms you right up. Just make sure to wear gloves, as your hands act as wind breakers. The motorcycle or moped driver is doing no exercise to warm up, so that form of transportation becomes impractical for all-year-round use. A bicycle, however — unless it happens to snow in the valley — is useful all-year round as one warms up while pedaling. Along with a change of clothes or rain gear for those dreary months, fenders are crucial. Whether made out of laminated cardboard strips attached with zip ties — my preferred method — or store bought, one can avoid the lovely skunk stripe up the back! Making sure you have the right gear makes bicycle riding fun and practical.

Since getting on my bicycle a few years ago, I started noticing a couple of unintended benefits. The first was that I was getting regular exercise without making extra time for it. As I said before, I don’t do long rides for fun, and I don’t like hills. And let’s get real – I especially don’t like making time to work out at the gym. Now that athletic activity is ingrained in my everyday life, I have become more fit then ever before, and I only ride a couple miles every day.

Second, my mood and mental health have improved, especially during the dark winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is common in the Pacific Northwest, especially when the sun and its Vitamin D-giving rays disappear for months at a time. Getting those endorphins flowing in the brain by a little physical workout drastically affects my mood for the better.  

And last, the monetary savings. Insurance, gas and repairs were taking a toll on my bank account. Now, however, all of that has been wiped away. This allows for more freedom in my life, especially in how I choose to make money and how much I actually need to make to live comfortably. And remember, families: they make perfect little waterproof bike trailers for the kiddos, too!

Rose Robinson is an Auburn resident.