BikeToFeel.com

I started thinking about this a lot over a year ago. The economy had gone south and I, like most people, lost upwards of 40% of my retirement funds. While I’m a long way from retirement, I don’t like handing back 40% of my money. I started thinking about in whom and in what am I investing.

I couldn’t answer my own question. The nature of mutual funds blinds us from where our money is going. The investment gurus tell us that it’s a blended fund to minimize losses and optimize gains — lower risk. So why is it I lost 40%? The most recent market downturn was obviously a result of improper lending. Lending to people who had no business borrowing what they were borrowing. The execs making the decisions on who to lend to don’t care — they’re millionaires who receive millions when they get fired for poor company performance. I wish I could do shitty, careless work, get fired and, as a result, win the lottery.

I quickly realized I was part of the problem. These companies survive on investments like the ones I make through my 401k and Roth IRAs. Unwittingly, I was, and still am, investing in many of the corporations I despise like the automobile industry, the oil industry and shady financial institutions.

Not long after realizing my mistakes, I talked to my financial advisor and long-time friend. Of course, he was a little hesitant about moving my money to socially-responsible mutual funds — funds that choose companies based on their track records for making socially- and environmentally-responsible decisions in their business activities. Apparently, this is a fairly new area for my old friend because it was clear from our conversation that he didn’t have anything readily available from which I could choose to re-invest. Apparently, he still doesn’t have anything over a year later because my money is still sitting in the same places more than a year after telling him I would like to pursue these types of investments. This also makes clear that no one else is asking about these sorts of mutual funds.

As a bike commuter, one of the main reasons I ride is because I’m eternally sick of the automobile and oil companies feeding us lies about how they are working in our best interests. Remember the Saturn commercials which said, “I get tired of these pundits telling us that we don’t make cars that Americans want. Saturn makes cars Americans want.” They went out of business shortly thereafter.

Many of the companies we are investing in do not have mine, yours or our country’s best interest at heart. They are simply trying to make a buck whatever the cost to our health, livelihood and future.

Please, talk to your financial advisors, human resource personell and legislators. Let’s start demanding a higher standard and better visibility to what we are spending our money. Only by making large corporations accountable can we ensure that we maintain and grow the ideals we hold personally.

This was passed along to me by my sister.  I like it and try to follow it (although it’s very difficult  — I need to do another blog about mutual funds using these questions to guide my discussion).  Questions 2,3 and 5 fall directly in line with the purpose of this website.

 
1. Does the item bring either usefulness or beauty to my life?
2. Does it cause me to grow closer to those around me or does it bring alienation?
3. Was it made by people who were paid a fair wage?
4. Does it fall in line with my religious beliefs?
5. Does it fall in line with my beliefs about conservation?
6. Would it cause people envy?
7. Would I be devastated if it were lost, stolen or destroyed?
8. Do I have to go into debt for it?
9. Would I freely loan it out?

Our immediate family is okay, just a little shaken up. We still have many friends and family in the capital that we have not heard from. Two of the RPCVs I served with that live in the capital have contacted our Haiti Yahoo Group and are okay (You may have seen one of them — Matt Marek — on CNN with Anderson Cooper last night). The capital is almost completely destroyed.

Please contact me if you would like information on how to help.
Mason

I don’t think bike commuting helps make friends in every city or community but it sure helps here.  Using my bike almost exclusively for transportation in the city of Memphis makes me a bit of a novelty.  Given that midtown Memphis is a pretty diverse place and there are a lot of bike commuters, I’m also not hated for being one that impeeds traffic.

Almost everywhere I go, people talk to me about commuting on a bike.  I have people at intersections roll down their window, usually to ask me a question about why I’m out on a bike.  I just started at a new gym and while very few people want to talk at 6:30am, the fact that I walk in wearing a bike helmet seems to be a great conversation starter.  Sure, most conversations center around the weather for that day but at least people feel compelled to interact with me.  These situations just confirm my belief that bike commuting makes for stronger communities by stimulating people to interact with each other.

I’m never one to follow fads. I was always reasonably popular in school but never really ‘cool’. I couldn’t wear the right clothes or shoes or drive a cool car or act cool. Thus, when I started learning about the fixed gear movement, about two years ago when I moved to Memphis, I thought that seems really stupid and dangerous. Plus, even if I had a fixed gear, I wouldn’t be cool.

After a couple of friends and I attended the Bicycle Film Festival when it came to Memphis, I figured I’d give it a shot. I had an old Peugeot Monaco frame hanging in the garage which was left by the previous owner. I actually put it in the purchase agreement that the frame had to stay, I forgot about the refridgerator. Dohhhh! So, this summer when my wife and kids went to Haiti for 5 weeks, I made it my project.

I flipped the handle bars and cut them to make bull horns. Bought a set of road rims, tires, seat, seatpost, handle bar tape, chain and pedals. I re-greased the headset and replaced the bearings in the bottom bracket. I couldn’t find a seatpost to fit so I bought a 22.Xmm seatpost and shimmed the heck out of the seat tube. I also added a front brake as I am married with two children.

Peugeot Monaco Fixie

I took the first few rides pretty slow. After riding a aluminum mountain bike and city bike exclusively for almost two years, the feel of the steel frame was inspiring. While still rigid, almost no vibrations made it through to the seat our my hands. I also relish the fact that bike makes virtually no sound. I hate the hum of tires and engines which is pervasive almost anywhere there is the slightest bit of civilization. It feels good to ride something so quiet.

Probably my tenth ride on the fixie, and after a few beers, a friend and I were headed on a trek to find him a fixie frame. While trying to turn left across a busy road, I caught my left pedal on the ground. I came down sideways on the rear tire, which rolled and blew out. That sent me to the ground, hard. I skinned both elbows, my left hand, left knee and right foot (I was wearing sandals). A couple of weeks later after truing the wheel and putting on some new rubber, I discovered that I had also bent the heck out of my saddle rails and seatpost such that by looking at them you wouldn’t notice but once you got on, wow, ef-ed up. Since the seatpost was on back order, at least a month went by before I had the bike ride-able again.

I recently started working from home so I don’t need to take my mountain bike to work anymore — I had to hop curbs and navigate oft-wet grass. However, I go to a local gym, about three miles away, every morning. Since it’s not to far and the route is void of major roads, I take the fixie. While I’m still getting the hang of it and once and a while forgetting that I can’t stop pedaling, I thoroughly enjoy the bike. I look forward to mounting it every morning — don’t tell my wife. So, while I’m being a bit faddish, I have to say it’s well worth it.

PS: I can’t lock up the back wheel to slow down. I think the bend it the fork and the short run of the stem doesn’t allow me to get my weight far enough forward to take enough weight off the back wheel. Anyone had a similar issue?