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	Jeremy Moffitt

Do you remember how you learned to ride a bike?

I do. I was a kid in Virginia, and my friend from across the street taught me in his front yard. There was a little embankment and we’d just roll down the hill, then hit our breaks. I was about 4 or 5 at the time.

How did you use your bike as you grew up?

I rode around in the neighborhoods we lived in. When I was in Elementary School it was either too far or too dangerous to ride. I did ride to school in Junior High and High School, and I spent a lot of time riding in Folsom with my friends. There are dirt paths on the south side of the American River near City Hall. Sometimes we’d spend half a day there, just riding around and having a great time. Part of it is paved now, but at the time there were plenty of dirt trails.

I went to College in Davis, so obviously I was biking all over the place. One of my favorite things to do to keep in shape was swimming, but once I started working and had a family it didn’t fit too well into my schedule and my budget. So in order to get back in shape I started bike commuting again about nine months ago. I have a 15 mile round trip. It takes me about 35 to 40min to get to work.

Once I realized I was gonna stick with it I bought a new road bike – that alone cut 5 minutes off my commute. My old bike had gotten rusty and I hadn’t taken good care of it. I tried to get it tuned up at City Bicycle Works in Citrus Heights, I wasn’t too impressed with the results.

What bike did you buy?

I wanted a road bike so my commute was easier. Since my previous bike was a Giant and I was very happy with it, I stuck with that brand. I got it at the “Bicycle Planet” in Folsom. I really like it! It’s a Giant OCR2.

What have been some of the benefits of commuting by bike?

I have noticed I am getting in better shape and I am loosing weight in the process, too. I save on gas as I don’t have to fill up as often anymore. I still use the car when visiting family and for grocery shopping, but just bike commuting, which I now do pretty much five days a week has made an impact.

My commute is pretty nice for the most part. I like going down Foothills. There is a bike lane on most of it and motorists are very respectful.

Any drawbacks 

Well, I did go through quite a bit of rubber. I have to cross the rail road tracks on Foothills. There is an unbelievable amount of dirt and debris in the bike lane. I did contact the City and they swept it. But I also notice that when they sweep it they pretty much just move the dirt from the car lane to the side and it actually fills up the bike lane…

I have since bought new tires, and it has gotten better, but I still get a flat almost once a week.

What would be some of your top bicycling priorities to fix in Roseville?

For me it would be have a more bike-friendly way of crossing the train tracks and I-80. A problem with the Foothills bridge is that there are large gaps where the seams of the concrete are. If those could be filled it’d be more bike-friendly. I am just waiting for the day when my tire explodes on one of those gaps.

And either of my possible freeway crossings (Antelope Blvd in Citrus eights or Auburn Blvd in Roseville) are not particularly bike-friendly. You really have to use the side walk as there is no bike lane and the cars travel at 60mph. There are also no street lights. Those intersections are not designed for bicycles and motorists are not going to be respectful

Another challenging thing are the left turns on the busy boulevards. On my way home I have to make a left from Foothills onto Cirby. Sometimes I just stay on the right until about 20 yards from the light. Then, if there is no through traffic towards Roseville Road or if they have a red light I move over into the left turn lane and squeeze in with the other cars that make a left turn there.

Do you keep up with BikingRoseville?

Not regularly. I know there is the yahoo group, and I read through it when I started commuting, but it’s been a while since I read the messages. I have been biking for years and don’t see myself taking a bike safety class, but I may consider a bike maintenance class – though I am really good at fixing flats now!