First off, thanks for visiting my site, ihatebikes.

i hate bikes is a blog/ e-zine that chronicles my experiences living in the California Bay Area. I'm an Oregon native that's lived in Oregon all my life. I relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the Winter of 2004. I've worked in the bike industry since 1994 as a bike shop mechanic and sales guy in bike shops up and down Oregon's stretch of the I-5. I've been doing it for a while now, with small breaks where I worked in other jobs. That said, I've grown disenchanted of working on other people's bikes while mine become the cobbler's shoes.

This has changed in recent times, as I'm rededicated to furthering my illustration and graphic design skills. This site is a forum for me to express myself, and practice everything I learn as well. The Bay Area is an expensive place to be, but there are a lot of opportunities for education. I currently work for bikesmart.com, I get to do all sorts of neat stuff. Plus I get to still talk about bikes.

I'm finally on the path I want to be on these days. The riding in the Bay Area is diverse, although access to the fun stuff isn't really happening; anything that is fun to ride is illegal. I'm back riding the way I love to ride, which is jumping dirt and challenging and highly technical-dh style trails, although I enjoy all genres of cycling. I ride dh, fr, dj, trail ride, bmx, and even road bikes. Some I ride a lot more than others. Bikes kick ass. I have been doing a lot more artwork about bike riding these days, and some of it shows up in Dirt Rag magazine. Check it out.

When I'm not riding my bike, I'm painting, or hanging out with my girlfriend Jamie. I also spend a lot of time geeking out on bikes, cameras and Apple computers with my long time friend and next door neighbor, Josh Ogle, who builds neato unobtainium single speed mountain bikes and road bikes. He's been in the industry for some time now as well, and has in interesting perspective on it too.

The following is a little rant I wrote on being a grunt soldier in the bicycle industry. I think it answers at least one of the reasons I named my site the name it has. However, it's not just sarcasm, it's also a love/hate thing. If you've never thrown your bike, you may not understand. I don't really throw my bikes anymore. It was also my bmx bike that received the most abuse anyway. (they're built to take it)

There is a certain irony to naming a web site about bikes “I hate bikes.”

After 10 years of working in bicycle stores, selling and repairing bikes, there are times when this is not far from the truth. In fact, in moments of frustration, I have been known to scream and kick my bmx bike. I’ve even thrown it. I’ll have you know that it usually deserved it, and it probably bit me first. Or I was drunk.(and/or rather upset) I usually exercise much more restraint with mountain bikes, primarily because they have a high number of protruding parts that upon impact with stationary objects, prove to be quite fragile.

But I digress. Bicycle retail is possibly the coolest job ever. At least I thought so at one time. Low pay and wholesale prices on equipment don’t really even out in the end, when you factor in the cost of unpaid hospital bills, and a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle. Eventually this lifestyle can and will drive a normally calm and introspective bike mechanic to rage, ending with a hail of raining bike parts, possibly new employment, and messenger bags and backpacks with sewn on patches boldly labeling the individual as “Surly.” Especially when dealing with an unappreciative individual that often has an income five times of the before mentioned mechanic, that not only is unwilling to pay full price for product, (since he can easily purchase said product in a mail order catalog for less) but is condescending upon hearing the recommendation of replacing the cables and housing in his uber-expensive frame swap. I’ve seen it in bike shops up and down the west coast expressway known as Interstate 5.

I challenge you to name one other industry and occupation where after 10 years the pay rate remains the same, fluctuating by several dollars, more or less. Even McDonald’s Managers get raises. After 10 years of working in bike shops, relocating after a season or two in each riding area, I even had one employer ask me to assemble a bike as part of my job interview. As if a list of highly positive previous employers and industry references were not enough.
Perhaps there is some truth to this statement, “I hate bikes.”

I prefer to think of the impatient driver stuck behind the wheel, as I pass him in traffic, my two wheels weaving in between cars stuck in gridlock. They seem to hate us the most, as most fatalities on bicycles involve them as well.

And so my finger is off the that driver, as I cheerfully provoke the road rage in him. He and his greasy burger hate us because we exist; roads were made for cars, dammit. . The u-lock in my back pocket remains ready for action, and I'm not afraid to use it.

“I hate bikes,” I imagine him swearing behind clenched teeth.

Questions, Suggestions, Contributions?

e-mail jason_vanhorn@hotmail.com