It is sunny as I write this, sitting on my porch, kids playing in the yard. It's one of the few days this week when the sun came out, giving rise to some hopeful feelings, and just in time. I just went through a riding slump.

Commuting by bike is hard. Well, the actual process of riding is not hard. However, there are variables that exacerbate the situation: weather and kids--and both are unpredictable. Our mornings were cold, sometimes icy. No matter what the time of day, the rain seemed to come just as we started, as if in defiance of my family’s desire to pedal. And even though my children want to ride our bike to and from school, those cold, wet, miserable days did take some cajoling.

I am through the slump and even with the unpredictable weather (and kids), commuting by bike is still simple. A basic existence.

Part of a basic existence is taking a simple approach to life. I like to remove complications so that I can just live. Live without hassle. And nothing hassles me like a several hundred dollar car repair. Or paying over a thousand dollars for car insurance. Whatever your view on car ownership, not having one saves money. And the satisfaction of saving money is something on which we can all agree.

I am not out to make this a bikes-versus-cars situation. That has already been done by many people, and often with little purpose. Plus, there are always carpooling and car sharing options out there. My goal is to show my family of five that low-key living can be done, and what we are really saving is our time with each other.

A trip to the library…take a bike. Getting groceries…use a bike. Going to a friend’s house…more fun on bikes. Need to transport some stuff...haul it on a bike (or get the help of the Move By Bike crowd). School…why not ask your kids how their day went on the ride home from school? Think about where you go each day, how far you travel, and consider that you could do it on a bike.

I love bikes. They are simple. The design of a bike has been around since Da Vinci, and the pedal model has been rolling since the 1860s, tested and true. A rear chain drive and pnuematic rubber tires followed in the 1870s and 1880s. Materials may change, and there are upgrades to components, but modern bikes retain much of their humble beginnings. I could be just as happy commuting on a bike from 100 years ago.

There are no computer chips on the average bike. I like that. I like the idea that I can tune up my bike with common tools found in my shop. I like that if I don’t understand how to fix something on my bike, I can go to my neighbor and he can show me, and after that, I will know how to do it. When was the last time that the common man could repair his own car? That time is gone. It is time for the rise of The Bike.

I know that our Portland weather is not done and that the rain will continue for several months, but we made it through the toughest part of the year and that is something of which my family can be proud.