Trish Christoffersen

Trish Christoffersen Her Favorite Color is Chrome I’m ten years old again, racing down the street on my hot pink banana bike my parents bought me for my birthday. This bike is covered in chrome, and I am on Cloud 9. The wind is blowing my hair all over and I’m struggling to see, but the elation I feel is beyond anything I’ve ever encountered. My trusty Thomas the Tank Engine backpack securely on my back, I peddle faster and faster. I want to beat Billy this time. This time I’m going to beat him. This time I’m getting to work first! Wait a second! Reality comes crashing down around me as I screech to a halt at a red light. I’m not ten years old and my bike is not the hot pink, chrome covered banana bike. I am sporting a cool Barrage backpack from Chrome, but Billy is a sheriff in another state, and I’m wearing a suit and tennis shoes. I AM pedaling a bike though and I am heading to work. May is National Bike Month, and it’s celebrated from coast to coast. Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, it was established in 1956, long before the banana bike craze. It’s a chance to showcase all the benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to give it a try. I admit it; I hadn’t ridden a bike since the 80s. Yup – back with my banana bike and Thomas the Tank Engine backpack. But living in New York City just doesn’t lend itself to owning a car, and taxis and subways get hella expensive for a struggling law clerk like me. Since the biking community has grown by 62% in three short years and has no plans of slowing down, I figured I’d join the movement. So, three months ago, I bought a decent bike to travel from my studio apartment on the Lower East Side to Manhattan. I practiced for days before venturing out into the real world, terrified of getting run down. But the more I rode my bike, the more confident I got and pretty soon, I was speeding along with the best of them. I couldn’t do it five days a week though, without my trusty, sturdy Chrome backpack. I have more than enough room to pack my lunch, two water bottles, my work shoes, laptop and handbag. Since biking to work on a daily basis (even in the rain since my backpack is waterproof and my raincoat is bike friendly) I’ve lost 15 pounds, saved enough money to buy a place of my own and discovered a whole new side of New York. And as much as I love my Chrome Barrage Cargo backpack, with its laptop compartment, slip-in side pocket for my water bottle and foam back panel, I’m thinking of trying the Conway tech-savvy messenger bag. The mole webbing provides maximum night visibility, the quick access compartment holds my cell phone, and the removable stabilizer strap means I can turn this into a stylish crossbody bag to tote around the office. Now that I’ve turned into a bikeaholic, I’ve been trying to convince my friends to go on a cross-country bike ride with me. Or at least a long, leisurely ride to New Jersey and the famous Jersey Shore. Even though my bike is no longer decked out in chrome, I am. And that’s good enough for me!