Valerian Ramos, Tempe, AZ
Name, location:
Valerian Ramos, Tempe, Arizona
Commuter bike of choice?
My current favorite commuter bike is what I would call an averagemodern day road bike. (Domane Trek bike) Most people who own a road bike use it for sport but I have fallen in love with its speed and ease of use. I have a back rack on it and a bag that can carry more than you’d think it could. During the summer in Arizona when commuting it’s important not to push yourself on the bike, once you start sweating it’s hard to stop. The speed creates a lot of wind cooling me down and I can easily bring multiple water bottles.
For more than a year I primarily used a folding bicycle (C line Brompton) to get around, but it is much heavier and slower. I believe a Brompton is ideal for most cities due to its ease of use however even in more rural areas the ability to quickly throw it in a car is unmatched for multimodal transportation. But unless I need the ability to fold up my bike my road bike is absolutely my preference.
In this picture you can see my road bike, fixed gear and foldable bike (from left to right) photo by madduxgremaux
Who are you?
Tell us a little bit about who you are, where you came from, and why you do what you do?
I’m Valerian Ramos, I’m an artist and urbanism advocate. I’ve lived in Arizona all my life, I used to live in the suburbs of Peoria before moving to Tempe AZ. During college I fell in love with urbanism and all things art and community, because of the joy and independence it gave me, and a creative outlet. I do what I do because I want to spread joy and make the world a more enjoyable place, primarily through urbanism advocacy and art. This is a picture of me and my parents! My parents are both super supportive of me and bike with me! My dad is a fellow roadie.
Why do you love bike commuting, why do you believe in it, and why do you think everyone should be a bicycle commuter?
I love bike commuting because it’s fun, easy, consistent exercise, convenient, and really highlights the beauty of so many mundane things, etc. You discover so many things about yourself and things around you. Relying solely on your own energy (or with assistance of electricity) is a daily pleasure and gives a unique sense of pride.
Previously I used transit and walking to get to everywhere I wanted to go, and my car-free journey went primarily from transit -> ebike -> foldable bike -> road bike. Although I no longer have the ebike, it was a valuable experience. I learned what I value in a bike and what works for my lifestyle. I currently use the foldable bike and road bike to commute, although if I had to recommend one specifically for Arizona it is definitely a folding bike.
I don’t know if everyone should be a bicycle commuter, however I’ll happily encourage everyone to use a bike to get around and advocate for it to be an option for everyone. Experiment with cheap bikes if you can, you’ll quickly discover what type of bike works for you.
What is one thing you love about bike commuting in your city? What is something you want to see change?
I love commuting in Tempe Arizona because it’s convenient. Tempe is a small city; it's less than 1/10th the size of Phoenix. I find I am able to get just about everything I need; groceries, doctors, school, cafes, art supplies, group bike rides, bike co-op, bike shops, bike routes, libraries, etc. Not many things are further than 30 minutes away by bike.
Tempe ranks higher in walkability and transit than Phoenix (walkscore.com) however we are lacking a lot of bike infrastructure. We technically have plenty of bike lanes, but paint is not infrastructure. I’d love to see protected bike lanes around Arizona State University campus and rental bikes being brought back.
There is a strong bike community in Tempe and I believe there is a bike movement happening in Tempe, but it’s really just getting started. I would love to see more people doing 10-30 minute bike rides for simple errands especially those in the suburbs. Most think the weather is a huge barrier but I find if you are prepared it’s really quite comfortable. Wearing UV clothing, linen, bringing plenty of water and not pushing yourself are just some strategies I use to commute during the hotter times of the year. I don’t think most people understand how most of the urban areas of Maricopa County are super flat and crazy easy to bike quickly around.
Are there any big bike advocacy issues that you are aware of that you think people should pay attention to? How can folks get involved?
In Arizona we have a lot of groups, Active Arizona, Urban Phoenix Project, Tempe Bicycling Action Group and more that I have compiled into a zine (check it out @va.lair.yen).
More importantly though, I'd like to encourage people to actually visit a bike co-op, get a cheap bike or get the bike already sitting in your garage with a flat and a rusted chain fixed and try out a social bike ride! We have so many weekly rides in AZ, you can see all of them on btwphx.com, my favorite rides are phxfold rides and the Tempe Thursday ride. Group rides and shops are great environments to learn and ask about bikes, commuting and urbanism.
These are pictures taken by Danny Upshaw, @phxfold on instagram showcasing various bike rides in TempeWhat else would you like folks to know about you, or what other things do you have going on?
A fun fact about me is I live at Culdesac in Tempe and I’m currently developing my artistic practice mostly about biking and urbanism of course check it out if you’re interested @va.lair.yen
I use neon, printmaking and various types of mediums :D (included some example pictures below) While you're at it, also check out my friend Josh who also makes an Arizona based bike zine @desertscrubmagazine !
