I have to giggle at "bike friendly" signs. My suburb is pretty good, but I've seen other parts of St. Louis with "bike friendly" signs on a 1-foot-wide shoulder with 4-lane traffic going 45 mph. Rush hour on a weekday and you'd be road kill.

Bike communities are refreshing. They tend to center around colleges. Too bad bicycles weren't the rage when I wash in college--I may have found my passion sooner