[∩] SitesInCommon

Beyond that, make sure you've got a couple of bucks for the bus in case it's something you can't fix.

Good advice. Instead of cash, consider picking up a CapMetro Stored Value Card. Any non-student who doesn't drive everywhere but also doesn't use the bus enough for a 31-day pass to make sense should have one of these in their wallet. You pay $12 for $15 worth of rides, and you'll never have to fumble around for bills anymore. You can buy one at any of the places that sell CapMetro tickets and passes.

You take up a full lane

Perfectly legal and often necessary, even when there's a bike lane. Bike lanes often accumulate debris or have potholes that must be avoided. When a bike lane is dangerous to bike in or isn't present at all, the middle of the lane is the place to be. You don't have to take my word for it. The sharrows (bike symbol + arrows) on Guadalupe, Lavaca and Dean Keeton are right in the middle of the lane to direct cyclists to the proper lane position.

backing up traffic

A given amount of road space can move more people at a greater speed on bikes than in cars. That's clearly not the solution to the problem, but if bikes in the middle of car traffic bother you, then you should advocate for better cycling infrastructure so bikes can move separately from cars when possible.

a less-traveled side street

All the stuff people want to go to is on the main high traffic streets, so cyclists will always have to use them for some trips. Even in other cases, using side streets can often result in a much longer, convoluted route, so some people are going to avoid choosing them for certain trips. Again, the answer is better cycling infrastructure.

I'm constantly almost being run over by someone riding on the sidewalk.

People who do that suck. Like others have mentioned, plenty of humans behave poorly at one time or another. When we observe the poor behavior of a person who happens to be a minority (e.g. cyclist, hipster, senior citizen), we tend to paint the whole minority group with the same brush. It's something we should consciously try to avoid.

Few cyclists ride on the sidewalk in an unsafe manner. Many don't come to a complete stop at stop signs, but that can be perfectly safe as long as you always yield the right of way to pedestrians and cars who have arrived at the intersection before you. People who blow through stop signs at such a high speed that stopping would be difficult aren't being smart.

Going back to your original comment, if you spend some time on streets with heavy bike traffic like Speedway, Nueces and Shoal Creek, you'll see fairly quickly that there are cyclists from all sorts of age groups and subcultures, not just hipsters. If you start riding, I hope to run into you at a stop light some day so we can share some pleasant cyclist commute camaraderie.

Except for one? Did I miss some entertaining nerd drama?

I bought a Dahon Speed D7 in May. 20" wheels are fine. Going uphill is a little harder than with a normal bike, but it's really not bad at all. My 20 minute commute (stops excluded) is a 23 minute commute on my folding bike. The gears have worked well for me over the short time I've had it. My only real complaint is that it's less portable than I'd like. Bikes with 20" wheels can't fold to a very small size. I haven't seen a 16" bike, but I think it'd be significantly better for my needs (sticking it in a Smart fortwo, taking it on plane trips, etc).

I would never buy a cheap folding bike. If the stem doesn't stay locked in place while you're riding, disaster awaits. It's worth paying money for a trusted brand.

If you're outside of 183, MoPac and 290/71, then you have a good point. Otherwise, I don't know what you're talking about. Austin has plenty of neighborhoods that are actual places.