So... bikes. What a concept! Two wheels, human powered and more than anything else, fun. The last being the most important, especially as some of us bridge that gap between young and full of folly and not as young and full of responsibility. I imagine somewhere deep within the archives of the DaVinci library lies a sketched design for what he would of called a ‘bicylette.’ Albert Einstein rode a bike well into his final days. H.G. Wells stated, “ Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.” And let us not forget Leo Tolstoy who wrote as a response to learning to ride a bike at the age of 67, “I feel that I am entitled to my share of lightheartedness and there is nothing wrong with enjoying one’s self simply, like a boy.” If that last one isn’t truth I don’t what is.
I’ve always had a strange kinship with bikes, from a very young age my parents taught me how to ride. It was as if my parents had some strange sense of foresight about me that I didn’t, as if they knew from my formative years that I was to be a wandering spirit. So they embraced that in me and taught me balance, patience, how to overcome your fear of falling (and no matter your experience level, you WILL fall) and the most important of all, how to pick yourself up. So my goal in these posts is to share some information that will help all of you take care of a beautiful invention that, without any doubt, takes care of you. And, if you’re reading this you already love bikes as much as I do. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Years ago I left behind my small town Ohio roots and became a city dweller. The bigger the city the better I thought, and still do. I enjoy city life, but I regret city traffic and on a whim, and a blown engine, I donated my car to the city. I traded in my seat belt for a helmet and pedals. I traded my gas money for a bus pass and I have never been happier. I actually discovered the city I lived in. While you drive you constantly pay attention to every other driver on the road and not your surroundings, you’re in a perpetual time dilemma. Always rushing to a fro, from here to there and back again. On a bike the same is true. You constantly pay attention to those that do not see you until the last minute; however, you travel at a slower speed and your mind travels slower allowing you for once, to take in the sights around you, the smells of the city and eventually the tastes. That’s right, I said tastes! Traveling by bike allowed me to take shortcuts, bridge the gap and avoid the more heavily traveled roads for the road less traveled and upon doing this I discovered a city within a city. I found wonderful little coffee shops with amazing treats and delicious coffee, I found new bars with fantastic drinks and I found stores that didn’t start with a city block size parking lot or end with the words Super or Mega. It was like I had finally discovered what everyone always told me about the big city and life in it and it was fantastic.
Then one day whilst riding my bike and taking a sweet curbside jump onto the sidewalk, POP!!! I blew a tire and my adventure came to a halt. There I was in some strange new neighborhood and no means of getting out of it, except by using my feet. There’s no fun in walking let alone walking while pushing a bike. I eventually found myself a bus stop, loaded the bike on the front and rode the bus back to my humble abode. Later on that night as I searched the web to find a suitable replacement tire I realized that my love of bikes was about to become more involved. After all, I had no idea how to change a tire on a bike. Changing a tire on a car is rather simple, you learn that early on in the driving experience, but on a bike, this was a new endeavor for me, one of those new and terrifying things. I worried for a day about how to get this task done. Should I take it to the local bike shop and deal with the laughter of the bike techs, should I ask a friend for help… to say the least I was perplexed. Then it dawned on me, I’ll do it myself. I’ll become that little independent explorer that my parents saw so long ago at such a young age. And that’s just what I did. It took my a few times before I got it right, but eventually I mounted that tire myself and I was back on the side streets cruising along enjoying “MY” little city within a city. I was free and it was fun.
After the tire incident I realized that when it came to bikes, it was pretty cut and dry. Let’s be honest, bikes are a simple invention. Two wheels that need air, nuts and bolts that need tightened occasionally, and a chain that needs greased. Throughout all those little fixes I found a new appreciation for this machine I adored and hopefully with a little insight from me, you’ll find a little more love for the machine you adore and the little cities it helps you explore. After all, Freddy Mercury said it best, “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.”
-earl
