I have a thing for bicycles. I own three. Growing up I wasn't really allowed to ride my bicycle anywhere other than around the block. I lived on a tiny suburban block. Perhaps my parents had a fear that I would get hurt. The point is that I never really had a relationship with a bicycle until a few years ago. I can't figure out how I went from that to owning multiple.
It all started while I was living in Seattle and decided that I needed a set of wheels for two reasons:
- cross-training (I was a competitive athlete).
- to get around town.
After some competitive Craig's List shopping I eventually wound up at one of the many used bike shops in town. I walked into the shop and there it was - a bright blue Raleigh Competition. I took it for a spin (the first time I had been on a bike in years) and was smitten. To appease my husband I thought about it overnight and then bought it as soon as the store opened in the morning.
Riding around Seattle was glorious, and then we moved to Connecticut. Here I was able to use my bike for what it was intended - long, grueling road rides with food waiting at the end. But I needed something else for getting around town. And forget about commuting to the office. Have you ever tried to ride a road bike in a pencil skirt? It isn't such a good idea. Back to Craig's List it was.
After some searching (bikes in Seattle went quickly, here they just weren't posted) I had found a wonderful Danish coffee table, but not a set of wheels. When I went to pick up the coffee table the woman asked me if I was a bike rider. She said that she had an old cruiser that she wanted to give away to someone who would use it. My ears perked up (free! cruiser!). So I said "sure." Well, after taking it home I decided that it probably wasn't too safe to ride a bike with foot brakes that didn't really engage and a handlebar that wobbled and shook.
A few months later I found an ad for a 3-speed Schwinn Cruiser. I drove out to the border to CT and RI to meet it. The bike was covered in cobwebs and the seat was lopsided, but everything else was perfect. On my route to work the first thing I encounter out of my driveway is a hill. normally it isn't a bad hill. But early in the morning, on a bike that weighs a ton (it seems), it's a hill. So sometimes when I arrive at work in the summer I'm a bit more unkempt than I would prefer to be. I guess that's the pleasure of riding a bike.
Now, when there is snow on the ground, icy patches, and slushy streets, I yearn for the days (just a couple of months from now) when I can be reunited with my bicycles.
