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Spinning the pedals
Yesterday over an awesome lunch my friend Jessica shared a quote with me which, though a simple statement, really resonated in my mind:
"I mean, you either love spinning the pedals and watching the scenery whiz by or you don't. And if you love it not much can sour you on the idea of riding your bike." - Keith Miller
I LOVE spinning the pedals, every day. When I have day that I don't I feel that something is missing. I've become so accustomed to bicycling that driving seems alien to me, though I still do it from time to time. I ride for many reasons: the community, the scenery, my health and mental well-being, being able to take time on my trip to do something frivolous and nonsensical, and not being stuck in the rut of the same slow, boring, ugly highway commute every day. I love being able to have a 2-minute conversation with another rider on my way to work before one of us splits off or gets froggy and drops the other, or to just pull over and watch a squirrel fight on a tree for a few seconds before continuing my journey. Try that on the highway in a car and someone's getting hurt.
I guess we all have to love it to an extent, because it can be a lot of hard work and effort. Rain can suck, rain + a cold wind is bone-chillingly brutal, the heat is scorching, and cars can be arrogant, rude and sometimes LETHAL. There always seem to be so many factors out there that conspire to keep us off the pedals, but still we set out on our 2-wheeled journeys every day.
I wouldn't trade my bike for the whole world, because for me that bike is the lens through which I see the world most clearly. You can have the rest, I'm just going to keep spinning the pedals.
Why do you love it?
I have always loved to bike, since I was eight and learned how. For me, biking has been the mode of transport I always go back to. Cars are expensive and scary, I hate driving them. I drove from Rochester, NY to Austin with my boyfriend and it was awful. Since then the car has been used occasionally, especially to move, but I rarely drive it. Going fast (over 25-30mph) is pretty scary for me. The bike feels more ready to go than a car, I can repair it pretty easily, and replacing the drivetrain costs maybe 200 dollars for really nice parts. A bike is freedom with a lot of fun mixed in, a car usually feels like freedom with a ball and chain.
It is the last frontier.
i like everything about it. the roadies, the fixies, the soccer parents, the punkasses, etc, and not to mention their bikes!
such a diverse community. such a great way to truly live life. couldn't have said it better myself. it IS who i am. not what i do.
see ya'll at frankenbike!
-Jessica
bike nerd fo' life, yo
It's good to just get out and leave things behind for awhile. Helps clear my head.
It also makes a great excuse to leave work. "Sorry I can't stay and help with this thing that you just dropped into my lap at 4pm right as I'm leaving. I have to leave now, otherwise I have to deal with rush hour traffic. Can it wait til tomorrow?" Not that traffic is any worse at 5 than it is at 4, but really. 4pm? Sorry, dude.
Yeah, that's been nice too. There's exactly 1 bus line and 1 stop time that services the area I work, so if I'm not on that bus at 4:45 in the afternoon, I have a long, heavily trafficked ride home.