Everyday Bike
When people meet me they sometimes think I would always ride a fancy bike. But most days I ride a very plain hybrid. But what she lacks in style, she makes up in attitude. She’s very good at handling situations.
Like when would-be thieves approach her…
…She’s very feisty and doesn’t take any shit. She can handle whatever the city throws in her path.
Which is how she earned the name “Tank.”
However, Tank is a bit insecure sometimes. Especially around bike geeks.
So sometimes she gets angry and turns that attitude on me. She does things like finding a way to get her first flat tire in three years. In the pouring rain.
Okay, so she did get a little extra attention for that. And some down time.
She didn’t account for the fact I do have a fancier bike that I’ve been too nervous to ride in the city. But after a week on my other bike, I’m getting used to the idea of a better quality ride. So maybe I have been checking out other bicycles a little bit. Shhh…
Eh, you’ll always come back to your old faithful. When I ride my favorite bike to school, I spend half the day running outside to make sure she’s still there. When I ride my Bruiser to school, I spend that time going for coffee and reading.
The ride is considerably better on my Baby, but those twenty minutes don’t override the stress of worrying about other people lusting over her all day.
I nearly got bitten by a pit bull who was tied on a very long leash to a bike rack at the grocery last week, It didn’t take kindly to my wanting to walk past it to get to my own bike. Had to go into the street because it was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and lunged at me when I tried to walk past. Inconvenient, but it would make a great security device- bring a pit bull with you at all times to deter thieves.
And I wish my bike could ride over bike-lane scofflaws like that- Casey Neistat should have tried that on his bike lane blocking video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ
I especially love the “CRUNCH” picture … 🙂 And I have felt the same sense of loyalty/disloyalty to my bikes, but am slowly learning that they each hold their own special place, and since they were chosen carefully and deliberately for their individual function/aesthetic, I value each one, ride each one – from the fanciest to the plainest.
I recently read something that basically said it’s not bad to own fine things that we like – as long as we *genuinely* like, cherish and make use of them (rather than owning them as status symbols, I suppose). We should thoughtfully chose the items that truly enhance our existence – especially those that we use every day, the ones that aren’t necessarily luxury items, but the ordinary pieces of our day. “The every day object is the monarch of all objects” … and for some of us, it will be the bikes that transport us, the bikes we love.
Honestly, officer, I just didn’t see him parked in the bike lane. I wasn’t looking for a car.
This is so true – I love how your bike’s nicknamed Tank – I call my bike The Beast, I think “everyday bikes” lend themselves to unsentimental names. I really want to get a nice vintage touring bike, but I’d be too nervous to ride one to work, where I have to leave my bike locked up on the street all day. The Beast is a sturdy little carthorse which takes me wherever I need to go, not a pretty show pony that would attract thieves. But every now and then I feel like, given how much I think/talk/obsess about bikes, maybe I should be riding something a little nicer?
“I think “everyday bikes” lend themselves to unsentimental names”
Ditto.
My aged hybrid is called “The Monster” (short for “The Flying Purple People Eater”). It has recently been feeling a little left out because “The Ninja”, a folder (also purple), has taken it’s place on my commute. The folder avoids some of the lock-up angst. Neither of them will impress bike geeks, unless they’re Reynolds steel fans.
Wonderful drawings!
“Love the one your with…” and if possible ,”leave with the one that brought you”. My bike is not glamorous, its comfy and I know all her short comings. She will eventually let me down, that’s why I keep a back-up, and an eye out for strays. =) As bikes go I’m a committed bachelor and appreciate experience, simplicity and durability. What good is going fast if you got nothing to enjoy once you get there? LOL this sounds like a singles ad.