Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bikes in Storage
Well, it comes down to this. I am traveling for a bit this summer, and have moved out of my apartment, and I am going out of country. So the bikes of mine (sweet little bikes of mine, they gonna let their love light shine!) are in storage. My main bike was literally the last thing I put away, as I held onto it to use until the very last moment. I will miss them, though of course, not in the same way as the people I love. I'll probably still post here though, as in Iceland, there may very well be biking opportunities or related stories. Anyone been to Iceland by the way and want to pass on your story? If it is bicycle related I'll even post it as a guest blogger post.
I am even hoping to get my hands on a used bike while at the forest house I'll be living at to ride around the country roads, or maybe there is already one or two sitting there waiting for riders, after all, lots of itinerant travelers come and go for this internship position, and you would think someone had gone through the trouble of having some bikes on hand? We'll see. peace.
Listening to: Sigur Ros
I am even hoping to get my hands on a used bike while at the forest house I'll be living at to ride around the country roads, or maybe there is already one or two sitting there waiting for riders, after all, lots of itinerant travelers come and go for this internship position, and you would think someone had gone through the trouble of having some bikes on hand? We'll see. peace.
Listening to: Sigur Ros
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Left for Good
Well, I guess this is an example of what can happen when you are lax about locking up your bike properly. What I do when parking in any public place is use the dual lock method. Lightweight cord lock around frame, and rack, and through front wheel; then U-lock through rear wheel, frame and rack. This protects everything.
As you can see, this unfortunate soul only had their front wheel locked up, and someone made off with the rear wheel, which according to my knowledge is the second most expensive part of a bike to replace after the frame when you consider it contains the wheel, frame and cog set.
I had at first thought maybe this rider just had a flat and took the rear wheel home to replace it, but alas, I've been keeping an eye on this beauty as I walk by on occasion crossing the S.U. campus, and it has been in this location and in this condition for about a whole year now. Vandalized and abandoned, wonder when the S.U. staff will remove this bike?
Friday, May 09, 2008
Along for a Walk
While riding home on Thursday, I spied my friend Nate walking his bike along the side of the road. Naturally I pulled over to check in and say hi, see what was up, though anyone could have guessed it was a flat necessitating his pushing his bike home. And it was, he didn't know what caused it. Just rode into campus in the morning fine, then come to get his bike for the return trip in the late afternoon, and flatness greeted him.
So I hadn't seen Nate to chat in a while, and this was a good opportunity to do so. Our routes are the same, at least they were today as I was not veering off the main road but just intent on getting home. So I walked him to his apartment house before continuing on further to mine.
This just reminds me though of one of the reasons why, when distance and time is not a factor, that I have been choosing to walk rather than bike. We speed by each other most of the time when on bikes just as if we are in cars. Sure there is the occasional pulling up to a stoplight at the same time and exchanging a few words, but nothing like walking and talking for 20 or 30 minutes will get you. And in general I find my mind works better when my legs are doing their job. Whether it is just chatting, or believe it or not, studying for an exam, or practicing a presentation, getting the whole body in motion energizes the mind, and I find at least, energizes a conversation as well.
So I hadn't seen Nate to chat in a while, and this was a good opportunity to do so. Our routes are the same, at least they were today as I was not veering off the main road but just intent on getting home. So I walked him to his apartment house before continuing on further to mine.
This just reminds me though of one of the reasons why, when distance and time is not a factor, that I have been choosing to walk rather than bike. We speed by each other most of the time when on bikes just as if we are in cars. Sure there is the occasional pulling up to a stoplight at the same time and exchanging a few words, but nothing like walking and talking for 20 or 30 minutes will get you. And in general I find my mind works better when my legs are doing their job. Whether it is just chatting, or believe it or not, studying for an exam, or practicing a presentation, getting the whole body in motion energizes the mind, and I find at least, energizes a conversation as well.
