My Wheels and Gears are Spinning

"Kids, he said, have a better understanding of bikes than I do. He told me about what happened when he assigned his junior high class to draw pictures of people doing things on bikes-'whatever you imagine,' he'd said.

One student drew his father on a superbike, vaulting the border from Mexico. Another drew a comic: Bike riders rob a bank, pedal to evade police, and use the money to open a business.

Evidence of moral weakness? No. Evidence of how powerful the desire to live in the United States, and participate in our prosperity, can be. And of the central role the bicycle plays in that dream.

Ask your friends why they ride. To summit mountains, to swoop along singletrack, to lose weight, to get fit. To see things. To feel free. Francisco Orellano doesn't ride to be seen. He rides to become free."

That's an excerpt from an article I found via BikeSnob NYC's comment section from one of his recent posts. The 2006 Utne article, found here, is a touching one, and really hit on something J and I were talking about over pizza last night.

(The pizza from Lupi's, might I add, had as many vegetables as we could cram on it with feta. The last few bites are still sitting on my desk! Nom nom nom...)

Why do I ride a bike? Because it's fun, efficient and gets me to work and other places with relative ease. I don't seek the responsibility that comes with a car. I simply want to be free of maintenance, fees, care and, well, fees. Regardless of the desire or lack thereof for a car, I too reek of the snobby cyclist, always wanting more "gear," a fancier bike and some sort of intangible (or tangible) recognition. Bike lanes, no bike lanes, folks who slow down, folks who wave, folks who blow by. As I finally realized last night, none of those things matter. It doesn't matter if I try to sway people into riding more often, or riding at all. Riding a bicycle, for me and for many people I know, is enjoyable, effective and gets them places, as I said before. And I think I should leave it at that.

I started reading the BSNYC this summer. The guy really has a way with words, I won't lie, and makes some legitimate cracks on all kinds of cycling-related topics, cities, "cultures," and ideas. But at the end of the day/ride, isn't my indulgence in that type of humor similar to my over-indulgence in "gear" and fancy STUFF? When really what I like most about bicycling is it's simplicity?

...

So these thoughts have been tumbling around more than usual. So have recipes for curry tempeh, a co-worker's buttermilk biscuits and dinner with my parents tonight. That Utne magazine story was wonderful insight into the luxuries I am afforded as a greedy American. I feel my innocent and angry zest has grown frosty this December, and it seems like a good thing.