For the first time this year, my bike got out of the garage and onto the road.
Now, I should explain I am not (absolutely not) in any way a serious biker. I like smooth surfaces and nice weather. Today, a quick trip to the bank (about to shut, hence walking was too slow) had both - thanks to a recent resurface of my road which transformed it from its Damascus-style shelled look to a near-mirrored surface. I should also say that my bike is a super-cheap ebay special with no suspension whatever, whose best feature is its super-comfy discount store padded saddle.
It was great! I was almost beaming as I zoomed along with minimal effort, breeze in my face and a real sense of movement. How lovely to travel really rather fast, yet not to worry about the speed limit! (In practice, very unlikely to be breaking it, but that's how it felt). How handy to park right outside the bank with no fear of traffic wardens or traffic chaos.
It's funny how, each Winter, I forget that my bike is a great form of local transport. So glad to remember it, each Spring!
Dave says: I like to think of myself as a semi-serious biker, but I also like smooth surfaces and nice weather. In fact, I've been known to refuse to start planned bike rides if there's anything rainy going on. (Biking and specs wearing in the wet don't mix well). And don't get me started on the cobbles they like to use for surfacing roads in my adopted city of Berlin. All hail your local roadmenders! I also live in London(potholed to hell),where you wouldn't just park up your bike and nip into the bank without fixing a Fort Knox-strength lock to your mount first. Cycling is still a brilliant way to get around, and the bicycle in my view one of the greatest inventions in human history. Anyone else got a view on that??
ReplyDeleteI'm told it took political pressure to get the road fixed. And one pleasure of suburban life is that there's no need for a lock, most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree, the bike is everything from kids' first sense of speed to medics' transport in developing countries. All the best ideas are simple.