I've thought and thought about why I like to ride bikes, and I really don't have a concrete answer. Bikes are beautiful; I feel good after a ride, but I hate exercise per se; I love to tour on a bike, but I hate the hassle of business travel; I have kept up with this web site and another one,
http://www.bicycletexas.com/ for a long time, but I won't check the news on the web; I can't drive past a bicycle shop without stopping; and, I really don't understand the addiction--and it is an addiction.
Perhaps, in this complicated world of hustle and bustle, the bike represents a simpler and more basic lifestyle.
So, I guess the question is, and it has been asked here probably countless times, "What do you like so much about bicycles, and what keeps you riding?"