It's just a bike!
09-12-20, 10:16 PM
#1
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It's just a bike!
It's just a bike. In fact it's just the latest in a long line of bikes I have owned and while this one is the most technologically advanced (titanium frame, S&S couplers, electronic shifting, 1x12 gearing) it is still just a bike. To borrow from Lance Armstrong's (#cheater, #dopestrong ) book, "It's not about the Bike."
On the other hand it's more than a bike. As a kid, the bike to me was a symbol of freedom. From College Street to Main Street and 18th Street to Seerley Blvd until the streetlights came on it defined the boundaries of my world. As a young teen living on Guam, my bike let me explore the Jeep trails and back roads of the island. In high school I started riding with the local club, raced whenever I could and rode the first of a dozed complete RAGBRAIs at 14. When I started college I had the adventure of a lifetime riding solo from the Boston area to Quebec City over the mountains of New Hampshire and Maine.
Somewhere along the way life got busy and my riding slowed down. I gained weight and got out of shape. About 10 years ago, I got my wife into riding and we have been riding together. We now plan vacations around places we want to bike.
Finally after a stroke, a triple bypass, a heart valve replacement and losing 70 lbs ... I feel like a kid again on the bike. I am definitely not as fast as I used to be -- I just feel comfortable, like I belong on the bike. Like the bike is once again an extension of myself. When I ride, I can get into a zone where my legs just move and the miles roll by. For the first time in years I have started climbing out of the saddle like I did when I was young. On this trip out East, while riding down the Virginia Creeper Trail (way to rough for road bikes) I found myself 'bunny hopping' my road bike at speed onto and off of the numerous bridges.
It may be just a bike ... but to me -- once again -- it's freedom!
On the other hand it's more than a bike. As a kid, the bike to me was a symbol of freedom. From College Street to Main Street and 18th Street to Seerley Blvd until the streetlights came on it defined the boundaries of my world. As a young teen living on Guam, my bike let me explore the Jeep trails and back roads of the island. In high school I started riding with the local club, raced whenever I could and rode the first of a dozed complete RAGBRAIs at 14. When I started college I had the adventure of a lifetime riding solo from the Boston area to Quebec City over the mountains of New Hampshire and Maine.
Somewhere along the way life got busy and my riding slowed down. I gained weight and got out of shape. About 10 years ago, I got my wife into riding and we have been riding together. We now plan vacations around places we want to bike.
Finally after a stroke, a triple bypass, a heart valve replacement and losing 70 lbs ... I feel like a kid again on the bike. I am definitely not as fast as I used to be -- I just feel comfortable, like I belong on the bike. Like the bike is once again an extension of myself. When I ride, I can get into a zone where my legs just move and the miles roll by. For the first time in years I have started climbing out of the saddle like I did when I was young. On this trip out East, while riding down the Virginia Creeper Trail (way to rough for road bikes) I found myself 'bunny hopping' my road bike at speed onto and off of the numerous bridges.
It may be just a bike ... but to me -- once again -- it's freedom!
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09-13-20, 05:32 PM
#2
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Originally Posted by wooljersey
..................................................... it's freedom!
09-13-20, 05:38 PM
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Looks good! Got the old school frame pump.
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09-13-20, 10:00 PM
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I like your attitude and your bike. Be safe and keep riding as long as you can.
Frank.
Frank.
09-14-20, 04:22 AM
#5
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Nice bike. I take good care of, and love riding, my bikes, but in the end, they are just bikes. I used to let nicks, scratches and such, bother me. I still try to minimize such things, but, I know if they are used, they are going to get wear and tear no matter how careful I may be.
09-14-20, 05:28 AM
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I had quadruple by-pass surgery and two stents two summers ago and just recently started biking with my wife. We are loving it!! When I'm riding it not only helps me physically but mentally as well. When we finish our ride we are already looking forward to the next time we are out! You're attitude is encouraging to this new rider!
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09-14-20, 07:44 AM
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I had returned to cycling after many years away, and had built up my mileage to around 3k a year over a 6-year period, when I had my heart attack and quadruple bypass at 42. The medical personnel contended that the heart strengthening I had done through cycling is the primary reason I'm still around, and I was blessed to only have a little scar tissue but no real functional damage. I built back up to my prior mileage, tapered off, but now I am back on the bike again, 16 years later. I could reel off a bunch of reasons - health, environmental stuff, politics, blah, blah, blah - but the simple truth is, I ride my bike so that I can ride my bike, because I love riding my bike. It's an awesome experience.
09-14-20, 11:38 AM
#9
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Bicycling has been a game changer and a life saver for me since I took it up in 1962 and started cycling seriously in 1968. It has enabled me to beat inherited tendencies toward obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. My mother-in-law comments on how easy it is to buy clothes for me, because my sizes never change. We are told it is crucial to work on balance and coordination, two things that do not come naturally to me, as we age. My wife has her ballet lessons, and I have my bicycling.
As an engineer, I love doing my own bicycle repairs and modifications. It was working on bicycles during middle school that gave me the confidence to work on all things mechanical and electrical, to the point that I am very comfortable doing my own appliance repairs and most of my automobile and home repairs. My wife's nickname for me is "Bicycle Repairman," after the Monty Python skit, and I have often been told, on arriving home from work, that "we have a job for Bicycle Repairman." I have successfully instilled this self-reliance in my sons, as well, and now I am working on the grandsons.
Bicycling has also been a valuable socializer for me, since I have met a number of fine people on the road and online.
To those who have recently rediscovered cycling, welcome back onboard!
As an engineer, I love doing my own bicycle repairs and modifications. It was working on bicycles during middle school that gave me the confidence to work on all things mechanical and electrical, to the point that I am very comfortable doing my own appliance repairs and most of my automobile and home repairs. My wife's nickname for me is "Bicycle Repairman," after the Monty Python skit, and I have often been told, on arriving home from work, that "we have a job for Bicycle Repairman." I have successfully instilled this self-reliance in my sons, as well, and now I am working on the grandsons.
Bicycling has also been a valuable socializer for me, since I have met a number of fine people on the road and online.
To those who have recently rediscovered cycling, welcome back onboard!
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
09-14-20, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by wooljersey
...I had the adventure of a lifetime riding solo from the Boston area to Quebec City over the mountains of New Hampshire and Maine.
And I see from the sticker on your bike that you rode in Colorado, which route did you do? I moved from Boston to Colorado a few years ago just for the cycling (and the skiing, fly fishing, hiking, mtb, all within 1 hour of me) and I 'm actually planning my annual ride up Mt Evans 2 days from now.
09-14-20, 01:07 PM
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I buy them new, buy them expensive, ride the crap out of them, and enjoy the hell out of them. My most recent purchase, a Domane SLR 7 with Di2, is my best one yet. It was a guilt-free purchase which I gladly pursued.
When I’m riding, I’m at one with the bike. Hard to describe the feeling entirely, but it’s a part of me.
I ain’t done yet, and may never be.
When I’m riding, I’m at one with the bike. Hard to describe the feeling entirely, but it’s a part of me.
I ain’t done yet, and may never be.
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Ride hard and ride on......
Ride hard and ride on......
09-15-20, 06:22 AM
#12
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I often think about that word "freedom" which is exactly how I describe it when I get on the bike and how apparent it was during this time of pandemic in the spring, when everything was in lockdown. I just grabbed my bike and socially isolated wherever I went and didn't have to worry about contact with other people ( or cars in the early days, which was amazing!).
I often think that we are the last generation to understand this as the youth of today grew up getting "drives" to their destinations instead of having parents say, "you have a bike, use it" like we used to. As a kid, I remember waking up, throwing on some clothes and jumping on the bike and just going somewhere. Something my kids didn't really do and once they got their license, the bikes just sat idle in the garage.
For me, now it's not "just a bike" but "bikes" ha ha. Got a bit of an addiction and keep growing my collection, which I know is small compared to any others on this forum!
I often think that we are the last generation to understand this as the youth of today grew up getting "drives" to their destinations instead of having parents say, "you have a bike, use it" like we used to. As a kid, I remember waking up, throwing on some clothes and jumping on the bike and just going somewhere. Something my kids didn't really do and once they got their license, the bikes just sat idle in the garage.
For me, now it's not "just a bike" but "bikes" ha ha. Got a bit of an addiction and keep growing my collection, which I know is small compared to any others on this forum!
09-15-20, 06:24 AM
#13
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Congratulations on your return. Ride on.
09-15-20, 08:35 AM
#14
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Congrats on getting back into riding. And congrats on losing 70lbs!
It's not just a bike. It's a pathway to freedom, health, and life. Enjoy!
It's not just a bike. It's a pathway to freedom, health, and life. Enjoy!
09-19-20, 09:27 AM
#16
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As Freud once said (didn't he?), sometimes a bike is just a bike.
09-19-20, 06:02 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by bargeon
As Freud once said (didn't he?), sometimes a bike is just a bike.
09-19-20, 06:34 PM
#18
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Originally Posted by wthensler
I buy them new, buy them expensive, ride the crap out of them, and enjoy the hell out of them. My most recent purchase, a Domane SLR 7 with Di2, is my best one yet. It was a guilt-free purchase which I gladly pursued.
When I’m riding, I’m at one with the bike. Hard to describe the feeling entirely, but it’s a part of me.
I ain’t done yet, and may never be.
When I’m riding, I’m at one with the bike. Hard to describe the feeling entirely, but it’s a part of me.
I ain’t done yet, and may never be.
when my last one got off the family payroll, I bought a Emonda SLR Project One with all the good stuff. At the time I was driving a 15 year old Civic with 250,000 miles and didn't car. 6 seasons later I have 26,000 miles on the bike and everytime i ride it it still brings a smile. When i'm on the bike and suffering, all my problems are gone and my stress has melted away long ago. It's cheaper than a shrink. Every week, i clean it and adjust anything that needed attention, because when it's running right, and it always is... i'm in heaven.
It's not just a bike, it's my sanity.
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09-20-20, 03:46 PM
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Granted they are just bikes, but in a good way you do get somewhat attached to them.
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09-22-20, 04:53 PM
#20
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it all depends how much time you spend together and how much you are thinking about her
09-23-20, 01:07 PM
#21
Recusant Iconoclast
While there are those who predict that the inevitable future is "the singularity," the bicycle is perhaps currently the analog version.
09-23-20, 05:55 PM
#22
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What was that Hall & Oates song (?) - I'm just a kid don't make me feel like a man.
09-25-20, 07:00 PM
#23
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Nice looking bike.There's something special about a bike that just disappears under you and magically transports you where you want to go.
09-28-20, 02:28 AM
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Congratulations on the nice bike! Excellent call going with the S&S couplers- enjoy.
09-29-20, 06:43 PM
#25
Member
I also feel attached to my bikes. Sometimes I look at my bikes and understand why they used to hang horse thieves in the old days. No, I'm not advocating capital punishment for bike thieves, although it would cut down on the problem😁.
Last edited by MAK; 09-30-20 at 06:08 PM.
