I wasn’t thinking about it as I traversed the trails, highways and byways, me, shuffling from a trailer park to the post office and then back home again, or, I wasn’t thinking about it until I happened to see a bicycle.
No ordinary bicycle, nope, not that one. It had a front set of forks with telescopic tubes, rubber dust boots, like old-school dirt bikes, a weird mono-shock rear end, I’m guessing upwards of 24 gears, and a strong lock. Lock was probably the heaviest part of the bike, again, I’m guessing here, but I’m sure it was built out of “unobtainium,” which is a special alloy of only the lightest, strongest, most tensile strength, highest-priced material around.
Cool wheels.
I was slurping the grounds out of an iced-espresso, shirt in one hand, sandals going “flip-flop” on the pavement, wondering.
Previously linked, and I can’t find it now, there was story about a guy who dropped out of one world and became a bicycle messenger. For fun and profit. What I recall, and I might have this wrong – heavens won’t be the first time I was incorrect – but what I recall was that he suggested a single speed bike for messenger work. and if it was an expensive frame? Cover in trashy decals to hide that fact, maybe a can of cheap spray paint – make it less of a target.
I was doing a little, kind of idle, mental compare and contrast, and which lifestyle would I prefer? I kind of like the one I’ve got. Simple.
Set of wheels like that one bike? Set me back two months work, minimum, I’m guessing. Me, personally? I’d be afraid to leave something that nice locked up downtown while I sauntered into a coffee shop for an afternoon libation, or worse, for an hour long reading. I’d be afraid. To be sure, there’s at least one or two places I wouldn’t be afraid to leave it, but then, those are places where I’m known asa regular, and in these parts, neighbors do look out for each other.
But otherwise? Not likely. I’m more along the lines of that bicycle courier’s tome about a durable, not-afraid-to-crash-it, single-speed. Day in, day out, hard daily use? That’s what it’s about.
Footnote to advertising:
Via a Capricorn’s web log, a note about trust. Issues. Whatever.
