The Return of The Two Wheeler
I just got my favorite bike back. It hasn’t been gone or anything. But it has, for a year or so, had a motor mounted to it … which is another story, except to say that the motor was an awesome chinese two-stroke disaster that was anything but green. The motor is destined for another junker frame I saved from the dump, and this bike, my Two Wheeler, has been restored to it’s pure and simple, single-speed (=slow) glory.
Today I was thinking about how environmentally perfect my bike is, and how I’ve often bragged about it over the years, feeling superior to Prius drivers, etc, etc. But I realized today, as I was pedaling around town, enjoying my resurrected roller, that I don’t ride bikes because they are green. At least, that was never a reason for me to start, nor was it why I fell in love with bikes. I ride bikes because bike riding is fun. Sure, I love that my fuel is yummy food, not stinky petroleum. I love that I don’t create greenhouse gasses and I love that I don’t make noise and air pollution. But I really just love riding bikes: that’s mainly why I started, and that’s mainly why I don’t give it up.
I love the freedom of it. I love the wind, the lack of traffic, the simplicity of the machine. I love that I can build and fix bikes with my kids. I love that I am not limited to streets, but can ride in a field, along a trail, and even the wrong way on a one-way street (carefully). I love weaving gently back and forth when the sun is shining and I’m wearing flip-flops and just rolling along without really pedaling at all. Riding is freedom to me. But more to the point, riding bikes makes me feel like a child.
I can admit that I don’t ride my bike because it’s green. I’m so glad that it is, really, but that’s not why I love it.
As I was having this moment of honest self-evaluation, I wondered how many other childlike, innocent pleasures there are that are naturally good for the environment? To put the question another way, when do we become old enough that our tools and toys become as much a danger to our environment as they are a solution to our problems?
I agree! yesterday I drove 2 miles to urgent care – would normally have ridden my bike but I was feeling sick. and to get home I had to circle around an extra mile or two because its just too difficult to take a left turn out of the parking lot. it would have been so easy on my bike …
tammy
2011/02/20 at 10:10 am
Boy you nailed it. Hate the extra laps!
dmaddalena
2011/02/20 at 1:05 pm
I miss my bike. Your post made me miss it even more!
I gave up biking when I moved to the Bay Area from San Diego for a couple reasons. One of which was the lack of bike space on the roads. As a kid I lived with country roads, bike paths and nice bike roads which went from our house 12 miles away to the ocean. I really miss coming home mentally rejuvenated and every single muscle spent at the same time. I never used my bike to go places in particular (well except when abroad), I would just ride to ride. Trying to ride in San Jose I was left with only wracked nerves and lungs full of exhaust. Maybe Los Altos is a little more bike friendly? After some near collisions I gave it up altogether.
Darla
2011/02/23 at 9:52 pm
No, it’s not much safer. Plenty of near misses (and one hit) over the years. But I ride anyways, trying to get off the traffic-y roads
dmaddalena
2011/02/24 at 12:34 am