I bought something red. It is a 1971 Schwinn Racer with shiny chrome fenders and it’s in really awesome condition.
On the way home from my new job today, I saw this:
Did I say New Job? Why yes I did. I am working as a bike mechanic for the summer. I get to do something I love and go outside every once in a while, so it is really cool.
Someone posted a message on a bulletin board asking anyone to explain the appeal of fixed gear bikes. The following is my response (slightly edited):
Fixed gear bikes are not for everyone, they are for people who want to experience being one with the bicycle, it’s a very pure form of riding. It is one of those things that has to be experienced to be understood.
I rode bikes regularly for several years before trying one. At first it was scary but as I got used to it, I came to prefer it. I ended up selling all my other bikes.
The fixed gear bike is elegant in its simplicity. There are no extra bits on it to distract from pure and simple riding; it is basically two wheels, a frame, pedals, chain, cogs, a seat and handlebars; nothing more (I added a front brake for emergency stops).
I liked it because there are fewer things to break, so maintenance is quick and simple. I called my fixie my Maintenance Free Bike. I also found that the flywheel effect of the pedals moving with the drive train made it easier to ride in strong headwinds. I also had an incredible amount of control due to being directly connected to the back wheel.
There is also the challenge of learning to ride a fixie well. The goal is not speed as much as it is grace and flow. One challenge I had was to make a trip across town without putting my foot down. I learned how to anticipate traffic, how to slow down for an intersection, and how to anticipate the changing of the traffic lights. I became more aware of my surroundings and I even felt safer on my fixie.
I recently sold my fixie, and I am currently riding an old English 3 speed (built like a tank and ugly). I will probably get another fixie before the year is over because I am starting to miss it already, but it was a little hard on the knees. Writing this makes me want to get another one!
Some people ride fixies to be a part of a crowd, kind of an elitist thing for some, but I rode one because I like simplicity.
A friend of mine has this weird talent, I would break my bones trying to do this.
I sat down for dinner and found an onion on the table. Somebody had sliced a chunk out of it and left it. I asked my friend, Bob, about it and he said it was there when he arrived. So I decided to make it into a dessert.
Enloy!
People like to leave their mark on the sea wall on Lake Michigan. Here is one interesting example. So are all those cave drawings that archaeologists find just simple graffiti?
I was looking outside and noticed a police man blocking traffic. So I went out to investigate and found a street blocked off and all the firefighters and police officers standing around doing nothing.
Then this other truck shows up and it said “Hazardous Rescue” or something like that on the side. I overheard someone say they hit a gas main digging down the street or something.
So since it looked kind of unexciting, I went back to the office.
There was a fire in a building on the next street over. I snapped this picture from the roof of the Wilson Building. I didn’t get there in time to get a shot of the flames shooting out, but I did get a good smoky shot.
The old farm seems like a dream, so long ago. Sometimes I feel like it never happened, but I see these old pictures and I start to remember, it was real. There was something wrong with the camera (or maybe the photographer), and the pictures turned out overexposed. After some fiddling around in Photoshop and iPhoto, I have been able to make them look like the fuzzy memories in my head.
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