perhaps you can help me understand why i have this deep-seated compulsion to own a bike that is the antithesis of the slick machines that take care of my need to move from point a to point b. for reasons i can't articulate, i am drawn to old english bikes like the raleighs with the three-speed sturmey archer and i get the same sort of butterflies-in-the-gut feeling i get when i see a bike that is far beyond my pecuniary abilities to afford and even more importantly - which couldn't possibly be rationalized to
she who provides reason to my life.
maybe that's what makes my heart sing when i watch this very short but oh-so-lovely video on the hero bike.
I love the clip, Steven. And I echo so many of your sentiments toward such machines (all 25 kilos of it!). The story told here is priceless. Taking apart the bike, including the spokes out of the wheels, and bringing it to London from Uganda in a suitcase. A race to the "center of the earth". The idea that "a Hero bike does work well until it's a least three months old, until everything that needs to fall off has fallen off", strikes me as a metaphor for spiritual development, although human souls need a lot more than three months in most cases (mine anyway).
ReplyDeleteWe live in such car cultures. I have a car; very practical, even necessary, but no car, no matter how sleek or deluxe or vintage or anything, could ever say as much to me as a bicycle, especially when described as lovingly as in this video.
For some inexplicable reason, I have not gone out for a ride in 7 weeks and it has gotten me in a bit of a funk. Today I will ride. Thanks.
hi lorenzo. i ride my bike every day - i don't drive and have never learned how. some people think it's a political statement but it isn't in fact. it's something to do with how my life and lifestyle evolved. having said that, there are many cars i'd love to drive such as the citroen 2cv, any morgan, some of the lotus, and many others. both my bikes are good at getting me and my stuff places but there are days (such as each day this week when the morning temperature has been two to seven degrees below zero celsius) when i could wish for more creature comforts! steven
ReplyDeleteWhatever goes wrong you could repare with the hammer line speaks to me :O)
ReplyDeleteI now no other than this kind of old,trustful,heavy bikes which I repare myself and I love them! And for you is this maybe an outcome,for some more comfort during the winter
http://www.leitra.dk/news.php
http://www.ligfietswinkel.nl/images/stories/ligfiets/waw_velomobiel.jpg
http://www.recumbent-gallery.eu/recumbent-dealers-around-the-world-1/
Take care!
Aleks
aleks!!! oh my - so cool to see you surface again!!! i am wondering very big time about the deep snow rides and how they might feel if i had a big old bike instead of the carbon fibre sweetdreams i usually fly around on. a man in town here and i have hooked up and he has a dutch bike - it's called a "gazelle". i'm going to drop in and see him as he's restoring it. it's gonna be a lot of money but i'm saving up for something like it. thanks for the links. i'm going there now. here's a hug across the atlantic. steven
ReplyDeleteOh my,I can not believe that you must pay huge amount of money for this kind of bikes,we find them abandoned on the streets sometimes,all covered by rust(some were dragged out of water from street canals) but thats no problem,you see,little iron brush over the rust,little grease and up you go,on your way,and Gazzele is one of my favorites,she (if we talk of a lady's bike)
ReplyDeletehas a beautiful line,frame is gorgeous and gracious comparing to other,more robust sorts of bikes.I could go on for hours about this but :O) I must go and sleep some,tomorrow I wanted to give my balcony plant-box/pergola a fresh layer of paint,Monday is temperature under the 0 so I hope it will be dry weather,I did the first layer in raining condition!! A very good hug you give :O) thank you,it came at good moment,a hug for you too and fingers cross for you to find some affordable `Oldtimer` or a bike to lay back on and relax,although I have no clue if thats even possible trough the snow? Take care Steven
:O)
aleks - i haven't seen the gazelle yet but the man who is restoring it (him/her) says it is big and heavy and like a rolls-royce! i'm thinking about changing my route to school, taking longer and going slower and sitting differently and thinking about lighting on the bike and everything. but forst i have to see it! good luck with the painting. today i buried my daughter's bunny. she was soft and white and lived five years. then she decided to die. it took her four days. then sunrise came and she flew away. steven
ReplyDeleteCould not sleep,again,it is nearly frozen outside,heard wild geese and took some fresh air before making me a nice cup of coffee with honey,milk and cinnamon.That will do, :)
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for the white bunny of you little girl,but I hope that the bunny is on even better place now! White bunny came to a backyard of my parents home last year and with him my dad finally got some motivation to move around,cause he simply was to weak to walk,no strength in his muscles,I heard that the last month white bunny went away so my papa is in bed again,I must try to go for visit finally,after 4 long,lonely years of not seeing them,to talk to him,to ask him not to fly away before im strong enough to cope,I love my papa dearly! I told mom to by him a new bunny or what ever will get him to move! :O)
And about the bike,I found another link to those crazy bikes called velomobiles!Ciao!
Leks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6WLGcRHFVY
velomobile winter set up
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWX1Bq5Xg_A
Niagara Velomobile Happening 2007 #5
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWKzld900p8
cab-bike winter quebec 02
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