"How can I convey the perfection of my comfort on the bicycle, the completeness of my union with her, the sweet responses she gave me at every particle of her frame? I felt that I had known her for many years and that she had known her for many years and that she had known me and that we understood each other utterly." - Flann O'Brien
I've mentioned my love affair with the bicycle before, haven't I?
;-)
The bicycle has meaning here in Europe. Is is a legitimate form of transportation, used by millions every day. If you live in a large city, a bicycle is ideal - no problems with parking, no poisonous emissions, and you can transport a small amount of cargo, more than what you could by bus or streetcar. Should you be so bold as to ride your bike to work, you are not immediately labeled as a environmental freedom-fighter or super eco-freak. More likely that you are trying to keep fit and want to spend a little less on fuel every month.
I am attracted to the duality of the bicycle: it is both simple and complex at the same time. Most people don't consider the engineering that goes into a bike, the geometry, the mathematics, the physics that allow a bike to function and stay upright. They only understand that if they pedal fast enough, they won't fall over.
No other machine is so well distributed. There are roughly twice as many bicycles in the world than automobiles. Many of the technical developments for bicycles have revolutionized industry.
The bicycle has helped alleviate poverty in many countries. It has been a force in the emancipation of women. It is a common connection between generations and it serves as a catalyst for personal freedom around the world.
Try that in your Ford.
Things that happen via bike that you probably didn't know about:
Mail delivery
Pizza delivery
Police patrol (I did this back in '94-95)
Paramedic Response
Bicycle Infantry
The bicycle, in a word:
Aren't we all looking for some?
With that, I bid you all Peace and say "Go change the world. Ride your bike"
Jake
1 comment:
Jason Kozaren ¡¡WTF!! Speaking of biking I remember when you rode your bike to my house one dark night and thought it would be fun to establish a speed record for a driveway approach only to crash into the random 3 feet of curb between the mile of usable driveway between our house and the neighbors(that's about 1 meter and 1,600 meters if you feel more comfortable with metric system now that you are "European"). If memory serves you practically totalled your bike. Good times.
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