The Long Haul (Trucker)

My bicycle is the single most important object in my life right now. A graduation present from my parents, this was the fourth or fifth bike that I test rode before deciding this was the one I wanted. I was expecting a greater struggle to find what I was looking for, but there was no question that this was exactly the bike I was looking for from the first time I rode it.

A brief history of this bike and me: I was convinced to get on it by a baby-faced employee at Big Shark (who questionably still works there), and rode one that was a little too big. I liked the color, the bar-end shifters, and the way that it rode, but was hesitant about the heavier steel frame and even about the drop handlebars in general. I had ridden my previous bike, a hybrid mountain bike, for nearly 9 years, and was used to being totally upright and not going very fast. This bike is not exactly built for speed, but is a big speed improvement on my previous ride. It is, however, built for moving stuff around, as it's generally recognized as a touring bike for longer rides. The steel frame means that it absorbs bumps better, and it's got nice little long distance features like a built-in rack for extra spokes on the frame.

After test riding it the first time, I went home to think about it. There was another bike I wanted to test ride, but they didn't have a single one even close to my size in the city, so I went back to Big Shark to order the bike in my size. A few weeks later, it arrived. I went down (in the middle of a chaotic day at work) and rode it, and then came back the next day to pick it up and have it fitted. From then on, I've been cruising all over the city (and to Belleville, although not back).

So when I rode over the glass yesterday morning and the hissing came screaming out of my back tire, I almost started crying. It was like dropping a baby. I didn't mean to hurt it, but I had. The sad noise it made all the way to the store in the afternoon was way painful, and I tried to carry it to stop it. When I flatted again in the evening, there was no way I could carry it all the way up Grand to the Metro, so I was stuck listening to the squishing noise all the way home.

The dependence that I feel on my bike was suddenly reversed by the dependence that it has on me. As an object, it is not useful or functional (although it is pretty) unless I'm riding it all the time. Yet, I depend on it so fully that when it flatted in the morning, it took me about 3 minutes to figure out how to get to work (I live 10 minutes walking from my office). I couldn't imagine transporting myself without it.

And this is where the paradigm of my bicycle is so different from that of our society. When so many Americans seem to be grappling with what to do now that their cars are unattainable, I'm back in some kind of "primitive world" where I wonder what to do without a bike. Without, I only have walking (which I hate), the bus (which is slow and doesn't go exactly where I want) or bumming rides (less than ideal). To continue my lifestyle, I rely on my two wheels.

So today, after getting it fixed and rolling again, I biked out to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to pick some things up, and just to prove that in fact, I was OK and could go where I wanted to. I
don't have any desire to sever my connection to my bicycle, even if it is an unhealthy attachment. It's too useful to me to deny.

In terms of the design of my bike, there are a few features that define it for me. The steel frame, and the brand itself, although I don't like to admit it, are big selling points. I've randomly won all these cool points with real bikers for having this bike with a steel frame and a Surly tag. The frame does serve my purposes exactly—I'm not feeling shock up and down my arms from the relatively nasty roads I ride on. I love the bar-end shifters for the simplicity of their use, and how they make it possible for me to not worry about shifting while breaking (which on the other road bikes were driving me crazy). I love the size and feel of the handlebars in my hand, which fit me exactly (surprisingly since I'm probably one of the smallest riders of this bike). The geometry of the frame and the ability for so many racks both serve me very well.

So, what I get out of this is that one of the objects I'm best defined by is the one that is the most useful to me, and the one that I rely on the most. As a result, I've developed a deep attachment to it and a commitment to it's wellbeing. Hopefully we can avoid more glass in the future...