I never used to be a bike person. I had a bike when I was a kid, and probably liked riding it. I only have a couple of memories that involve bikes. I remember the first time I learned to ride a bike, no training wheels or anything. My dad took me and my new bike up to Uintah Elementary School on the big blacktop playground. He held under my seat as I started pedaling, he ran along for a few seconds and then away I went. The rush of the wind on my face melded with the euphoria of achievement. I was probably six at the time.
The other great memory I have is as a teenager. I was loosely involved in Boy Scouts and the best part of that were the summer “super activities”. Fifty mile hikes around Three Sisters, canoe trips, homemade kayaks that actually work. One year we did a hybrid activity: Rock climbing and mountain biking. We went to Smith Rock and spent three days rock climbing. On our off days we were bombing down trails on our mountain bikes. It was an adrenaline rush like no other. But it didn’t translate into anything in real life. I got home, by mountain bike sat abandoned in the garage.
Then one day in spring of 2007 I was driving my car. It was sunny outside, and I just got sick of it. I wasn’t in terrible traffic or anything. I just decided, I’m sick of driving everywhere in my car. And that’s when it all started.
I have gotten in the habit of over-researching things that I am just learning about. Meg calls it obsessing. I call it doing the homework I never did in high school. I asked friends who were serious bike people. I started living on Craigslist’s bike section, hunting garage sales, going to used bike shops, asking questions, formulating opinions, etc. One of the great moments came early on in my obsession (let’s call a spade a spade) when I was talking with my friend Nicholas. He simply explained to me how you didn’t need the singlets, spandex, body hugging, race wear. Since I didn’t know anything about anything, this was news. And good news. He sent me off to Rivendell Bicycle Works website to read, read and read some more. I learned about sizes, clothes, pedals, footwear, etc. A lot of knowledge over a short amount of time. It was motivating. I wanted a good bike, but I didn’t know what that would cost. I certainly wasn’t prepared to spend too many hundreds, let alone thousands. I balked at the price when Nicholas showed me the two bikes he owned (the Quickbeam and the Atlantis).
Then one day, Meg called me on her way to the office. She’d spotted a bike at a garage sale, I should take a look. $65 later I was the proud owner of a Centurion Le Mans, circa late 1970’s. Green.
That’s my first bike.
I figured a fixer upper was the right choice, make sure I wasn’t going to join the masses by getting really excited and then abandoning it after a few months. Anybody can enjoy riding to work in the beautiful Oregon summers. It’s the winter drudge that will turn you back into a car person. I went to work, replaced the wheels, tires and tubes, brake pads, handle bars, bar tape, brake and shifter cables, put on some bar end shifters. I did a fair amount of the work myself, which was a change for me. I’m not the handiest guy around. But a bike is simple. It’s a great place to start learning to be handy. You can figure things out, read a bit, and learn quickly.
I rode through the summer. Into the fall. It started raining, and I rode. It snowed, and I rode. Winter ‘07 turned to spring ‘08 and I was still riding. I was a serious bike commuter. I was ready for the big time.
Read Part II of my bike journey: How I lost my mind and bought the big one
GREAT BIKE WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT IN THE MEANTIME: bikeportland, velo-orange, ecovelo, ANT bikes, Clever Cycles (check out that bakfiesten!)
Tags: Bikes, rivendell, stories
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