It was a beauty, complete with banana seat, high handlebars, streamers, and a large basket with fake roses. The tires constantly needed air. The bike smelled like goats, who also lived in the carriage house. No matter, it was wheels in motion, and it was mine.
So, I want a bike again. I do actually have a bike, but it was a gift from a boyfriend, the one who is now my husband. He had the mistaken notion that he and I would mountain bike together up craggy hills and cliffs, bouncing down over boulders and fallen logs.
Meanwhile, his brother is more of the Italian road racing biker dude. Dapper in his clip-in shoes, he bikes off for 50 miles at a stretch.
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| What? |
See, I'm different. I want to return to those days when I biked UPRIGHT, not hunched over the handlebars. I want to ride and sniff the mown lawns. I'm a dawdler, not a speed demon.
I just remembered something: road and mountain bikes leave off the kickstand because it's "not cool" and adds weight. You know what? That kickstand is useful. I'm post menopausal and I don't care about being cool anymore.
Ditto with the long bar thingie that runs right down the middle of the bike. I have to stop, throw my leg over it, dismount, let my bike fall to the ground (remember, no kickstand) and throw my leg back over it when I want to get back on the trail. Since I never got the hang of the "stand on the pedal and mount / dismount" technique, I want that split rail design that allows me to quietly step on and off. In a skirt, if I so choose.
I just realized what I'm going to look like when I do get my old school, retro bike with kickstand, basket, upright handles, and skirt bar:
NOT THIS:
BUT THIS:
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