My two weeks vacation came up this week, and at the same time my car had a freakout. I started leaking oil, so I had the car towed to my brother's garage. Long story short, the oil filter came loose and I paid him to do a general tuneup(he's saving for a BMX). He's not fast, so I was without a car from last Friday until today. So, without a car I turned to my bikes. Fine by me, as I have a new Gunnar and a Brooks B17 to break in. While using my bike to do everything---shop, ride to the next town for a movie, get mail, etc, I had an epiphany. I understood why I like bicycling. I rode a lot as a kid/teenager, especially in the summer. My days consisted of waking at 8 and riding until 6PM or so, going everywhere and doing everything. I felt that same rush this week. I think cycling is my excuse to act like a kid. I enjoy sprinting from stoplights, crossing 4 lane divided highways, hopping curbs, and flying through parking lots. I know that's kind of hooliganish, but it's a break from my work life. I work in a dental office, and I have to be very professional and act responsibly. When I'm on a bike I feel like it's 1984 and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 20:25:56 GMT, "Gooserider" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
My two weeks vacation came up this week, and at the same time my car had a freakout. I started leaking oil, so I had the car towed to my brother's garage. Long story short, the oil filter came loose and I paid him to do a general tuneup(he's saving for a BMX). He's not fast, so I was without a car from last Friday until today. So, without a car I turned to my bikes. Fine by me, as I have a new Gunnar and a Brooks B17 to break in. While using my bike to do everything---shop, ride to the next town for a movie, get mail, etc, I had an epiphany. I understood why I like bicycling. I rode a lot as a kid/teenager, especially in the summer. My days consisted of waking at 8 and riding until 6PM or so, going everywhere and doing everything. I felt that same rush this week. I think cycling is my excuse to act like a kid. I enjoy sprinting from stoplights, crossing 4 lane divided highways, hopping curbs, and flying through parking lots. I know that's kind of hooliganish, but it's a break from my work life. I work in a dental office, and I have to be very professional and act responsibly. When I'm on a bike I feel like it's 1984 and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
My two weeks vacation came up this week, and at the same time my car had a freakout. I started leaking oil, so I had the car towed to my brother's garage. Long story short, the oil filter came loose and I paid him to do a general tuneup(he's saving for a BMX). He's not fast, so I was without a car from last Friday until today. So, without a car I turned to my bikes. Fine by me, as I have a new Gunnar and a Brooks B17 to break in. While using my bike to do everything---shop, ride to the next town for a movie, get mail, etc, I had an epiphany. I understood why I like bicycling. I rode a lot as a kid/teenager, especially in the summer. My days consisted of waking at 8 and riding until 6PM or so, going everywhere and doing everything. I felt that same rush this week. I think cycling is my excuse to act like a kid. I enjoy sprinting from stoplights, crossing 4 lane divided highways, hopping curbs, and flying through parking lots. I know that's kind of hooliganish, but it's a break from my work life. I work in a dental office, and I have to be very professional and act responsibly. When I'm on a bike I feel like it's 1984 and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
Mike
I have also read about those biking vacations you can take in the UK and elsewhere where you bike through the beautiful countryside during the day and some poor soul hauls your luggage around to the next bed and breakfast before the next night's stop. It is a more grown up kind of vacation than you're talking about, but would be enjoyable, such as it is.
As for remembering your childhood, that is part of the appeal of biking though I would much rather have my road bike than my old Western Flyer.
"Gooserider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
<snip> I think cycling is my excuse to act like a kid. I enjoy sprinting from
Quoted message said:
stoplights, crossing 4 lane divided highways, hopping curbs, and flying through parking lots. I know that's kind of hooliganish, but it's a break from my work life. I work in a dental office, and I have to be very professional and act responsibly. When I'm on a bike I feel like it's 1984 and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
"Gooserider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
<snip> I think cycling is my excuse to act like a kid. I enjoy sprinting from
Quoted message said:
stoplights, crossing 4 lane divided highways, hopping curbs, and flying through parking lots. I know that's kind of hooliganish, but it's a break from my work life. I work in a dental office, and I have to be very professional and act responsibly. When I'm on a bike I feel like it's 1984 and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
"catzz66" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I have also read about those biking vacations you can take in the UK and elsewhere where you bike through the beautiful countryside during the day and some poor soul hauls your luggage around to the next bed and breakfast before the next night's stop. It is a more grown up kind of vacation than you're talking about, but would be enjoyable, such as it is.
This is pretty close to what our Canadian Rockies tour was like, except they also arranged three meals a day and snacks for us, including some more remote areas where there were few services, and we really would have had to have planned ahead.
"catzz66" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I have also read about those biking vacations you can take in the UK and elsewhere where you bike through the beautiful countryside during the day and some poor soul hauls your luggage around to the next bed and breakfast before the next night's stop. It is a more grown up kind of vacation than you're talking about, but would be enjoyable, such as it is.
This is pretty close to what our Canadian Rockies tour was like, except they also arranged three meals a day and snacks for us, including some more remote areas where there were few services, and we really would have had to have planned ahead.
"Gooserider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
My two weeks vacation came up this week, and at the same time my car had a freakout. I started leaking oil, so I had the car towed to my
....
Quoted message said:
and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
Cool! I get it very well. Cutting through the woods to the 7-11 or Tony's Pizza for an Italian sub. Other ones: carrying an 8' G&S single fin while riding my Raleigh road bike along the boulevard looking for the best break. It made turns "fun" and braking was impossible. I still have scars on my knees 25 years later from wiping out on my bike carrying heavy surfboards to the beach. Most of the time I didn't care about the scrapes, but got very upset about dinging my board!..that is until I got in the ocean...ouch! The best memories though are from when I moved back to the beach for a year when I was 25 and cruised the same boulevard on my Jamis beach bike while my 6 month old dog ran alongside at breakneck speed (usually pulling me on the leash!). He only got his tail caught in the spokes once! He died at 12 from cancer this past January and was a good friend:
"Dukester" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Gooserider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
My two weeks vacation came up this week, and at the same time my car had a freakout. I started leaking oil, so I had the car towed to my
...
Quoted message said:
and I'm wearing checkered Vans and riding my BMX to the Sip n Go with a pocket full of quarters. Am I weird, or does anybody else get this?
Cool! I get it very well. Cutting through the woods to the 7-11 or Tony's Pizza for an Italian sub. Other ones: carrying an 8' G&S single fin while riding my Raleigh road bike along the boulevard looking for the best break. It made turns "fun" and braking was impossible. I still have scars on my knees 25 years later from wiping out on my bike carrying heavy surfboards to the beach. Most of the time I didn't care about the scrapes, but got very upset about dinging my board!..that is until I got in the ocean...ouch!
I've always thought that being a surfing teenager in the 80s must have been one of the best experiences, ever. I'm sure it was like heaven. No surfing in south Louisiana where I grew up, though. I saw a couple of teenaged boys yesterday---they were riding their BMXes, laughing and bunnyhopping stuff. I wonder if they realized they were having about as much fun as they'll ever have? :-)
The
Quoted message said:
best memories though are from when I moved back to the beach for a year when I was 25 and cruised the same boulevard on my Jamis beach bike while my 6 month old dog ran alongside at breakneck speed (usually pulling me on the leash!). He only got his tail caught in the spokes once! He died at 12 from cancer this past January and was a good friend:
