sacrifices.

today i sat on my motorcycle as the engine warmed up. i looked up at the evening sky and watched some clouds drift by as they started to turn pale orange with the setting sun. i realized that i had gone for the past year without stopping and smelling the roses. the past couple of seasons have been nothing but business. money. business. money. money. money. i've completely missed out on the simple things that at one time i took pleasure in. it feels like a meaningless existence. the only time i ever open my eyes and enjoy the world around me is when i'm on my bicycle. i forget about work and think about the road in front of me. the trees and houses i pass. the sound of the chain passing through the 20-year-old suntour derailleur. the feel of cork tape. it is the only peaceful time in my life these days.

there certainly are sacrifices in business ownership, and i knew that going into it, but at what point does it become not worth it? next thing i'll know i'll be 35 and married with a kid on the way and the last 5 years will be a blur of bills, taxes, and sleepless night. i do not want that. i do not want to become a person whose only motivation in life is money. i've always said that i'd never be that person but here i am becoming just that. it's a road i'd rather not pedal down.

the first rule of business is "pay yourself", and seeing as though i do not have any money, maybe that means "make your life worthwhile". time moves fast these days and and life is getting shorter. i made a promise to myself to play in a pile of leaves this year and i intend to do it.

beware of the bike.

commute to work. grey and dreary the morning was just a prelude to the long autumn and winter to come. it made me think of quaint autumn rides passing by farm houses, down twisty roads scattered with fallen leaves and of course runny noses. i am also reminded of the less-than -quaint commute that lies before me... not everything can be farm stands and rural roads. chewy asphalt and other tire hazards add spice to the otherwise uneventful ride to work. every now and again i glance down at my analog odometer and watch the miles tick by. each time a new number rolls over it gives me a small sense of satisfaction. another day of work while my car sits unused down the block from my apartment. pedal, pedal.

toys and transportation.

it is unfortunate how people view bikes in this town. bikes are for kids' birthdays or for your physician and lawyer... or for that guy down the street that gets dressed up in spandex on the weekends and heads out for a few hours. it's always for some specific segment of the population, but not everyone. if a grown person is seen riding their bike and they're clearly not exercising, then something must obviously be wrong with their car. "well, they're just being Green" some progressive here in the northeast may say, but why does that even have to be said? why can't it be, "that person is going to work"? i know that for some people riding a bike to work is just not possible, but if every now and again people rode their bikes for transportation purposes, say to the store for milk, then notions of bicycles being toys or for DUI's would soon disappear. come on people, don't be afraid, you can ride a bike and still have a fully functioning car... i won't think less of you.

here, here.

working in a bike shop has spoiled me on high-end bicycles. it's too affordable at cost to resist. everyone likes a cutting-edge bike. however, it's nice to build a bike that is nothing but utilitarian. no carbon. no deep section wheels. 'aero' is not in its vocabulary. it weighs twice what your A-bike does. you will impress no one but that's not the point. this bike will do all of the grunt work when your A-bike rests comfortably at home. rain and shine, hot and cold this bike does it all without complaint. in a sport of the affluent these are the bicycles of the working class. dubbed 'commuters' or 'beater bikes' they often spend their time chained to a signpost whilst their owner carries on with his or her business. here's to all those underappreciated bikes out there.