What a wonderful ode to urban biking by David Byrne.
Maybe it’ll jar me into doing something I’ve had on my mind for a while.
A year ago, I started this limited-run column for Bicycling, and I switched to a fancy, finicky road bike. It’s a Felt Z5, and I love it; but it’s not really meant for the stuff Byrne writes about. It’s a bike-shorts and special clip-in shoes bike. I really want to drag my old Raleigh, with the panniers, out of mothballs and get back to practical biking-for-errands and biking to work.
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7 Responses to …and you may find yourself pedaling a high performance bike…
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I’ve got a “bike-shorts and special clip-in shoes bike” for going and banging out fifty-mile rides. For around town, errands, and biking with the wife I’ve got a gorgeous Townie. It is a joy to ride. I’d forgotten what it was like to ride with your back and head upright, actually looking at the world around you.
“biking with the wife”
I hate that so much! It’s like walking with the stick, or running with the dog. It grates on my nerves. Please!
The hed of this post is poetry. Haven’t seen the Times, knew little about his latest comings and goings, and I read that and a whole new set of lyrics popped into my head and I sailed away. Well done, sir.
No lilting odes to mowing down pedestrians with a towering Segway?
Recently spent some time in Barcelona where they have a bike share program that’s very successful. The bikes are kind of nerdy looking (in a cool way) red and white affairs with fenders, comfortable seats and upright handlebars. All kinds of people use them but I think my favorite moment was early one morning when I was passed by four middle aged guys riding together in business suits carrying briefcases. Thinking about it now it could pass for a scene from a Talking Heads video.
We headed up to Burlington VT this weekend (hubby ran the marathon). We drove behind a car with a white Felt on the bike rack and I thought of you. Your Bicycling columns are great and as usual, make me laugh out loud. Burlington is cycling city — I think you’d love it. Most bikes there weren’t high end, but townie bikes with comfy seats. Best bike I saw there was one painted like a Magic Hat #9 –very cool. Someday when I download my camera, I’ll post the picture I took of it.
the wife I’ve got
hubby ran
I hate that so much!
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I agree.