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Bikes:
Motion At It's Finest
I
grew up on a bike. My first bike, ever, was given to
me by a family that was getting tired of me using their
son's big wheel to ride around the neighborhood. It
was a blue bike and was made for a girl. I did not know
the difference between a girl or boy's bike back then.
It only took me about an hour to get used to riding
on it. Then I was off into the neighborhood. I got teased
by my friends because of the girl's bike, but that didn't
bother me. They couldn't keep up with me! 
After
I got my cat, Lucy (named after the I Love Lucy show,
of course), I used to ride around the neighborhood with
her around my neck. Lucy was a black and white cat.
So many of the neighbors wanted to know who was the
boy on the girl's bike with the skunk around his neck.
My
friends and I would ride all day, which was great for
my legs. When I played sports, people would say I looked
like a running deer. Those were the days.
I
left biking at age 14. I was an amateur bmx "freestyler"
who could do "cheripickers" and other tricks
but was too afraid to get on the half-pipe. I gave my
mutant bike (redline frame, hutch headset, gt tires,
with bear-claw pedals, and pegs on the back for pogo's)
away to my friend Barry who promised to pay with tapes
and electronics (which I never got). I was ready to
move on and hang out with teens that had cars and meet
girls.
Now
that I have returned to biking, I have two bikes. Please
go to the My Specialized
and My Giant
Pages to read about those. Then check out Bicycles
Inc. if you are interested in buying something new.
Bike
Thought: The New Frontier
What can you see in the next 100 years? What can we
do in our lifetime to move bicycles ahead, not only
as a tool of our enjoyment, but also as a useful means
of travel accepted by everyone?
What
if there were sectioned roadways allowing access for
riders, rollerblading, etc. You on the road with no
worries that you will end up on a road that does not
have a bike lane (and having to play chicken with an
18 wheeler). Bike stops made for the resting and re-hydrating.
Crazy or possible? Could it be done now?
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