Tuesday, November 3, 2009

My Bicycles

I have a fleet of bicycles.

The Globe Live 3, which hasn't been shipped to me yet, will be my everyday bicycle.

To some, it may seem excessive to have more than one or a few bicycles.

But to me each bicycle has its purpose for my active lifestyle.


Xtracycle: The above photo is me on my Xtracycle taking my friend Cindy on a musical bike ride with my sound system. This bicycle opened up a world of possibilities for transporting cargo and people. The FreeRadical extension is compatible to most bicycles with 26" wheels. I use my Xtracycle for mobile DJ bike rides, to carry friends who might not have a bicycle or don't know how to ride, to pick up pizza boxes for a party, or bring a sound system for a political rally.

Folding bike: I have an old folding bike I bought on Craigslist for $50 that is beyond its shelf life but sometimes I manage to breathe life into it. I take this bike out to meet non-biking friends but might want the option to throw the bike into a car trunk if I want to join the group to the next stop on our social calendar.

Specialized Allez road bike: I only started long-distance recreational cycling a few years ago, primarily for long rides across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin. My brother's friend Andy builds bikes and loaned me his old bicycle. He told me to keep the Allez road bike as long as I keep riding. Well, I've kept riding, including my first 545-mile AIDS/Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles this summer. The below photo is me with big smile on my last day near Malibu on the AIDS/Lifecycle ride.


Pink Cruiser: This single speed beach cruiser gets mileage for one week during the year in the desert of Black Rock City for the annual Burning Man. I bought the cruiser at a police department-organized unclaimed bicycles auction many years ago for for $25.

Mountain Bike: I have a mountain bike that I bought on Craigslist for $100 for casual off-road rides.

FunCycle: I don't own this 7-person wonder. It sits in my garage on "extended loan" from my friends at bicycle rental company Bike and Roll to support community building and bicycling-related events throughout the city.

That's a lot of wheels, huh?

Those are my bicycles - for everyday transportation, for carrying people and cargo, for long-distance rides, for off-road rides, for joy rides with six friends or strangers I might meet during my rides around the city.

1 comment:

  1. With all the shoe and handbag hoarding that goes on in my family, a cousin of mine asked me what I was going to do with my other bike! I said that I was going to keep it, of course. Like I can't have two bikes! As a matter of fact, I believe that riding may cause less wear on my shoes (that I do not hoarde like others in my family).

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