Thursday, September 14, 2006

Simple or Complicated?


I'm in a mood to categorize bicycles. Two categories: simple and complicated.

Where does your favorite bike fit?

I don't have a favorite bike, but the one I ride every day is complicated: gears, fenders, rack, lights, bag. I keep forgetting to add the handlebar bell.

I have a couple of simple bikes, but I keep trying to make them more complicated by adding stuff.

I've had several single speed bikes, but they always lack something for me. I appreciate that many riders love singles and get along with them better than complex bikes. That's great and I admire it.

I want at least a few gears. I want some fenders. I think lights are really important in the dark. I like a rack or bag to carry things. Next thing you know, I've got a complicated bike. I guess that's just the way I am.

1 comment:

Jeff Moser said...

For me, the beauty of a bike is in the simplicity. The rest of life can be complicated, so I find peace in a simple bike. I used to have an adjustable travel fork on my bike, and I found myself always worrying about the setting in a particular trail situation, stopping to fiddle with it periodically. Since then I've gone to a simpler setup...a "set it, and forget it" style. My current favorite bikes are my hardtail and my rigid single speed.

Having said that, I think "simple" reflects my main riding and terrain style. Now if I had a commuter bike that was replacing my car, and I had to navigate a rainy city, I'd probably have the bike "loaded"!

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