Filed In: Process
Riding in Circles
October 18, 2019 | Chris Blandford
Two things of bicycle-note happened recently.
First:
Last Saturday, I rode over to the Chris King Open House. For the non-nerdy, Chris King makes very nice parts--here in Portland--for very nice bikes. Each year, they invite a handful of professional custom bicycle builders to display a bicycle showcasing new King products. They also serve beer and give a factory tour--that whole deal.
The style of bike that was being shown at this year’s event wasn’t really my thing. Lots of gravel bikes and road bikes and mountain bikes. Bikes made for bike rides. Which is great, but--again--not where my interest lies. I’m as bike nerdy a person as one will ever meet, but these types of events help to remind me that my bike nerdiness is confined, really, to a small niche within a broader, more widespread nerdom.
I can’t remember the last time I went for a bike ride. I ride my bike every day, but an actual bike ride? In a big circle? For no other point than pure enjoyment or exercise? It’s been years, I’d guess. I like riding bikes from here to there. To and fro. In lieu of walking or driving or e-scootering or roller skating, but that’s it. To the hardware store. To get groceries. To go down to the coffee shop to write a blog post for boring little blog. I suppose the rides--technically--go around in a circle, but there are intentional stops along the way. I ride slow, and get passed by lots of bike-ride-bike-riders. Sometimes Mathilda is squirming about in the bucket of our cargo bike on the way to (or from) school, but otherwise I’m nearly always alone.
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