Ode to my bike

-by Micah-

This short post was birthed from the small adventure that was started by an Italian beer bottle.

It was the summer of 2007, Dad and I were astride our bikes, atop a prominent hill in Firenze overlooking the spectacular Duomo and the charming Ponte Vecchio as it spanned the river. In truth we were  not yet sightseeing, but searching for that night's campsight, hoping to set up the tent prior to finding what was to be one of many superb dinners in Italia.

We pointed our bikes down the East side of the hill, hoping to coast into camp when "Psssssssshhhhhhhh!!" my front tire was dead-flat in two seconds. The culprit was a broken green Birra Moretti bottle.

It was no matter, the day was brilliant and beautiful, and we were in Northern Tuscan hills; nothing could dampen our spirits! In fact, it was the only flat of the whole three week trip. Wow, what a great trip it was too.

But the glass did manage to gash the tire's sidewall, something that was a non-issue at the time, but now, two and a half years later, after hundreds of touring/commuting/general riding miles, it had become a thorn in my side.

Here in Korea I have been fortunate enough to be able to ride to the school I teach at; taking the bus has become a "fail!" scenario for me. The record so far has been -4C, and as winter gains momentum I'm sure to break it several times over. The temps may not hinder my addiction to two wheels, but the failure of said wheels could, and have.

"Psssssssshhhhhhhh!!"

I guess two flats in more than that many years on a set of tires is more than acceptable. Hooray Forte' tires! But this time it was not in Italy, it was not a beautiful day in Florence,  nor were the birds singing. Rather, the very heavy traffic was polluting the already heavily hazed sky, that was further hazed by the bleakness of the impending winter; the ever-setting hazed sun was doing little to warm anything, as the temperature was somewhere below zero and dropping fast.

In what I thought to be a stroke of genius I slid some Won notes between the inter-tube and the gashed sidewall (an old mtn. biking MacGyver trick), but as it turns out, Won notes are nowhere near as durable as the good ol', albeit depreciating, US Dollar bills. Shame! MacGyver trick - fail!

The Birra Moretti gash was only increasing in size, with inter-tube/Won notes peeking out like a turtle's head from its shell.

In the end I resorted to a new-used tire ($7 vs. the sticker-stock of $35-$60 for a new one). The dreaded "Psssssssshhhhhhhh!!" prayerfully a distant, haunting memory.

How's that for anti-climactic?

I think I'll use this as an excuse to post some portraits of my trusty steed - kind of a "still life" tribute

post script: Steph says, "these can't really count as 'still life' ya know?" - true, but my bike has life!