This week's list includes a couple of items that struck home for me, such as No. 31. A couple
of years ago, I stumbled across a really nice Toyota pickup and got serious about buying it. Fortunately, the used-car dealer was cool with it when I asked if I could take it for an hour or two to drive it home to see how well my mountain bikes fit inside the cap over the bed.Even my son rolled his eyes when he went out in the driveway and I explained why I was rolling one of my bikes into the bed of a strange vehicle. But not the guy who sold me the truck. He didn't bat an eye when I told him what I needed to do.
And away we go ...
31. You take your bike along when you shop for a car—just to make sure the bike will fit inside.
32. You start yelling at cars to "hold your line."
33. You're comfortable bumping elbows with step vans.
34. You view crashes as an opportunity to upgrade components.
35. You clean your bike(s) more often than your car.
36. You're on the board of directors for a bike club.
37. You spend weeks during the summer spraying arrows on the sides of roads.
38. You and your significant other have and wear identical riding clothes.
39. You mount a $600 cap on a $1,000 pickup so your $3,000 bike doesn't get wet.
40. You can't seem to get to work by 8:30 a.m., even for important meetings, but you don't have any problems at all meeting your buddies at 5:30 a.m. for a hammerfest.
4 comments:
tim, funny u should post this. last week i came across a 1989 ford country squire station wagon,it had a for sale sign in it so i turned my car around to follow it. it was driven by an elderly couple. they gave me thier address so i could chk it out later. i immediately went home and measured my '52 schwinn. i went back to the car later and the 1st thing i did is open the tail gate and measure the inside and yes the schwinn would fit. i then looked at the rest of the car, it was sweet. brown, wood paneling, no rust, garage kept valour interior, spotless.(think chevy chase vaction movie) gieco dashed my hopes when i called for rates. i have an 02 toyota and 02 vw so this would have been a 3rd car, just for the bikes!! the wagon was so big in the back that when u put the seat down u could haul a 4'x8' sheet of anything w/ ease. would have been nice, even the wife agreed to let me get it. just think, no roof racks, trunk racks, bikes in the weather(except for riding)and a nice cozy place for the schwinn. yes, a car for the absolute sole purpose of just hauling bikes.... would have been nice.../ george.
Sometimes I get so used to bicycle technique that I forget leave it behind when getting behind the wheel of my car. Have you ever pulled back on the steering wheel while giving your car gas so that you could lift the front end up as you go through a dip? Doesn't work...
I think I count 3, maybe 4...
#32 definitely!
#35 yes yes yes
#36 Unfortunately I'm a VP
#38 We own some of the same clothes, we don't wear them together on purpose. BUT we do have the same fixed gear. Do I get a half point for that.
And as far as using bike technique in the car. When I am commuting there are a couple of red lights that I can roll through after I stop (imageine the top of a "T") and I often catch myself thinking about rolling through when I drive the same routes.
Yeah, #35 is a big one for me, too, James. I've been expecting comments from neighbors who like to wash their cars often. My car's been known to remain dirty through two or three bike washings. Not so much this summer, though. The weather has been so wet it hasn't made much sense to keep bikes clean.
Post a Comment