Introducing My Beautiful New Bicycle
(This post was originally celebrated on Reimagine an Urban Paradise on October 5, 2010.)
Now my bicycle is just over a month old and ready for her internet debut! Photos by the inimitable Elly Blue.
“What Kind of Bike is That!”
People ask me all the time, usually with an exclamation instead of a question mark. It’s the “Live 2″ by Globe which is a new brand made by Specialized and tailored to people who ride for transportation.
This bike is not for racing, but it is perfect for life. That’s what I need anyway. I need to go to work, to the grocery store, to outreach events for my job, and I need to carry a bunch of stuff with me because I don’t drive Ever and this is my way to get around.
Here I am in front of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, hauling supplies to an event called Bikestravaganza! (this photo of me was later used on the reelection website of former Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto — no one from the campaign mentioned they were using it)
Look at that Gargeous Hub!
See the giant silver circle in the middle of the back wheel? That’s my fancy 8-speed internal hub. That means that all of gears and everything I need to keep moving is contained INSIDE! Maybe, like me at first, you’d think, who cares about that?
This means that you don’t have any messy greasy gears on the outside and your gears won’t get mucked up in the rain or snow. So if you depend on your bicycle to get you places even when the weather is undesirable, this is the ticket. (Not the only ticket, but the only one for me!)
The other incredibly wonderful part is that you can shift anytime. You don’t have to be moving! If you’re stopped at a stop light in a hard gear, you can switch back to a much easier gear for starting again when the light turns green.
I’m not kidding, friends, this has revolutionized my bicycle riding experience.
Fenders Keep Your Ass Clean!
The fenders and the rack are integrated into the bicycle frame and so it’s possible to ride in the rain without getting muddy and while easily carrying tons of stuff.
This is my favorite of the five bikes I’ve owned since I made the bicycle my main form of transportation in 2006.
PS: Before bicycles I used public transportation and my feet because I lived in DC and Chicago and made my home in places with stellar public transit so I would never have to own a car. It was a great time and having the resources of public transit is essential to any city that wants to thrive and not be choked by motor vehicle traffic, air, and noise pollution.
But now I’m happy to make my own schedule and get there as fast or slow as I like.
Usually it’s pretty slow because I’m a meandering kind of gal and I like to take my time. Doesn’t mean that my time is less important than motor vehicle users, I just make my plans accordingly. And since I like my transportation, I don’t mind spending time riding slowly through the city getting where I need or want to go.