The story of my bike

In my adult life, I’ve owned two bikes: a red bike and a blue bike. The  red bike was the one that my parents bought for me when I turned 15, a  Specialized hybrid from Erik’s bike shop in Eagan. It still fits me. I  like to think of red bike as Frankenbike, because I’ve changed it in  various ways over the years to suit my needs. My parents and I  disassembled it once in their garage, cleaned it, spray painted it, and  put it back together with a different seat and cruiser handlebars. It  was red bike that I used all this past winter for winter riding. It was  red bike’s basket in which my dog rode when she was a brand-new tiny  puppy. I love red bike, but this isn’t about red bike. This post is  about blue bike.

Blue bike is the first and only bike I’ve ever bought myself, and it  took me way too long to buy it. Eventually, while riding red bike,  enough people said to me “you biked this far, on that bike?”  that I decided to get an actual road bike. At the Hub on Minnehaha  Avenue, one fine spring day in 2012, I purchased blue bike. I tried many  new bikes, but this scrappy little used Fuji caught my eye. This bike  became my companion on many rides, adventures, and explorations.

I didn’t think that buying a road bike would make a difference,  especially because both of my bikes are about the same weight. But the  different riding position and slimmer tires really did make a  difference. I’ve done so many things with blue bike, and over the years  it’s been one of my favorite photographic subjects, as you’ll see below.

I figured out how to transport my dog via bike. I bought a bike trailer  from Craigslist, pulled out the baby seats, and affixed some plywood to  the bottom. Now I can pull her around for miles, I think the longest  we’ve done in one day is 16 miles. The trailer is about 30lbs and my dog  is 37lbs, so it also helps my legs get extra muscly.

One of the best things I’ve purchased for my bike is a messenger bag  that is also a pannier. Back in 2012 when I was looking for this, I  could only find the one by Timbuk2 which I bought. Now, Etsy has tons of  them. I like not having a sweat outline in the shape of my bag, and I  don’t like anything touching me while biking.

I’ve commuted to the University of Minnesota both when I was a  student (undergrad and graduate), and later, when I was employed on  campus. I’ve ridden across the Washington Avenue bridge so many times. A  few days ago I was over on campus for Grease Rag and crossed over this  bridge with a wave of nostalgia.

I’ve biked for exercise, I’ve biked for transportation, I’ve biked to  social events, costume parties, and dates. I’ve biked in pants and I’ve  biked in skirts. 

I now ride my bike to work along the Midtown Greenway and Cedar Lake  trails, and when I get there I get to hang it on the wall just opposite  my desk.

Other notable things blue bike and I have done together include: biking  60 miles as part of the Red Ribbon Ride Friendraiser, racing my first  alley cat, Babes in Bikeland, riding during three consecutive Northern  Sparks festivals, exploring the bike mystery at Ruination, participating  in my first group ride (and many since), and many, many rides with  friends.

Buying a road bike was something that propelled me from being a very  casual rider to someone who bikes as much as possible, including through  the winter. I love this bike and the the things we’ve done together,  and I’m looking forward to a summer full of new firsts and new memories.