My Bike

One of the first things that I did when I arrived in Auckland last month was look into buying a bike. I am by no means an avid cyclist, but while living in Boston for three years, I got into the habit of riding my bike everywhere. I rode so much that just walking down the street for ten minutes would make me want to whine about how much my feet hurt and how sore my knees were. 

With campus a good 25 minute walk away from my flat, I knew that I had to find a bike and find one fast. Luckily, a quick google.co.nz search told me that the city's best used bike shop was directly across the road from me. I suffered the five minute walk to the shop and set to work putting together my bike.

The shop was tiny. It looked like it was supposed to be an unattached garage, but it didn't look quite big enough for a car. I soon found out, however, that the shop owner stores dozens of bikes and bike parts under porches and in basements of nearby houses. This is where I found the frame for my bike. It was the only frame that looked like it might fit me. It had some wear and an odd pain job, but it seemed sturdy enough. A couple of days later, I had assembled all of the parts and pieces and with some help, I put the bike together. It's a single-speed, but it seems to be working well given the steep, volcanic hills that I have to climb up and down every day. 

The best part of the bike is it's attitude. It looked a little funky with the paint and the chopped handlebars, but it also has a political message. The previous owner was not a fan of President George Bush and chose to indicate this with a "ckuf Bush" sticker on the front fork. I agree with the sentiment, but probably would not have made my views so public of my own accord. It's nice though, letting my bike do my talking for me. It's as if my bike is my teenaged kid who expresses himself in ways I probably wouldn't.