Originally intended to document my experience of DeLorean ownership, focus is often radical and strange, boring and obtuse.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Blogode To My Bike

Bikes are a non-polluting form of getting to work at the coal-plant.

Thanksgiving weekend weather was so warm, Suz and I hopped on our bikes for possibly our last ride together this year. In a few short minutes we were down by the water, snapping pictures and enjoying the spectrum of brilliant fall colours.

Thanks to mmat's recent biking stories over at Welfare Bum, I decided a sort of blog-ode to my bike was in order.

Before the drudgery of work sapped my energy, I used to ride my trusty Rocky Mountain Equipe every single day, and the cold never stopped me. I guard my 13-year-old Rocky Mountain carefully. This kind of bike may seem outdated by today's wild new mountain bike standards, but it can't be replaced.

Briefly, back in 1993 when I bought this bike from the shop where I worked, Rocky Mountain frames were completely hand-welded with great skill. Each wheel, once trued, was signed by employees who took responsibility and pride in their work. And I was proud to spend every penny I had on a Canadian-built bike.

Back in '93 a suspension fork was practically unheard of, and a forged T6061 handle bar drew gasps of amazement from my mountain-biking coworkers. At 27 lbs., my Rocky Mountain was lightweight, cutting edge, too-cool-for-school downhill racing technology.

But not now.

Now the Rock Shox Quadra 10 suspension is taunted. Despite its incredible reliability vs. the primitive oil shocks of the day, the elastomer suspension was considered a lesser technology because it was too "bouncy." I still take hard hits with it, but with less than 2 inches of travel, it seems to be more of a novelty now.

Still, I love my bike, and couldn't imagine having to replace it with something new.

Dear Rocky Mountain,
You are so grand,
You helped me travel
All over the land.

We hit some bumps
and a couple of trees,
Jumped some stumps
and evaded some bees.

When I fell off
And skinned my head,
You consoled me
with a piece of bread.

Together we conquered
Every terrain,
I'm sorry about
That nasty blood stain.

Maybe one day
I'll ride you again,
However this winter
I'll park my butt in the den.

7 Comments:

Blogger Monogram Queen said...

Great poem. Blogger is being an ass..... but i'll try to post again.
We broke out our bikes when we stayed at the cabin in August. Nothing like a brisk bike ride in cooler weather.

1:25:00 PM

 
Blogger Louisiana said...

loved the poem, it was soo cute..ahh..

can't remember what yr was the last time i rode a bike..if i'm not mistanken it was around 89...can you believe it? yikes..

hope you are doing well today and not in too much pain.

1:59:00 PM

 
Blogger mmat said...

rocky mountain bikes definitely rule. I was a big fan of a few of the Devinci options that were available, but unfortunately the "hand-welded in canada" carries quite the price tag and bought a Trek instead. but it has done me well.

ride on brother, ride on.

2:38:00 PM

 
Blogger Martini said...

mmat, I'm not surprised the Trek has done you well. They're nothing to sneeze at. Those new(ish) carbon fiber frames weigh less than my cat.

Wow. The more we talk about bikes, the more I want to ride.

Chana, 1989 was a long time ago. We should try to get you back on one!

2:48:00 PM

 
Blogger Jay said...

That was an awesome poem for an awesome bike. How much longer do you have to have it before you start calling it "Ole Reliable" or something like that?

6:54:00 PM

 
Blogger Rainypete said...

I tried to come up with a poem for my bike but what rhymes with generic?

9:12:00 PM

 
Blogger Martini said...

Jay - I'm guessing another 12 years should do it. 25 is a milestone. But by then, it might not be so reliable.

10:34:00 AM

 

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