I've often wondered why I like being around bikes so much, but I think I just love the simplicity and elegance of a machine that can transform its user. On a purely objective level, a bicycle is nothing more than a collection of metal tubing, braided cable, drive train components, tires, tubes, chain, seat, and handlebars. But, once assembled so that its parts work together as a harmonious whole, it becomes a time machine capable of moving us through the fabric of space surrounding us. It doesn't take long for the cyclist to become one with a finely tuned bike, to be fully synchronous with its motion, and to be able to sense the road through its metal frame. I love my bike because when we ride together I don't feel the bike under me so much as the texture and personality of the road beneath its wheels. We float along enjoying the moment of the open road, and we've shared thousands of hours together.
Today at the shop I took someones extremely dirty, greasy, and out-of-tune hard tail Marlin mountain bike, washed and polished its silky titanium frame, thoroughly cleaned the drive train, lubed and adjusted the derailleurs, replaced all the cables and housings, adjusted the brakes, cleaned and lubed the shifters, trued both wheels and set the proper spoken tension, torqued all the frame bolts and cable stops, and inflated the tubeless tires to the correct pressure. The bike was a thing of beauty compared to the way it looked before. If that bike could have spoken to me it might had said, " I feel really, really good. Thank you!" Kinda like the way you feel after a really wonderful massage. All I could think about as I stepped back from the bike was that the maintenance process was a satisfying type of therapy for me. Another zen experience...now I can only hope its owner appreciates the beauty of the machine that moves him through time and space.
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