[Paddlewise] OFF-TOPIC: The Old Man and the Bicycle

I'm a relatively new kayaker but I've been bicycling a long time.  I'm over
50, so I'm "The Old Man and the Bicycle."





When one of the local college bike racer types passes me by, I'm sure he or
she is at the least amused, and possibly appalled.  I ride an old pink (they
said "salmon", but it's pink - the only color it came in) touring bike.  When
it got scratched and I decided it was time to touch it up, I couldn't find
pink (oops - salmon) paint.  I found some red enamel from a model airplane
project - no problem.  So now I've got little fire engine red blobs all over
my pink bike.  I have an orange Goofy horn on the handlebars.  Way cool.
Squeeze Goofy's head and he honks.  It really impresses the girls I pass,
right?  Honk, honk!  How are you doing?  





I still use those Grab-on foam things on my handlebars.  Why no one else does
I'll never know.  No cork wraps for me.  I have a rearview mirror on one
handlebar - once again, why anyone would ride without a mirror is beyond me.
Would you drive your car without rearview mirrors?  I don't think so!





I always carry a pump, two water bottles, and I have a trunk on my rack, which
contains a spare tube, enough tools to fix most breakdowns, a few assorted
metric bolts, and usually a sandwich and a book.





Those racers with their minimalist stuff (maybe a CO2 tube and a banana), and
their shiny Italian bikes remind me of the guys with the Kevlar boats, carbon
fiber paddles, etc.  Nothing wrong with that - I might have a kevlar boat if I
could afford it, and I do have a carbon fiber paddle.  My bicycling rig is
more like that old guy's boat.  A bit battered, dated, a little slow, and not
trendy.





However, I've pedaled a lot of miles over many, many years, I've stayed safe,
and I've enjoyed it more than I can say.  It takes all kinds I guess.








I'm not sure what the point of this was.  All I can say is keep paddling and
keep pedaling, and enjoy.  The simple pleasures are usually the best.





- Gordon Snapp



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