Thursday, August 17, 2006

I Want to Ride my Bicycle

[Why do I always spell the word Bicycle wrong the first time around?]

If I miss one activity I used to indulge in during my college days it has to be riding a bike. I could get away from all the craziness that was life in Pilani by hopping onto my bike and riding away, mostly into the sunset. This isn't an attempt at romanticizing my rides all over campus, it's the truth. I used to think that I'd never do Pilani again, never; now that I think of the bike riding, squash playing and people befriending, I realize that not all was lost. Any ways, back to riding my bike - there were so few parameters to consider when buying a bike in Pilani. Here were some of the questions I asked myself the first time around:

Can I ride it? Yes/No
Can I afford it? Yes/No
Does it go fast? Yes/No

When I went bike shopping in America, I had to consider cost, parts, gears, composition, style, etc., etc. The plethora of choices would make me dizzy every time and I'd usually come out of the store empty handed. Till one day, I walked into our interns' cabin and saw a road bike with a dash of pizzazz. It was assembled, had gears, would go fast, and I could ride it! The only question that remained was, how much would I have to pay to get it.

Turned out that the bike was within my means and like the impulsive shopper I have become, I bought it. The weather in Seattle has been immaculate over the past two months and as I rode back from the Pro Club, the heat of day had given way to a balmy and nippy evening. I rode through campus without holding on to the wheel so I could sit up and enjoy the breeze hit me in the face. Just that sheer feeling of exhilaration made the investment (and the pain) worth its while. As Vel put it, riding around on a bike is Ridic. Next investment, a Motorbike!

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