Saturday, January 9, 2016

Bodfishttva...Bicycles Are Forever.

        In 1846 Robert Thomson patented the pneumatic tire in France....and this changed everything. Before this time wheels were solid, rough riding and made quite a clatter. Having air in your tyres (as they spelled it back then) was magic. During the second half of the ninetenth century bicycles gained favor with thousands of travelers, in fact, by the 1890's more people were on bicycles than any other form of conveyance in the "civilized" corners of the world, including the horse and buggy. Imagine, you didn't have to feed the bicycle and you could easily lift it over obstacles...and be free of stubborn negotiations.
        Every generation, for hundreds of years will appreciate the bicycle for it's simplicity and utility...the bicycle will live on FOREVER.
        Putting a motor on the bicycle and the subsequent invention of the motorcar, has been a setback for cycling enthusiasts around the world....however, for those of us who can see into the future, we realize that this noisy, smelly, resource-depleting bastardization of the original human-propelled two-wheeler has had it's day and will undoubtedly be relegated to the footnotes of human history.
        There is an undercurrent of love and energy for the bicycle, this most efficient mode of transportation and recreation. We are recreated each time we settle into our favorite saddles above our spinning cranks and blood-filled legs. It is the next best thing to love-making, caressing and cuddling with your favorite fellow human being.
        Yeah, it's that good. This simple fact ensures that bicycles and bicycling will be celebrated forever.  The power of the bicycle is so great that we ride them across entire continents. Some of us seek out the longest and steepest hills instead of rolling through the lowest valleys, (so as to avoid excessive perspiration and toil). Many of us have experienced the meditative value of silent foot-twiddling over natural and even over-civilized landscapes.
        Our senses are sharpened, our awareness of the natural world is heightened...and, unfortunately, our sensitivity to the impacts of our motorized/ speed oriented fellow travelers is also foisted upon us. At some point, possibly before the end of this century, our descendants will once again appreciate the two-wheel self-propelled cycle as the finest and most rewarding form of transport ever developed for land travel. The bicycle will live on FOREVER.

No comments:

Post a Comment