On life and fixed gear bicycles
Those of you who know me at all know that I LOVE BICYCLES! You know that riding my bike is one of those things in my life that brings me pure joy. The exhilaration of speeding down the road, the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the burn in my thighs; it’s all I can do not to grin the entire time I’m on my bicycle. I love biking just for fun. I love biking for my summer jobs. I love biking and bonding with my friends and family. I love working on bikes, and building bikes, and cleaning bikes up. I love watching other people on bikes, and I love looking at bikes as they go past, some fast and some slow.
My absolute favorite kind of bike is called a fixed gear bike. For those who have no earthly idea what a fixed gear bike is, a fixed gear is a bicycle that has only one gear (usually referred to as “GO”). You cannot coast on a fixed gear bike, which means that the pedals are always moving. Always. Even if you stop pedaling on a fixed gear bike, your feet will continue moving (unless you try and stop the bike full-force, which will most likely end with you crumpled on the ground covered in scrapes).
There are several reasons why I love riding a fixed gear bike. 1: A fixie is an insane workout. Because you cannot stop moving your legs, you are constantly working and using energy. This really kind of sucks when you are going up a super-steep hill and you get to the top and wish to rest, but you can’t because YOU HAVE TO KEEP PEDALING! Even though it sucks at the time, the reward is great and you usually feel great afterwards. 2: A fixie is really easy to maintain. Because a fixed gear bike is so simple, it’s easy to clean and keep in good shape. You don’t have to worry about all the little gears and kinks and the millions of different parts that come with other bikes. It makes things really easy, as far as maintenance goes. 3: A fixed gear is really cheap to build, if you know where to look for parts, and really cheap to fix if something goes wrong (which is fairly rare, mind you). The biggest problem I have had with my fixed gear is a flat tire and punctured tube. That is probably the cheapest bike problem to have. 4: I love riding my fixed gear because it shows who I really am. With a bike like the one I have, you can pick and choose every single component and part that goes on it. You can paint it however you like, and you can choose what kind of handlebars you have (I prefer moustache bars, myself), what kind of cranks and pedals and breaks and seat, and lots of other things. You can even choose how hard you want to be able to pedal (your gear ratio). Right now, I’m on a 48:15, which is pretty challenging, but oh, so fast! I love it.
I’ve recently acquired a new bike, one that I get to completely tune and rebuild. As I’ve been cleaning and taking it apart, I’ve been thinking a lot about how riding a fixed gear bike is a lot like going through the challenges of life. Cheesy, I know, but bear with me.
As I said before, you can never stop pedaling on a fixed gear bike. In my personal experience, I have found that life is much the same way. In life, you can’t just give up. You can’t just stop in the middle of life and say, “I’m done.” If you were to stop pedaling on a fixie while in the middle of climbing a great big hill, you would get thrown off your bike! You would fall over and crash and burn. Your elbows would be skinned and your knees bruised, and quite possibly, your head would be a little banged up. Similar to these consequences, life has a tendency of crashing and burning when you stop trying, and stop working for what you want most. When I am on that crazy-steep hill, huffing and puffing, sometimes I think to myself, “Shakira! What were you thinking?! This is just too hard for you. Stop pedaling!” I can remember each of the times I’ve given in to this little voice, and I have the scars to tell the stories for me. But, when I conquer the little doubtful voice in my head and finally churn my way to the top of the hill, the feelings of relief and satisfaction are overwhelming. When I make it through trials in life, metaphorically sweaty and all out of breath, it is an incredible feeling to have those tough burdens lifted from your shoulders. But, because it’s life, and because it’s a fixed gear, you don’t have the option of just stopping. Just because you made it over one hill doesn’t mean the ride is over. Just because you made it through one tough time doesn’t mean life is magically easy. You have to keep pedaling after the top of the hill has come and gone. But hey, that’s life.
Although life has many hills that must be climbed, there are so many wonderful things to enjoy along the way. When I am on a bike ride, just me and the road ahead, I try to focus on the little feelings and sensations and sights around me, the things that bring me joy when I’m on my bike. I think about the wind in my hair and how it refreshes me. I think about the sun on my face and the feeling of warmth it gives me. I think about the little beads of sweat going down my face and although I do not particularly like them, they have come from some hard work on my part and they are the proof that I am doing my body good. I think about the movements of my legs, the contracting and release of my muscles, pulling and pushing me along the road, and the endorphins that release with every motion. I think about my breathing, and I work to steady it when it gets ragged. I love to look around me when I’m out riding and see the beautiful things that make the landscape breathtaking. Sometimes it’s really hard to look on the bright side of life. Sometimes it’s really hard to find the light among all the darkness. Sometimes it’s really hard to find the small tender mercies that are all around us when we are suffering the most. Something that I always try to remember when I’m going through a trial in my life is that there is so much beauty in the world around me. I try to remember all of the blessings I have in my life. I try to notice and feel the love from the people who I surround myself with, and with each small effort, I can feel the clouds parting on my rainy day. The small rays of sunshine that peak through the clouds of life can truly be the saving grace I need during the hardest of times.
Even though the road is hard, the hill steep, and the journey long, I can promise you that the way through life is beautiful. All you have to do is keep pedaling, breathe, and look for the sunshine in the world around you. It’s there; all you have to do is just keep going and you will find it.
