Old Ironsides

I had a revelation the other day while staring at my bike on the front of the bus:

Old Ironsides, my trusty steed of a commuter bike, is old.

Which is strange. Old in a disposable society is not the norm. It is certainly not the norm in biking circles around here as every Lycra clad rider is on the latest carbon fiber speed machine. By contrast the college students seem to buy the $50 specials and dump them at the end of the semester. So yeah, they ride old bikes but they don't keep them.

It's not bad that it's old and there are certainly older bikes still in regular service, but I've been the owner of this bike for all of it's years. I don't think of myself as being old enough to posses a bike with such a claim. Having beaten it into submission numerous times and it still gets me around with little complaint:

• I've ridden it down ski slopes and staircases.
• I've thrashed it down bad city streets and hard into curbs.
• I've performed countless balancing tricks on it.
• I've crashed more times than I care to count on it.
• I wooed my then future girlfriend (now wife) on it.
• I cruised the local beaches in my youth regularly on it.

Lets put its age into perspective:

• It is older than the two interns we have at work.
• It is old enough to vote.
• The first Gulf War was about to start when I got it.
  

It is due for a thorough overhaul as the wheels, cranks, and bottom bracket are all original and getting a little funny. But for a 19 year old bike it's held up well.


I've changed it's attitude with the addition of fenders, rack, and lights.

All hail the Giant!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

g