Like riding a bicycle

So earlier this summer, my bike was stolen. I didn’t tell you then, Internet friends, because I had just told you about another incident of burglarization and I thought that detailing two in a row would verge on whiny.

I’d had the bike for about fifteen years, a Bridgestone X03 I bought when I was still living in Ann Arbor. My then-housemate K, a serious cyclist, helped me pick it out. I knew nothing about bike styles. (I still don’t, mostly.) I put my trust in her entirely, and said trust was not misplaced.

As many years as I owned that bike, it was only in the last couple, here in Portland, that I was riding regularly. There was maintenance to be done, and fear of street riding to overcome. I was just getting to be a confident bike commuter when the thief pedaled the Bridgestone out of my life.

For a while, I felt like I wasn’t meant to have another bike. After all, wouldn’t it be likely to get boosted, too? Could I really justify the expense? (I wondered this especially after I started researching prices.)

But I missed the wind-in-my-face feeling-of-getting-away-with-something, and before long I found myself at Cascade Cycling, test-riding a variety of bikes.

No doubt I did this back in the day when K helped me pick out the Bridgestone, but all memories of the process had vanished. And as ridiculous as this sounds, it was really — I was searching for another word but I think this is actually the right one — empowering to make decisions for myself: I want to sit up straight, not hunch forward over the handlebars. I really don’t need a lot of speeds. I like these chunky tires.

As much as I liked the Bridgestone, my new bike is significantly more sturdy and comfortable. And I would never have discovered it, had it not been for the unfortunate incident.

I’m not saying Gosh, I wish someone would boost more of my stuff so I could get new cooler stuff! The experience just made me realize how infrequently I assess things other than clothing with an eye to how well they’ll fit.

Perhaps I should do it more often.