"it's called soul ridin' "
it bears a close resemblance to freeriding - in that you do it just to do it.
here's my rundown of things that i believe fall in to the category (though nothing is
absolute)...
*wear casual clothes especially if it's just 20 mile ride. despite what the bike world
wants you to believe, it's not going to spell your demise. sure, if you are looking for
something resembling a century, wear the lycra or wool. but, if you spend a half an hour+
of preparation just to do an hour and half worth of riding.... man...
*ride clips and straps - if you get a good pair, you may never want to subject yourself to
the tyranny of clipless pedals again during a leisure ride. this way you can get off your
bike and actually walk around.
*toss the computer and the hrm (unless you need it to make sure you don't get a heart
attack). it's soul ridin' - the personal bests aren't measured in numbers, just the way
you feel.
*get lost somehow. but never beyond your means - that would be dangerous. sort of be in
the vicinity of a place you only kind of know but want to explore. you know, same as you
would on a mountain bike.
*don't always worry about how long you are planning to ride pre-departure especially if
you have the day free of obligations. maybe it'll be 15 miles maybe it'll be 150 - who
knows? DISCLAIMER - i usually ride with everything i'd possibly need for a full days
ride... which includes a map, water bottles, extra sew-up, sew-up patch kit, frame pump,
cash, a few energy bars, and a pocket-sized edition of the good book. if the stuff is
always in my huge-ass banana bag - i'm always prepared to do anything as the whim arises.
plus if the stuff is always packed, i never have to prepare for rides anymore than filling
up my bottles and topping off my tires.
*experiment with 'outdated' equipment (like friction shifters, sew-ups, traditional
diamond framed bikes, funky handlebar designs of all shapes and dimensions, 36 or 32
spoked hand-built wheels etc...) you may find that there is still a lot of gold left in
the mines that the industry too quickly passed behind.
*if you can do it yourself - well then #####, do it yourself. build your own wheels... tie
and solder them if you like... glue your tires on... overhaul your bike. this bike is an
expression of who you are... so are you going to take the easy way out? your machine
matters to you so act like you mean it.
*look up - there is more than just the road passing by you.
*breath deep.
*when the undeniable urge to put the hammer down comes - obey.
*smile and say hello to everyone who is not sealed away in their steel coffin. that
includes other bikers, and yes - rollerbladers, and walkers. i don't mean to snub drivers
- but usually if you say 'hi' to them while they are waiting for the light to turn green,
they won't know what to make of it. so better to not bother them in their fortresses of
solitude.
*if you see someone who needs help (let's say changing a tire on either car or better yet
- bike) - stop.
there's tons more, but riding on the road will reveal it to you better than anyone else
can... just so long as you remember to pay attention to both what's going on around you
and what's going on inside your noggin.
--- Author Unknown
Oklahoma Bicycle Society:
Soul Ridin'
created by John Wente
last modified:
February 24, 2007
URL: http://www.OklahomaBicycleSociety.com