I ride a bike now

I ride a bike now. It is small, orange and powerful. It can go very fast (45km/hr). It comes with two bungy cords and I enjoy those a lot. Who doesn't love a bungy? I haven't once used the bell tho. I'm not a bell ringer, just yet. I have ridden it in the pissing rain multiple times and I have ridden it in the beautiful, bright sun. Some days, I ride it two or three times. I ride it home after heavy deadlift sessions and only regret my choices a little bit. Even a year ago I would not have chosen to ride a bike around the city. And now here I am riding it to the gym, to Moore Wilson's to buy dried beans, to the library, for all sorts of errands and activities. I took it axe throwing. I've taken it along the waterfront to smell the sea. I've delivered baking for Green Party volunteers. We've gone to Bunnings, and to get vaccinated, twice. The brand is Tern so I named it Geabhróg which is Irish Gaelic for Tern. Very imaginitive I know but also fun to name things in your ancestral languages. Geabhróg sounds a bit like gah-rog and so Simon calls it Gary for short. A name I'm actually pretty fond of.

I think I first rode an e-bike when we hired some from a place we were staying in Te Horo five or so years ago. We rode along the Kāpiti cycleway and down some little country roads. I didn't really think much else of it. Once the bike lane appeared in Aro Valley I started thinking more about it. Going up the hill into Highbury, to our home, the road used to be very narrow when there was parking on both sides. Drivers would dangerously and erratically pass cyclists. With the addition of a cycle lane everything chilled out, not completely, but enough to feel safer. It was still a lot of money so I wasn't really thinking about it that much until I got nominated for an Ockham. Weird connection, absolutely. For many different reasons that whole thing was quite strange and a bit humiliating for me. Turns out I find attention humiliating amongst ten thousand other unexpected feelings that I will probably not write more about. During the month where I processed having been nominated for something I deeply disagree with I started thinking about what I would do with the prize money if I won. It was like a little carrot to get myself trying to think more positively about the whole thing. Bobbing in the sea with my girlfriend one day I decided I would buy myself an e-bike and a really beautiful piece of jewellery. It's a daydream. We can do what we want. I wanted fancy jewellery and an e-bike.

A while later I was talking to my friend, Helen, and she said: "I think you should just buy those things anyway." And as she said it I was like, yeah ok I could do that couldn't I. At the moment when the world feels poised on the edge of some terrible or beautiful transformation (maybe both) spending money feels very strange to me. I am extremely privileged to be paid well for my work and so is my partner. Even being able to afford to think about purchasing an e-bike at this time is something I do not take for granted. I posted about how it felt weird to spend the amount of money I would have to spend on BlueSky. One of my more prepper acquaintances responded by saying that having a non-fuel dependent way of getting around was actually better than dollars in your account if something does go down. Not long after that I went into Bicycle Junction and talked to Annie about some of the bikes they had. I rode a couple down the street and up into the Marian Street car park to hoon around a bit. The first one I tried ended up being the one I bought, after a weekend trial (and a bit of pressure brought on by the demand for e-bikes created by the hostile actions of the US towards Iran and the subsequent consequences for all of us). It was more than I really wanted to spend but I have never regretted buying quality. I've had it just over six weeks and I've done over 140kms in what is probably a 5km radius. That's being very generous. Most of that is probably a 3-4km radius.

There's a bit of faffing with having a bike. Unlocking and locking. Finding spaces to park. Figuring out how to attach to them. Loading and unloading gear. Carrying your helmet around or even just wearing it into shops. I have to tie my hair up in a specific way to be able to get the helmet on. I have bought specific gloves for winter and a pannier for fruit as the front rack bruises it on the journey home. I bought a reversible vest that is highlighter yellow on one side and full reflective on the other side. I've added a mirror to my handlebars so I can see cars behind me. I've learned pedestrians will just absolutely walk right out in front of you, and cars simply do not give a fuck. I don't enjoy thinking about the ways cars might kill me as I'm riding but I am pretty good at it, turns out. I have developed routes that are bike lane heavy or where the speed limit is 30km/hr so that I can take the lane. I know that some riders on regular bikes will compete with me at every set of lights even though my top speed is 45km/hr. I pass them, they catch up at lights and try to race me, but I pass them again. I often catch myself gently pedalling along enjoying the sun, or the birds or the smell of the sea or the trees. It's so much nicer than driving. Bike lanes are the best, clearly, though their quality differs. Shared areas can be very difficult to handle. The waterfront is lovely but also really should just be for people on their feet. It is however, the current best way to avoid cars for some parts of the city where there aren't many other good options.

On Friday, early in the morning it was storming. Much rain and much wind. I lay in bed and considered driving to the gym. My little heart got sad. It cleared up mostly and I was able to head along on Gary. I got my hooning fix for the day. Hooning is just better on a bike. Something about the feel of the wind and the way your body is fully engaged in corner, in pedalling. Now that I'm in the habit of moving my body I cannot imagine how I lived any other way.