“ By getting onto a bike it ’ s so much easier to be part of your city ...” Stephen Hargreaves
Hargreaves agrees that being a pedestrian is the best way to learn about where you live and cycling is the next logical step . It ' s a way of travelling that has so much to offer .
" Basically once you ' ve bought your bike it ' s free . You don ' t pay for gas or for insurance or parking or anything , it ' s incredible , it ' s healthy , it ' s environmentally friendly . It ' s very hard to find something negative about cycling ."
Personalizing a bicycle can be as simple as adding a headlight , changing the seat and hanging a tool bag , like Hargreaves has done to his . You don ' t have to sacrifice functionality for style when it comes to adding to a stock bike .
Below : 1 . Keeping them on the road at City Cyclery 2 . Pimp your Ride with nifty carriers 3 . Old-School Style
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Vintage touch
The City Cyclery also leans towards older style models of bicycle . It ' s said that the aged , simplistic design makes for rugged and long-lasting bicycles .
The bicycle Holt uses year-round was built in 1973 and it hasn ' t failed him yet . And the simplistic design means there is very little maintenance to keep the bike going . " Say that about a car ," he quipped .
" People are rediscovering the quality of the bygone era and realizing that these were just built better ," said Holt . " You know , this isn ' t the stuff you buy at Costco or Walmart and expect to get a year ’ s worth of use out of them and then throw them in the landfill ."
They sure don ' t make ' em like they used to , as some may say , but times have changed as well . What effect might integrating this old technology back into our fast paced , modern world have on the big picture ?
" I ' ve lived here for about 10 years now and I ' ve never really seen it until the last couple years ," Hargreaves said . " This city is scaling down and using itself properly as neighbourhoods ... we don ' t have this sort of separation where people aren ' t being part of their city . By getting on a bike it ’ s so much easier to be a part of your city , and a lot cheaper ."
Everybody can ' t be wrong , bike lovin ' is good . You ' ll not only benefit your health but you may just expand your sense of community in the process . Pump up those bike tires and see what ' s around the corner from where you live . Fall in love all over again .
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20 The HUB - August 2013