My bikes:
Thorn Nomad Mk II, purchased November 2010
Brompton M-type 6 speed, purchased August 2006
Workcycles Super Transport, purchased May 2006
Trek 520, purchased June 1996, currently without pedals
I gave away my last couple bikes in 1992 to go on an extended meditation retreat, and the Trek was my first bike after retreat. I didn't own a car from 1996 to 2003, out in Hillsboro Oregon. So that Trek got a lot of use, commuting, shopping, exploring, etc. I forget the logic behind the Workcycles purchase exactly, but I do like practical biking just to get around. The Workcycles is a fantastic grocery bike, as long as there aren't any nasty hills. The Brompton was for use with the MAX Light Rail system. I was taking some evening classes. I could zip from the office to the train, get on with the bike even if the car was crowded, then zip from the downtown station to my class.
I moved back east, to a very hilly rural area, in 2007. At first I didn't ride mucn but then I got a temporary job with the Census Bureau, working for a few months in the spring of 2009 and again in the spring of 2010. That had me driving over all the back roads which got me thinking WOW what great biking around here! I had some more intense and more local work in 2010. I used our teenagers Jamis X1 hardtail for getting back up those steep gravel roads. The 520 is geared too high and already has too many funny spots on the rims and then rear STI shifter went. Somehow the Nomad seemed like just the bike for the local terrain and anything else that I might encounter.
Mostly I just ride loops of 20 miles or so from my front door, by myself. I've been out on a few organized group rides. There was an Earth Day 20 mile ride out of town in 2010 and that was the first time I ever heard about randonneuring. Wow! Mostly though I ride 10 mph and the groups go 15 mph so there is no overlap at all. I did get the teenager out on a few rides before he went off the college. The big adventure of the year was our 8 day ride, 400 miles along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany, along with 500 other riders!
I do a little bit of practical riding, .e.g groceries, but most of my rides are really just for exercise and sometimes a bit of exploring the roads. Enjoying the local roads too, of course!
I am a long time believer in peak oil, the notion that petroleum is a finite resource and that the global rate of extraction will decline more in a framework of a decade or two at most rather than anything like a century or two. Add in global warming and whatever else you like, basically it seems to me that a lower horsepower way of living is unavoidable. I would rather get the hang of it before I am dragged into it screaming. Plus I think the best way to lead is by example.
I dream of more long rides, probably by myself, maybe credit card or camping or some combination. That Route Verte up in Quebec sure tempts me! Or how about just a two day ride to my sister's place down in Norwalk, or out to my friend in Ithaca which would be four days probably. I like the idea of multi-day practical rides, going someplace for more reasons than just riding. Maybe half to enjoy the riding and half to hang out with friends or attend a conference or whatever.
