SHIFTING GEARS EXPANDING MINDS: A PEDAL POWERED PERSPECTIVE brings you the following:
I really have a problem with bikes: I mean, I only had four at the beginning of this year… Wait, wait, wait, hear me out!
One is for commuting to work, one for commuting when it rains, one for mountain biking, and one for parades. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. Considering I buy them second hand and they all get used quite a bit more than my car. But now… I have a dozen bikes. And one more frame ready to build. How did we get here? Well, it’s mainly a social issue, I think. Bikes are more than a form of transportation for me, they are keys that open doors. Mountain biking with a buddy on a weekend morning then finding some grub and a pint is my kind of workout. Vintage bike nerds waiting for the ferry inquire about my commuter bike, noting the unique lugs on a rusty old steel frame. My Dutch Bike (Oma Fiets AKA Old Lady Bike) will spark a rainy day conversation with anyone familiar with its iconic style.
I’ve also found there is a weirdly low bar to get into a parade if you have an interesting bicycle. Plus, there are a few unique groups I’ve found in Bremerton because of our shared obsession with cycle transportation…
BIKE POLO Deep in the basement of the MLK library at an underground zine swap, I found Kitsap Bike Polo. This sport wasn’t even on my radar, now I can barely live without it. I was only a few weeks into playing when I knew I had to build a polo bike, not to improve my game, but just because it was fun. Kenny has been growing the sport right here in West Bremerton, but his effort has already put us in the spotlight of a much larger scene.
I mostly show up to heckle my friends, but I’ve incidentally gotten pretty good at riding one handed while wielding a stick… Bike polo suppresses my sociopathic tendencies.
LARRY BIKES There’s also this very old dude, deep in Anderson Cove, that sells bikes on craigslist from his place. Anyone who wrenches on bikes around here and likes a good old rusty ride probably knows what a Larry Bike is. I first met him back in 2008, shortly after moving to Bremerton. I bought a janky looking Peugeot he listed for $70… I thought maybe I could get it for $50.
That day I found out, Larry “does not negotiate.” This is “just a hobby” for him. I’ve grown to admire his take-it or leave-it attitude. And whenever I describe my new (used) Larry Bike origin story to other riders, pretty much everyone knows who he is.
FERRY RIDERS I call my favorite group the Ferry Riders—cyclists that commute to Seattle via ferry boat. It’s a small group of maybe 20 – 50 people that continually rotate through. Since I started riding my bike onto the ferry, (2010ish) the group swelled pretty big up until the pandemic. Back then the E-Bikes were rare and the scooters non-existent. Only just recently, I would say, that the Ferry Riders are back to pre-pandemic levels, but now the acoustic bicycles are in the minority. I do sometimes mock the motorcycles and scooters, but we are all united as prey under the shadow of a common predator: the car.
I SUPPOSE I DON’T REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BIKES. They are eternal beings that are temporarily in my care. They grant me access to these groups so that I bring them together to be with other bikes. When I ride, I am no longer human, the bike is no longer inanimate, we are something new. Each one of these bikes bridges a connection to a local community. Each has a unique story that I get to be a part of. When bikers get together and ride, it is actually a reunion of a profound kinship beyond our understanding. The unknowable history of these immortal bikes reveals that we don’t just ride through the streets, but time itself. Let’s Ride Together. // RUSTY RIDER
— Bike Reference (not for print) —
• Mountain Bike – Ghost Kato FS 7.
• Green Ninja – $15 find at St Vinnie’s. I just wanted the fenders, now it’s my main commuter.
• Old Man Bike – Schwinn Suburban. It freewheels on the crank and each gear freewheel’s individually.
• Cherry Bomber – Sears made a knockoff of a Schwinn cruiser. I added a banana seat and ape hangers.
• Dutch Bike – Oma Fiets (old lady bike).
• Polo Bike – Cobbled together to play.
• Peoples Bike – Fixie converted to a spare Polo bike. Has a PEX sticker on it.
• Radwagon – Its basically a pickup truck E-bike. Carries shit, my wife, and Smokestacks.
• Dad’s Bike – I just got my dad’s bicycle, my mom dug it out of the back of the woodshed its been sitting in ever since I can remember.
• Rusty Frame – $10 Larry Bike
[List does not include bikes that I have sold]
