La Machina Verde

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to get a bike.

Last year, my main transportation device was a razor scooter. Great for getting from one building to the next quickly (meaning a few extra minutes for breakfast), but not much better than walking for anything more than that.

Meanwhile the bus is what I like to call “blunderbuss” transportation: aim in general direction of target, blast away. It has set routes and times and you have to work with them; it doesn’t exist just for you and your purposes (though I should remark that even having public transit that operates on a mostly-on-time schedule is something we take for granted). To put it simply, it works well for getting downtown but not for running errands.

So, my big event this week was finally purchasing a bike:

REI was having a labor day sale, I went to check it out, and found this very cool commuting model.

Features: Eight speed internal gearbox, fenders, lights (powered by a wheel generator), disc brakes, rack.

To use Californian dialect, what I’m actually the most “stoked” about is that I was able to set up the crate on the back. I went into Target with the idea of finding bungee cords and some kind of box, and strapping it on somehow for the purpose of carrying groceries and stuff. I can’t believe that plan actually worked, but I’m glad it did, because so far it’s been super-useful, sort of like having the bike version of a pick-up.

I’m trying to think of a name for the bike. Currently, I like “Green Machine” but am thinking that is too cliche. Perhaps if I transfigured it into Español…

“La Machina Verde”. Hmm, maybe that could work… Your thoughts?

My task now is to feel I’m worthy of “La Machina Verde”. I think that will largely involve riding it regularly, and learning good maintenance from some of my biker friends.