Generally we should make troublesome selections that run opposite to our feelings, if not the very fiber of our being. That is mirrored in our artwork, to wit:
Additionally, in “The Proficient Mister Ripley,” Matt Damon completely doesn’t wish to kill his new boyfriend, however he does it anyway and so he sobs the entire time he’s strangling him to loss of life:
Then after all there’s that “Simpsons” episode the place Homer should eat his pet lobster:
Effectively, life imitated artwork this previous weekend as I took my cherished Litespeed out again and gave it a cleansing:
See how its titanium tubing sparkles within the crepuscular mild? This could have been a cheerful event, however actually I used to be like Travis in “Previous Yeller:”
No, the Litespeed had not acquired bike rabies after getting bitten by a type of Amazon e-bikes or one thing. Actually, it was in nice fettle, and really a lot had its complete life forward of it:
Nonetheless, shortly after taking the photograph above I packed it right into a field, and by the point you’re studying this it can in all probability be en path to Traditional Cycle from whence it got here again in 2019. They are saying titanium is endlessly, however in my case it seems “endlessly” means about 5 years.
So why would I rid myself of such a nice bicycle? Effectively, in my little world that is the Yr of Pairing Down, and since divesting myself of a number of bicycles I’ve lately discovered myself confronting the truth that I used to be nonetheless over-road biked, with 4 (4) of them remaining. So one in all them, I concluded, must go.
However which?
It couldn’t be the Milwaukee, which is just too versatile:
It couldn’t be the Cervino, as a result of whether or not it’s a classic convertible or a lugged Italian highway bike with Tremendous Document, each middle-aged man with thinning hair wants a basic for parading round on Sundays:
And it couldn’t be the Faggin, because it was my spouse’s bike and we’ve got plenty of fond reminiscences of it, so that might be like eliminating our wedding ceremony album:
And since we don’t also have a wedding ceremony album that’s all of the extra cause to maintain it.
Oh, there’s additionally the Normcore Bike, however that doesn’t depend because it’s now my elder son’s bike:
In order that left the Litespeed:
Objectively it’s ridiculous to eliminate such a nice bicycle, but it surely feels nearly wasteful to have a motorcycle like this and never journey it on a regular basis as an alternative of solely among the time as I do now. Not too way back I attempted to deal with this purchase giving it to my elder son, however at this level he has no actual want for a elaborate bike you possibly can’t lock up exterior, which is why he now rides the Normcore Bike. So again to Traditional Cycle it goes.
In the event you assume I’m making a giant mistake, you’re in all probability proper. Actually I’m positive you possibly can make the most of that mistake by shopping for the bike for your self, so attain out to Paul at Traditional Cycle (or to me in the event you like middlemen) and I guess we might make that occur.
As for me, it’ll be bizarre to be with out a fashionable highway bike with built-in shifters and stuff, although I might simply throw a pair on the Milwaukee at any time. Plus, with respect to the Faggin, regardless of its pale paint and its rusty chrome and hodge-podge of parts it seems the bike is incredible, and I can’t imagine I waited this lengthy to steal it from my spouse. Usually if I had been heading over the George Washington Bridge to hitch the Parade of Freds I’d look to the Litespeed, however the Faggin is very happy to imagine that function, as I discovered yesterday:
What I didn’t discover out was why the this map features a diagram of the male reproductive system:
Possibly it’s a PSA about bicycle saddles and numbness.
