Think You Need A New Bike
It’s interesting to see the collection of bikes on racks at work. They range from high priced road bikes to old rusty single speeds. This bike win’s the prize:
This guy doesn’t even have a seat. He has tied an old sofa throw pillow on the bike. Ouch! The bike didn’t have any front brakes either.
He has a pretty heavy duty lock on it. I have noticed that the most beat up old bikes often have the best locks. I guess if you can’t even afford a seat for your bike you certainly don’t want it stolen.
One bad thing about our bicycle racks at work is they are located in the same general area where all the smokers congregate. So people who are trying to be healthy and ride bicycles to work often have to walk through a blue haze of tobacco smoke to get to their bikes.
Ironic isn’t it.
I saw this yesterday at the racks:
What is it about some smokers that they don’t seem to think they should put their butts in an ash tray? Just throw them on the ground. It’s a dirty stinky practice. It’s not good enough to do this in the smoking area. Whoever this person is feels the need to come over to the bikes to crush his butts.
I’d like to kick somebody’s butt!
Remind’s me of a No Smoking sign I saw once. It said, “This non-smoking area patrolled by Smokey The Bear. If you are caught smoking he will crush your butt”.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Gross, sometimes I feel like I can’t even go outside and enjoy the fresh air because that’s where the smokers have to go. Then I feel bad that smokers keep getting pushed farther away into little dark corners because nobody wants to be near them. But I don’t really feel THAT bad for them.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Totally gross, but unfortunately very true! Years ago when I lived on a ground floor apt., the renters upstairs used to smoke and just hurl their cigarette butts on the lawn in front of the building till there was such an ugly mess that someone complained to the management. Subsequently, all of us non-smokers got attitude… But who cared as long as the ugly habit was controlled. I have never figured out why such otherwise couth and educated people are so inconsiderate with respect to their smoking habits.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
On more than one occasion I have witnessed bike riders with high end bikes leave them unlocked in front of a Starbucks while they go in to get a coffee. I believe “beater” bike riders use good locks because they can not afford a better bike, thus do not want what they have to be stolen. The question is… have you been able to distinguish the bike rider with the sofa pillow from the rest of the bike riders due to that persons funny walk?
I have to walk through the smokers fog when I go to another part of the building when I leave my office. Thanks to cycling I have great lung capacity, so I can hold my breath through the carcinogenic fog.