Four Creative Uses I Love About My Bike

Photo Credit:  Some rights reserved by greengirl24 via Flickr.

It was only two weeks ago when I ‘met’ and fell in love with Hannah on a rainy afternoon, after visiting no less than four cycle shops with my sister on a bike shopping expedition. My new bike is light, sleek, and had a “Montana Stylish Bike!” sticker on its frame. Hence the nickname.

I’m loving my expeditions with Hannah so far. But more than the bells and the whistles, what I love is the extra things I can creatively do with it. Here are my top four creative uses for my bike:

1. Exploration

My original goal in getting a bike was to supplement my weekly sports class with leg and core exercise. However, I immensely enjoy the thrill of accessing blocked streets and closed roads where cars could not go, discovering scenic views and odd nature photography subjects. Exploring with my bike lets me visit places I wouldn’t be able to reach on a bus or which would take longer on foot. Incidentally, it also lets me share bonding moments with my family as we go exploring the odd streets on our block together.

2. Goal Currency

I have several rewards I use for self-motivation to get me on that bike and pedaling. The cumulative time I spend biking serves as goal currency I can cash in for rewards: one hour might equal my favorite dessert, three hours a new set of deluxe earphones, or ten hours a new musical instrument I’ve been building up courage to try. Of course I can do and acquire all these things  without sweating it out on the handlebars, but sometimes my ‘goals’ get worked out as a result of taking my mind off it. For example, that delicious sans rival slice I’ve been dreaming about turned out to be a craving I didn’t want after all at the end of a half an hour cruise with Hannah. The best thing was, I was happy and contented still.

3. Catch Up On Reading

If you’re thinking “This girl is cuckoo to read books on a bike ride,” let me assure you: it is perfectly sane to catch up on your reading while cruising on your bike. I love books even as a child, but in my present work my eyes are often tired for a long sit-down reading after workloads. So I download the books in a digital audiobook format (less paper use, too) and listen to them while I bike.

A word of caution: It pays to care about traffic whether you’re in a car, on foot, or on a bike. I only listen to my audiobooks in safe territory: a long stretch of closed road or a series of rough footpaths where I know there’s zero chance of suddenly meeting a speeding car. Once I get back to streets with car traffic, I unplug my earphones.

There’s no pressure to finish a full length Victorian novel, either: I often listen to chapters and sections, or podcast-length devotionals to maximize my bike ride. Librivox and Books Should Be Free are good sites for free public domain works with chapter downloads. Just try not to get carried away when you hear Arsene Lupin in a chase scene with the villain to rescue his girl, and go on a chase scene yourself on the pedals.

4. Healthy Eating

Being a light and moody eater, I sometimes have difficulty working up an appetite for my organic and whole foods. What better way to work up an appetite than to get exercise outside with my bike? It’s almost a no-fail guarantee that at the end of a half-an-hour with Hannah, I’ll be gladly devouring those fresh papaya slices I’ve been disdaining thirty minutes before.

In the end it is up to us just how much we’ll get out of the things we invest in. I’d love to have those excellent cycle paths of the Dutch on our block, but if I don’t build my own bike culture by getting out there and biking, there’s not much in the way of benefits for me.

I still have a few dozen target hours to meet with Hannah, but I’m loving every minute of it. Apparently, I’m not the only one who does:

Photo Credit:  Some rights reserved by Caitlinator, museinthecity, Nikki L., and greengirl24 on Flickr.

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Estel (303 Posts)

Estel Grace Masangkay is a freelance creative writer who enjoys outdoor trips and activities in natural settings. She is passionate about animal welfare and environment conservation. Follow Me @Em23me.

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