When I first arrived in Tallahassee, I imagined riding my bike through campus in what could be nothing less than an aesthetic experience. Zooming home after my last Friday class with the wind in my hair and the blue sky up above — what could be more ideal? Unfortunately, I’ve since realized that reality is a little less cinematic.
Literally this morning, I woke up to find that my back bike tire had mysteriously fallen off, which was a problem I’d have to face after the class I was about to be 20 minutes late for. While I eventually figured it out, that was just one example of the many shenanigans my bike has pulled on me.
At this point, our relationship is verging on toxicity, but I just can’t bring myself to walk to class. So today, I’m going to tell you about the real experiences I’ve had riding around campus. If you’re contemplating bike ownership or wondering if anyone feels your pain, this is the article for you.
First, I have to give my bike a little bit of praise. As a girl who will never be a morning person but keeps scheduling early classes, I find myself bringing a new meaning to the phrase “fashionably late.” This is where my bike is essential. I can procrastinate getting out of bed until the very last second and still arrive at class only three or four minutes late, which is a win in my book.
Also, I can’t deny the health benefits that come with biking, even if I regret the lifestyle choice every time I need to bike up the hill to the Williams Building. I’m not an athletic person, so biking forces me to burn some calories. Even though I hate myself in that moment, I’m always proud that I pushed through the pain… until I realize that I have to do it again tomorrow.
I’ve also learned a lot about myself while biking. For example, I once realized that I had a soft spot for soccer guys when I got “distracted” by them playing on a field and biked into a bush. Unfortunately, that actually happened and I’m not proud, but it was a lesson all the same.
Another time, I found out that I could scare the living daylights out of my roommates after an unfortunate evening. I had to bike up a hill while being pelted by cold rain. Exhausted, the last thing I wanted to do was fish for my FSU ID to get back into the dorm. I instead went around to the back and knocked on the door to see if my roommates could let me in. I realize now that someone disguised in a raincoat knocking on your back door in the middle of the night is slightly terrifying, so this is my formal apology to Hannah and Regan.
However, none of my bike experiences compare to when I popped my tire. It happened the very first week of the spring semester, and I’ve never quite recovered. The problem was that when I was young, I worked in a bike shop, and this regretfully gave me the confidence to try and fix it myself. Incredibly, it turns out that bikes are a bit more complicated when you don’t have a professional on hand to do most of the work.
As I struggled to get the tire off, replace the inner tube, and, worst of all, re-attach it to the bike, my patience was quickly expiring. I turned to my friend for help and with all the chivalry of the modern man, he sent me a single YouTube video. After that, I was determined to prove that I could fix it myself, except I couldn’t.
I finally asked an old suitemate if he could give it a look and he came right over and fixed it in 20 minutes. That’s right, it took him 20 minutes to fix what I’d been losing my mind over for three days. And guess what? He didn’t even need to watch a YouTube video. What word describes feeling both incredibly relieved and humbled beyond belief simultaneously?
In the end, however, I’d never give up the biker girl lifestyle. If I stopped biking, I wouldn’t have all these stories. Then I’d have to learn how to embarrass myself in other ways, so maybe it’s for the best. Finally, my bike has been with me every step of the way. How could I break that bond? So, when it comes to biking on campus, I say go for it. Just don’t bike around any soccer fields.
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