Bikers United @ Bike Fest

Do you scowl when a raceresque biker flies by you? (I do. It ticks me off.) Conversely, do you look condescendingly down upon some lowly duffer taking it easy out on the road? (They slow me down. Grrr.) Are mountain bikers a different breed all together: prehistoric, hairy, mud chewing, knobbly legged, evolution stunted, suspension animators? (Straight answer: Yes.)

This is not a Digression.
It's an Unrelated Topic that Will Pretend to Weave Back Into the Narrative.
This has nothing to do with anything about bikes, but evolutionarily speaking, why do we always talk about prehistoric humans as cave dwellers? How many caves are there in the world? How many places do you hang around with caves nearby? When you think of Africa, where we supposedly began as a species, does cave immediately come to mind? I know, it's a large continent, but my thoughts go to savannah, rainforest, or parched desert. Caves don't register. I think we should get off this cave stereotype.

Then there's always the cartoon of the caveman with the stone wheel, like after a few years, a tweak here and there, they found themselves in Italy and--prestoevovrrrroom--Lamborghini time.

Still Weaving
Even in the Flintstones Fred and/or the cops were on hand carved stone rolling motorcycles. These weren't motorcycles. They weren't even bikes. They were those Strider balance pre-bikes that little kids get without pedals. With stone wheels? Give me a break. I have a hard enough time climbing hills with my Bontrager super lites clamped to a carbon frame. Try it, I dare you, with a set of chunky granite treads.

What kind of images are these that we put into young impressionable minds? They'll carry these chimeras long into adulthood? I'm well beyond a few adolescences myself and only now am I finally catching on. (I know, I'm not a good example, but I'm all I have.) Caves were few. Rolling stones were not ridden by the early constabulary. Don't try to con me with these false iconic cliches anymore. Please. I'm on to you.

Two Cranks, All One
Carrying this ability to categorize others back to our present bike world, who are we as a group? Because we, as bikers, are a group, no matter how tenuously tethered. We go out on mechanisms that roll and make our bodies do the work in order to propel forward. Some of us propel faster than others. Some of us propel fast on flat areas, but when it comes to uphill grades, that propulsion drops off dramatically. Some of us do just the opposite. Some of us propel fast enough to get others behind to grumble. Sometimes the grumblers drift off alone, resigned to their fate or scowling the rest of the way home. Some of us ride to work every day, rain, shine and snow. Some of us only ride on the happy pleasant days.

No Stone Wheels Here

How do you ride? With a group? On your own? Why? To save the planet? To stay in shape? To beat people? Is riding a social event for you, or is it your solitary relief from the hounding hoard? Whatever your reasons, do you see other bikers as part of your larger community or as aliens wearing costumes different from your own? I've heard one group of biker dis another for the style of attire they wear. Baggies dis lycras. Lycras dis pant rollers. Sponsored riders dis plain old plain olds. Step back. Coast for a minute (unless you're on one of those annoying fixies) (I have a couple of annoying fixies). (Love 'em.).

(You Really Think You've Woven This Together?)
Take this thought with you wherever you ride: Caves were the primary dwellings of our ancestors.

From that thought, go here: Stone wheels cruise well.

Next, here: Bikers are a menace to society.

There are a lot of myths out there about us. We all run red lights. We all obstruct traffic. We all destroy the environment on those narrow trails. In a lot of minds, we all get categorized into the same lump. Whether we like it or not, we're dependent on each other. The act of one reflects on all of us. We need to recognize that we're interrelated and find a way to come together. We can't all ride together, but we can show respect to those around us, explain why we're relevant in this combustible world, and help one another out in whatever way works for us. We can also wave to each other. Smile. What the heck. It's a small act, but it's a uniter.

If you want to mull among other bikers of all ilks, go to here this Friday:

Bike Fest Ann Arbor
Organized by the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition as part of the Green Fair
When: Friday, June 11^th 2010 from 6-9pm
Where: Downtown Ann Arbor
Info: wbwc.org

It's a fun event that will bring us together for three hours, and maybe that spirit will carry on through the rest of the year.

Finish here: We are all in this together.

All images except Fred are from last year's Bike Fest Ann Arbor.