Generally we should make troublesome decisions 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 Gifted 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 dying:
Then in fact there’s that “Simpsons” episode the place Homer should eat his pet lobster:
Nicely, 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 in truth 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 superb fettle, and really a lot had its complete life forward of it:
However, shortly after taking the photograph above I packed it right into a field, and by the point you’re studying this it’ll most likely 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 superb bicycle? Nicely, 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 considered one of 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 street bike with Tremendous Report, each middle-aged man with thinning hair wants a traditional for parading round on Sundays:
And it couldn’t be the Faggin, because it was my spouse’s bike and we’ve plenty of fond reminiscences of it, so that might be like eliminating our marriage ceremony album:
And since we don’t actually have a marriage 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 superb bicycle, however it feels nearly wasteful to have a motorbike like this and never experience it on a regular basis as an alternative of solely a few of the time as I do now. Not too way back I attempted to handle this purchase giving it to my elder son, however at this level he has no actual want for a flowery bike you may’t lock up outdoors, which is why he now rides the Normcore Bike. So again to Traditional Cycle it goes.
If you happen to assume I’m making a giant mistake, you’re most likely proper. Actually I’m positive you 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 should you like middlemen) and I guess we might make that occur.
As for me, it’ll be bizarre to be and not using a fashionable street 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 unbelievable, and I can’t imagine I waited this lengthy to steal it from my spouse. Sometimes if I have been heading over the George Washington Bridge to affix the Parade of Freds I’d look to the Litespeed, however the Faggin is very happy to imagine that position, 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.
