Big Bike Love

We've been bingeing on DVDs of HBO's Big Love, the great cable show about a polygamist family; a man and his three wives.

Tricia pointed out I'm a bicycle polygamist with three bikes.
So, of course, we started trying to decide which bike corresponded to which of Bill's wives.

I said the Fixed gear was Margene, because it's young and hip, like her. Nikki is the commuter bike because Nikki knows how to work and handle the grunt work. My Kestrel should be Barb, because it, and she, are good for the long haul.

Tricia had a different take. The commuter bike is Barb because Barb is reliable, and equipped to handle the load. Bill can always turn to Barb, she'll get him through whatever comes along.

Nikki is the fixed gear. She has her own beauty. It's a sparse and simple beauty, but beauty none the less. She does, however, take some getting used to. She has pretty basic needs, but like a flat on the rear wheel of a fixed gear, she has her own special maintenance issues.

Margene is the Kestrel, because your road bike makes you feel young, fast and exciting, and reminds you why you love to ride your bike. A lot. And the drop bars provide a variety of positions.