They do things few other bikes do, and they do them in ways no other bikes can.
Standing is one of those things.
To stand a Brompton, unlatch the rear triangle, hold the saddle, lift the bike, and swing the rear triangle and wheel under the bike so that the bike comes to rest on its small roller wheels. It takes a second or two, and it's done. The bike stands on its own.
That has been the standing routine since I got my Brompton. It's been five years.
My how time flies.
From time to time I have considered adding a side stand.
Side stands are a necessity for Brompton bike-packers. That's because the rear rack carries a good share of the travel gear. When you need to stand the bike, you must first empty the rear rack. What a pain. But... if you install a side stand, all it takes is a flick of your right toe and the Brompton stands on its own. Less than a second and it's done.
I'm not a bike-packer, so that's why I have hesitated installing a side stand for the last five years.
I finally caved and installed one because it makes it a little easier to stop and take photos, or to stop, sit on a park bench, and enjoy the view.
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| My Brompton with my Mini Cooper |
The tipping point was this video. The side stand it recommends is inexpensive and worth a try. So far I am both satisfied and quite impressed.
Bicycles need standing strategies because they live in a reality where gravity wants them to surrender to its relentless will and fall. We need those strategies so our bikes can take a stand.
Canada, our home, faces a reality where a powerful relentless force wants Canadians to fall, to embrace their wishes. To bend our knees. To submit to their imperial will. To live in a world where integrity, honesty, compassion, reason and knowledge are no longer their values.
Canadians need standing strategies.
While my Brompton bike does very well with two standing strategies, Canada needs many more.
We are fortunate because we have more than forty million strategies.
We have parents, partners, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours. We elect people we know we can trust to lead us. We are respectful, yet strong. We have a history of courage, of facing powerful enemies, and emerging victorious.
We understand adversity.
We suffer what we must, we smile, and we extend helping hands to those in need, at home and abroad.
That is how we earn friendship and respect.
That is how we stand.
Just like my quirky Brompton takes stands time after time, we have also taken stands time after time.
We are doing this now.
7 comments:
David, this is a good one.
You found the metaphor in your own garage. A bike that refuses to fall, in two different ways. And you didn't stop there. You took it somewhere true.
The forty million strategies line stayed with me. It's not a slogan. It's a fact. Parents, partners, neighbours, friends. People we trust. That's not small. That's everything.
Five years, two ways to stand. Now three, with the side stand. Some things take exactly as long as they take.
Thanks for writing this one.
Peter those are very kind thoughts, thank you.
Long time no post! Was beginning to wonder ...
Glad to see you're well. I really like this folding bike, but alas, my issues with balance keep me away from riding two wheelers all together although I miss it from time to time (especially riding Vespa). Love the Mini Cooper as well, but with two dogs to tow it would not be a suitable conveyance for us.
Given the recent political development in Germany we briefly considered moving back to Canada but as long as this orange dimwit south of the border is in office this doesn't seem a better option.
Take care, stay healthy! Cheers from the other side of the pond, SonjaM
Ed I am still here, and doing OK, though for the past three or four years I have managed to injure my legs, one after the other, resulting in many hours of physiotherapy. And yet, I have managed to recover. In large measure it's getting older that's the challenge, as we all come to appreciate.
Sonja, it's a joy to see a post from you. I gave up my Vespa because I was no longer commuting and therefore riding less regularly. Riding motorbikes is complicated and I was finding that when I did ride, it would take several kilometres before I felt that I was fully in control. In an urban area like ours, that presents too much risk. Riding my bike provides the pleasure of the two-wheel experience, but mostly not in the presence of heavy car traffic.
We are due for a Fish & Chip run. Are you in?
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