also on friday, i got a new bicycle. i had trouble finding a cheap but decent bike before then because all of the other bike shops were sold out of used bikes. i suspect that the students who arrived at TUD before i did bought them all out. i tried a new place recommended by a guy in my studio. it was west of campus. a guy operated a bike repair and sales shop out of a complex of garages in the courtyard of an apartment block. he is only open 2-5 on the weekdays. i followed the guy's directions and after a few minutes found the place. it is an older guy with good english. at first i told him i wanted a road bike and he scoffed and said "these are all road bikes." but when i specified one with handbrakes and gears like for cycling, he said, "oh you mean like the tour de france, eh?" then he proceeded to talk about how cyclists should be banned from riding in groups because they could hurt people and how it was much more comfortable to ride sitting fully upright than hunched over. he said if i wanted a road bike, i should go to france or belgium because dutch bikes don't look like that. this mentality is part of a larger dutch attitude about bicycles that i should talk about later. for your amusement, though, try this
link where a dutch mother gives a short introduction to dutch bike culture.
long story short, i bought a bike. it is an old batavus, the cadillac of dutch bicycles. i think it is especially appropriate because the model name is "cambridge." it has three speeds (well, two that i can tell) and handbrakes. it is black forest green. here are some pictures:
the front light is powered by a dynamo that rotates and then rubs against the front wheel.
i don't know what to name her yet.
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