Bike to Work Week: Ode to a Bike
Today's post comes to us from Patagonia E-mail Maestro, Steve Wages. Steve's the kind of cyclist who celebrates Bike to Work Week every week of the year, finding a way to stay true to the saddle despite obligations as a professional, a husband, and a dad. His story gives us a little peek into the passion that keeps him pedaling.
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Since I can remember, my brother and I saw our bikes as key to our personal freedom. We could go where we wanted when we wanted, and the faster the better. I still recall – ummm – "borrowing" my friend's 10-speed Huffy while she was on vacation. I was about 9 and trying to set new land-speed records: that bike with its drop bars and skinny tires…it had to be an order of magnitude faster then my single-speed red Schwinn. My lust prevailed and I rolled it out of their garage….
[Steve's hand-built Ellis Cycles road bike. Begging to be stolen. Photo: Steve Wages]
As Serotta transitioned toward exotic materials like titanium and carbon, he moved on to