Chapter Ten
Meet Our Bikes
This chapter is for fellow cyclists who are interested in what bikes we’re riding. Not you? Then you won’t miss anything by skipping ahead.
I was pretty worried about bicycle thieves taking our bikes off the car when at a rest stop or in a restaurant. Then I took a look, and realized that our classic bikes, to most people, looked pretty ordinary—junkie even. I worried less at that point, but I always lock the bikes to the car with a cable that’s locked to the rear towing ring. This has the advantage that if the rack were to fall off, we’d drag the bikes behind the car as if we were just married.
Thieves will steal any bike if it’s easy to take. A friend put a rusty old bike in his yard for decoration. Someone stole it.
Bottecchia: I bought my Bottecchia (“Bo-take-ee-ya”) in 1991, right after the fire that destroyed all our possessions (see the Everything Burned chapter). When replacing everything you own, you tend to buy things quickly (I’ll take that, and that, and that), but I lucked out with this purchase. Here it is:
To riders who appreciate vintage Italian steel, it’s a classic.
By the way, if you are reading this book on an electronic device, you may be able to view images full-screen. You tap, or double-tap, or click, or clap, or something. Check your device’s manual to learn how to do it.
Ironman Centurion: Lena’s bike is a classic also, a Dave Scott Ironman Centurion manufactured in 1987. We found it on Craigslist, after searching for months.
We loved these bikes, but I sold both of them (sniff, sniff) because we live in a very humid, salty-air climate, and I just couldn’t keep ahead of the rust. Our new bikes are both aluminum.