I was walking up to Roscoe Village Bikes to pick up an extra pair of team socks and stumbled into an impromptu three ring bike culture circus. Out front of RVB where three friends who represent wide range of Chicago's bike scene. Isaac from WIG, Nick from El Duke and Charlie, the Director of Mayor Daley's Bicycle Ambassadors.
These guys are like bike culture dealers. They hanging out on corners giving out a little taste of the good stuff, hoping you want in and come back for more. All three of them depend on the bike industry for their livelihood, but our conversation wasn't about their product. We talked about how to fit a family on a bike, shops in Chicago, sewing machines, and wicked fork details.
I did score a sample of El Duke Degreaser from Nick and plan to put it to work on my cross bike. I'll report back on how I like it sooner than later. However, without even using it I trust that it is truly environmentally sound, just check out this vid.
More than any single element or discipline of cycling I love the culture - the immeasurable, enlightening fun of sharing your passion for bikes with other bikers. After my last post I realized I was getting a little whinny about having to dig deep to keep getting up and on the bike. In retrospect, I don't have to dig deep to get on the bike, just to out of bed.
In the end if you're not having fun, what are you having?
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