Tell Me Why You Want This Bike, in 20 Words

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Mitch Schneider was getting rid of a “sweet, ten-speed thrasher” road bike, and he decided to make hopeful riders work for it–by having them write “in exactly 20 words why you are the most-deserving candidate for my road bike, and what you plan to use it for.”

He shares a handful of responses–some goofy, some earnest–in the new issue of Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac, a lively, thoughtful journal that features bike-inspired essays, poetry, reviews, conversations, and more (the article is not available online). Here’s some of the “pure road poetry” that Schneider received:

I done could like this bike to fetch stuff fer me and my wench to cook our vittles real good. -O’Connell

Twenty words is hardly enough to explain how much commuting, cruising, and possibly crashing would happen if it were mine. -David P.

Help I am in need of a bike for Pops! Please help him escape loving but crazy menopausal wife. THANKS! -Sam R.

Moving from Oregon without cash for a car makes this bike an important component to my future success and happiness. -Jordan H.

stripped naked like a chop shop
and then put back together to wheel downtown
and friends in need to borrow
its no haiku, but let me know -Will B.

I would convert this bike to a fixed gear bike then learn how to perform track stands to impress friends. -Bob B.

Source: Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac

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