“It’s Your Ride”

I love my bicycle, even though I haven’t ridden in months because it’s not feeling well – It’s got a weird squeaky thing going on somewhere and the front brakes won’t release off the wheel. I have, however, promised multiple people that I will fix my bike in time for a) a party this weekend in Brooklyn, and b) the Five Boro Bike Tour which I think I will suffer at because I’m really out of shape and c) general riding in this New York City weather that is flirting with the idea of spring. I’ll just have to make good on my promise this weekend.

I do love bicycles, their shape, their sounds, their mechanics – it’s all more of an aesthetic experience to me than the need to ride like a speedmaven through New York’s concrete labyrinth. Hopping on for a slow, short ride towards an imaginary oubliette or a roundabout errand in my neighborhood makes me smile, and that’s usually all I ever do, really.

Enjoy this video by Daniel Leeb of Cinecycle Productions. Commissioned by Hutchinson tires, the short traces the bike paths of two different bike-riders in New York City. The music is original, by Alan Wilkis, and the track “The Hustle” can be downloaded for free on MySpace.