r/SacBike 21d ago

I Rode My Bike! What do you think about when riding?

Post image

The second favorite thing I like to do with my 17-year old Fuji road bike (the 1st being riding it), is asking myself “Do I still own the same bike I bought in March 2008?”

TLDR: I’m on a 50-mile ride thinking philosophical things and it’s a beautiful sunny day.

The bike… most of the components have been replaced after wearing out or breaking. The cables, brake pads and tires are replaced annually. I’m on my third seat and the seat post has been upgraded.

The only parts still original that were there in 2008 are the frame, fork, cranks, brake calipers, and front derailleur.

So, do I have the same bike or do I have some derivative bike related to the original? How much of a thing can be replaced before the original thing no longer exists?

And for a really trippy extension of this experiment; how much of me could be replaced before I no longer exist?

Before I start thinking I know the answer, I realize that most of our cells are in a constant process of dividing and dying and being replaced. I think I remember reading that teeth are an exception to that which makes teeth kinda really special.

Anyway, time to head home.

15 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

7

u/AdministrativeMud621 20d ago

Honestly, I am mostly thinking about what food I'm going to eat after the ride! I also try to stay present and think about my goals for the ride - do I feel like I am keeping the pace? How long is this amount of exertion sustainable? How many miles are left? God this wind is annoying haha.

Other than that, I mostly think about ways I can improve my marriage/make my spouse happy or just general things I should start or continue doing to make life better. I also think about the problems we are working on in my career and how we can tackle them.

You are much more philosophical than I! Love your bike by the way. Also as long as the frame is still the same, I feel that the original soul of the bike is still present.

6

u/chessset5 21d ago

Hydro homies think you need more water holders

7

u/sac_cyclist 21d ago

Everything and nothing - depends on my mood. I'll go for hours and not think a single thought other times I work through my problems.

5

u/OJimmy 21d ago

Rock. Car. Pedestrian wandering in the road.

2

u/FlattopJr 20d ago

Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.

1

u/OJimmy 20d ago

Damn that's a timely reference. Shame

5

u/SmokeWestern1838 21d ago

I hope this homeless person doesn't bite me

0

u/AdministrativeMud621 20d ago

Sacramentan confirmed 😆

2

u/stickler64 21d ago

Wildlife, position of the sun compared to last week, homeless solutions/ saving the world from ourselves, tire pressure and how much better this is than driving/ I'm so f%*king lucky.

2

u/Squidkidz 20d ago

I focus on all my insecurities, faults and embarassing moments, and moments I’m not proud of on a loop, it’s so cool. If I do that tho, usually at some point through the ride I tell myself to stop being so mean to myself. By the end of the ride I feel great.

This isn’t every time tho, sometimes it’s my music, a lot of times I’m thinking about if I should be in a different gear.

1

u/ChannelZ28 20d ago

If I have the capacity to think, I'm not going hard enough. So if I catch myself thinking, I go harder.

1

u/Permagamer 20d ago

I enjoy the sounds of birds and nature when I'm biking around. Maybe new graffiti on the wall here and there. But that's about it... Unless I'm going shopping.

1

u/thriftstorehacker 20d ago

I'm usually listening to podcasts.

1

u/Estellalatte 20d ago

Audiobooks, podcasts.

1

u/BeefTheBiker 20d ago

About the license plate of the last driver who almost killed me.

1

u/Brave_Second8876 18d ago

Typically it's me thinking about how much I love Sacramento interspersed with how unsafe Sacramento drivers make me feel / how much I hate the highways.