He was a Christmas present | 5 Day Story Challenge

He was a Christmas present.

A surprise gift from my partner 25 years ago. A hand-made, rigid mountain bike. Perfect for exploring the local lanes with my 2 young sons. Or, so she thought.

He has served me well, and like all of my bikes, has seen several reincarnations. In the beginning, we did explore the neighbourhood lanes with my sons, teaching them how to ride safely. When they were ready, we began cycling the trails in Pacific Rim Park. The park boasts a network of trails, including several lengthy climbs and fast descents, where you can easily lose yourself for several hours. And then, when they were ready, we progressed to the legendary trails on the North Shore. These are more challenging, more difficult, and for some like me, downright dangerous. At this point, the bike wasn’t enough. I needed suspension. We needed suspension. We now have a stable of hard tails and full suspension bikes suitable for the North Shore, Squamish and Whistler trails.

These days, my Christmas present serves a different purpose. He is equipped with a set of narrow, slick, street tires, a pannier rack, a decommissioned Brooks Professional saddle, and an assortment of used parts from other bikes. Now, he serves as a utility bike and commuter.

Chas: “Hey! That’s my saddle.”

I have put a lot of kilometres on him. Still do. He is my main ride throughout the work week, and in the winter, when the weather is wet and cold, I continue to ride him regularly. Chas and Lou don’t like wet.

Chas: “Hey. It’s not me. It’s you. You don’t like getting me dirty.”

We have shared some great times.

He accompanied my son and I to London, England for a month. My son had a trial with one of the top London “football” clubs. He was only 15 at the time, and I wanted to be with him, but needed something to do throughout the day while he was training. Every day I cycled throughout London and points north exploring every park I came across.

Thatch: “That was fun. I like going to new places.”

Another time, we climbed up to the Elfin Lakes, a popular hiking destination. It’s a long, steady climb up, and no place for a rigid MTB, particularly on the way down. I had my hands on the brakes all the way and could barely straighten them by the time we were down. The trail is rocky, and without suspension, it was a very uncomfortable, and dangerous, descent.

Thatch: “I’ll say. That was hard but I did it.”

Once we even cycled to Squamish, a popular, very hilly, 80 km route popular with road cyclists. It took us a long time. Four hours I think. The rest of the group were on road bikes and waited patiently. Or, so they said.

Thatch: “I think you liked doing it with me. My small chainring made the long, steep climbs easy for you.”

I have even flown him to the cottage several times to cycle the quiet rural roads. So, you see, he has been a good friend for a long time. Almost as long as Chas.

Thatch: “I’m not that old.”

Here he is leaning against a tree overlooking English Bay. His tree. The same tree he has leaned against for 20 years. When we first started stopping here to rest, enjoy the view, and exercise a little, the tree was a sapling, only a few inches in diameter. Today, it is wide around the girth, a bit like me.

Thatch: “This is my favourite place! Take note. I haven’t put any weight on.”

Unlike Chas and Lou, he didn’t have a name until recently. That’s because he isn’t a he. He’s a she. Her name is Thatch. An iron lady. Strong. Tough. Determined. Resolute.

Thatch: “That’s me. Not like those other two that can’t handle heavy loads, rough surfaces, and inclement weather.”

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5 Day Story Challenge 

Becky of Restart Urgently Needed nominated me for this challenge. She wanted to hear more about my bikes she said. Thank you Becky 🙂 I have to write 5 posts about my bikes and, with each post, nominate another blogger to accept the challenge. This time, I am nominating Ellie (A Writer’s Caravan) for the 5 day story challenge because I would love to read a story about how music has shaped her life.

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