The Wave…
Waves come in so many forms, out there in the ocean, every minor league baseball game ever, teen novels about fascism(Stasser,1981). But what about an interspecies wave? Do Seagulls wave at sharks? Do plants wave at insects? Do cars wave at cyclists? In many cases, those in a car are trying to get from point A to point B. They need to get to where they want to be and the journey does not matter. Thus their relationship to the road becomes very transactional and almost burdensome. “I must cover this land to get to where I want to go.”
Cyclists on the other hand have a totally different relationship to the dirt and asphalt under their tires. The road is the catalyst for adventure. The road is what brings to life the bike, takes it from a hanging fixture in a home to a living breathing thing.
So here we are, two separate groups sharing one space with very different goals and motives. Sounds like the makings for a great novel.
But there is one tool in the cyclists’ seat pouch that is our saving grace, that being the wave. The friendliest of all the gestures. Personally, I wave through and through, some folks can pull off the nod (I think you have to carry a certain presence for the nod - I bet Funk has a good one) but regardless, it is our form of cross-species kindness. The wave invites a moment of mutual respect and affirmation of the other party’s right to the road.
So please, next time you are on the road, give a wave, nod, or even a wink. Be an ambassador for our sport. Invite everyone involved into the shared space we all pay taxes for.
Garmin Varia - Eyes on the back of your head!
Do you remember that weird teacher in second grade who would tell all the kids that she had eyes in the back of her head? She’d say things like “ When I was born the doctor knew immediately I would be a teacher because he saw the eyes in the back of my head.” Now obviously this was to stop kids from screwing around when her back was turned or at least I hope it was.
Out on the road, these cars can be tricky, they’ll ride right up on you, drive into our sacred land (the shoulder) and just play it a little too fast and loose. Now imagine having eyes on the back of your head. Think about how cool it would be to know how fast the cars were coming, where they were coming from, and how many of them there were.
Boom enter the Varia, you too can be that weird teacher. It’s a light that attaches to the back of your bike and uses radar to tell everything you’d want to know about the cars behind you. It connects to your cycling computer and dots on the right side of the display will correspond to cars behind you. I know this sounds cool but you’re probably thinking this is gonna be a pain to set up. It’s a breeze, it’s so easy. Honestly, this is one of the more “techy” products we have highlighted here and definitely can seem a little gimmicky. But through and through it works so well, it literally rewrites your relationship with the road.
We have demo ones at both shops so please come in and give it a try.