From a Bike to Ice Cream Trike

I was passing by the public elementary school when I spotted one of the trikes I mentioned in my previous post, "From Bikes to Trikes". This time it is a man selling ice cream on his bike, which has been converted into a custom-made trike, as were the others, but suited to the owner's livelihood specialization, to sell coned ice-cream to school kids at the roadside. Here, the owner fell drowsy waiting for the kids to come out from afternoon class dismissal.

From a Bike to Fastfood Trike

Shown here is a picture of a bike converted to a trike to help its owner sell fastfood on the roadside of the Cebu City Hall. This expanded bike, which has been converted to a fastfood trike for a living caters to government and private employees who go out of their offices to take their midday snacks or lunch. The owner sells hanging rice to be paired with ngohiong that make for a very affordable and delightful finger meal dipped in spicy gravy sauce.

From bikes to trikes

As often as I ride my bike I always run into some trikes transformed out of common bikes to serve a variety of people's needs. This is a baker's trike, one of the many bikes converted to trikes to make for a living. Even small to medium scale businesses resort to this strategy to cut on fuel and rental costs while at the same time improving product accessibility to their customers. This picture portray such case in a form of mobile store for baked goods. I was off-guarded when I took this picture and found out later that a woman on another trike ( background) was selling her goods. From the looks of it, she was selling snack goodies and either ice-candies or bottled mineral waters in a styrofoam container.

I wonder if a good number of people ever give these ingenuity special importance. To me, however, it is something to appreciate at.

The Bike to Work Habit

My work days always begin with kicks to my bike pedals. It is only now that I realize it has become a habit and a normal practice to begin my day. The travel to the hospital commences with a few hundred meters of horizontal road to warm up my system. It then progresses to the most challenging part of ascending a steep, 50-degree road angle that stretch for about 50 meters. Luckily, the gears still switch obediently to my command even though they badly need grease. To my burden, I don't only carry my own weight but also that of my backpack loaded with raincoat, uniform and miscellaneous effects. The bike frame too, is an unfriendly heavy work of iron metal. These things require me significant amount of energy expenditure everytime so that by the time I get to the top I am already gasping for air. Fortunately, thoughtful road engineering allows me to catch my breath as I descend a soothing, 5-degree road angle stretching about a hundred meters. The rest of the distance was as effortless as walking on foot. Well, the better part is that I'm taking the shortcut road that takes me only less than 15 minutes to get to my destination ( Commuter rides take about 30 minutes ).
Now, that free me from concerns about economic, health and punctuality issues. Most of the time, I am the first one to get to the workplace ahead of my coworkers. I am also still sweating when I change clothes. Both allow me compliments from them.
The best part, however, is the experience of breathing fresh morning air, beholding the sights of sunrise, roadside plantations, and of early birds doing their chores roadside. Every morning, I'm never in want of fresh greeting exchanges to and from people who are outgoing from night shift and from those who start early at day. Often, these people are the security guards, janitors and hospital aides who have simple things in life. These things give me renewed strenght when I get down my bike to tie it to my favorite post near the building. These things enrich my life.

Rise in bike sales

In my previous post " Good News in rising oil price ", I have mentioned about the bike as an alternative transportation to cope with the world's continued skyrocketing of oil price. True enough I was obviously never mistaken in that opinion. In recent weeks, I have watched a local news reporting from the ABS-CBN about the increase in bike sales in many bicycle shops. It sounds reasonable for everyone to go with the trend. As if to further support my opinion, a military compound observed a day of bicycle within its premises. No cars were allowed entry but only those riding in bicycles. I watched it in the news with the military themselves in bike attires, helmets and of course in biking mood for the day. In the end, I was only happy to know that there will be more people jumping into the idea of owning a bike. That means, I will be riding along and greeting other bikers in the streets. For one thing, it will be a whole lot more fun to be out there with the other bikers.

A Birthday on Bike

It was a simple birthday on June 21, 2008 that I celebrated. Though I used to celebrate the day with friends coming to our house, this one is different. There was the usual greetings from few people who remembered but minus the fun with drinks and food. Nevertheless, the day was worth writing because it was a unique celebration with self and no other than my bike.
The day was spent biking down the church for thanksgiving and later to someplace in the city. I get to dine at a certain moderately-cheap restaurant but with servings good enough to satisfy a craving appetite. Midway through the day, I replaced my bike's old saddle with a hip and newer one. I was also able to grease the wheels and gears as well as the roller and shifter ( thanks to two of my friends who offered assistance ). So, I had a good time enjoying my bike with a newer ride that day.
Indeed, I never had the same merriment of the previous celebrations in the past but this one was worth cherishing. I get to experience a certain peace and freedom within myself without the hassles of a busy occasion. All because it was a simple birthday spent on a bike.

Heart of the Winning Team

It has been two months since I read about a very inspiring news of humble bikers winning a mountain biking competition against all odds. I desperately searched for the news in a pile of old newspapers and couldn't find it in repeated attempts. By some luck, I accidentally got hold of the news when I was about to dispose of the old piles a few days ago. In the page was written in bold print " Lowly bike to victory " , of the SunStar daily publication on March 16, 2008.
To summarize, the team of Merlita Arias, Jappy Lumongsod and Ricky Gonzaga won first place in the Mt. Manunggal 2008 Adventure race against discouraging words from spectators and other contestants. They were said to have second-rate mountain bikes and reportedly practiced only a few times in similar tracks before the event. Worst, one of the team member, Arias, suffered a busted brake during the competition so that she had to drag her bike along the final downhill control point which also turned out to be her weakness. The team's determination, however, overcame the obstacles and disproved everybody's perception. They went on to win the race.
I found the news a very encouraging event for fellow bikers who may also be in the same position as the team - owning the cheap, lowly bike. It tries to emphasize the fact that it is in the heart of an individual that earns him a rightful name as a biker/cyclist and not what he has. In competition or not, what's important is to be able to do the things we love to do regardless of the class of equipment available. A good rated equipment is ,of course, the best thing a hobbyist can have but limited with resources, that comes only next to be able to do what you love doing, in this case the love to bike around. In a sense, it is what having the heart of a winner means.

There's a good news in rising oil price

According to CNN.com world crude oil price rose to a whopping $128.98 per barrel on Tuesday, May 13,2008. Wow! That sounds a lot of bad news coming in the next few days. I guess it drives some to drift in desperation while still others into panic. Whether its going to be another set of car fuel price increases or the chain reaction of price increases of other commodities, it is reason for many of us to feel sorry for the this world event. However, for the sake of consoling our waning morale in the world economy, there is still some good news to salvage out there in the streets.
Humans never lacked alternatives to useful inventions. We only need to harness what's in store to absorb the impact of economic slowdown. One such remarkable alternative is the bicycle which many people take for granted. It is usually helpful for a short- distance travel especially to people whose residence is located a few kilometers from the city, better still for those who are strategically residing in its perimeter. One can bike down going to and out of work, buy a few supplies at nearby stores, attend church services and in other petty transactions in the city. Instead of grabbing that car key for the purpose, one can get on that bike. If people resort to it, it will have created a tremendous amount of savings in a month that would have been spent on car fuels. The not-so-long-distance travels can be covered as endurance increases with frequent use. It means, that health is also considerably improved and weight maintained at optimum level. One can put those money spent on diet pills and other weight loss stuff in the piggy bank, plus, savings on sickness medications and doctor's fees. Lastly, the bike takes less maintenance and offers cheaper parts replacements compared to automobiles. So, save the cars for long-distance travels, instead clean and grease that old dusty, rusty bike at the corner of the garage.

My Bike

My cheap mountain bike serves me in many ways. It plays an important role in my health maintenance, allows me recreation and affords me an inexpensive means of transportation. Nothing else in my possession beats that usefulness. It deserves some tribute.

Through the years, I have maintained my fitness on rotation by other stuff like the weights, treadmill, punching bag and occasional ball sports aside from such health practices like eating right and getting enough sleep. My bike, however, often steals a bigger share of the time because it takes my fitness adventure to a different level. While I find it challenging to combine physical exertion and balancing, I feel it most exhilarating to ride with momentum.

I don't get bored with my bike because it is one of my favorite recreations, taking me to places I love to hang out with a friend or a cousin. We'd go down biking leisurely at a park, climb up a grassy hill, infiltrate the busy pier and explore a serene subdivision or even the crowded slum area. Under urgent need, I simply grab it to buy refreshments or supplies from nearby stores. I always have a small back pack on the go with a spare of dry shirt to keep me fresh from heavy perspiration under the scorching sun. A set of raincoat also protects me from chilling wet during a downpour. These weather changes though, don't bother me at all. In fact, it's a bit more amusing biking down impenetrably on such an occasion with the tires splashing water beneath me on wet roads as raindrops cool my face. My bike creates some of my life's finest moments.

Living just a few kilometers from the city's commercial area, one can get there within 10-15 minutes' ride on a regular commuter jeepney. Nonetheless, when traffic starts to build up especially on rush hours or for some other reasons traveling time considerably increases. With my bike, I can still get to the place within minutes regardless of the traffic condition. I can always zigzag my way out of the jam. Looking back at them, I pity those people stuck helplessly inside their cars waiting for their turn to advance in bottleneck traffic. As for me, with this wonderful human invention I am free to go as I wish. At the same time, I get to save a few bills that would have been spent on fares. Ultimately, with an environment-friendly travel I am devoid of the conscience against air and noise pollution. For these reasons, I treat my bike like a real best friend. Indeed, it is, because it shares my bedroom.