An early form of bicycle propelled by pressure from the rider’s feet on the ground
When I sold my car I celebrated by spending the money I might have wasted on the car that month on a stack of poetry books. This was after a brief decision making process in which I imagined spending the money on other things, including a bicycle. My interest level in owning a bike never rose to a level that would justify the purchase. In addition to that mountain of poetry volumes I also spent the month’s bounty on a pair of MBT Shoes. As a person who loves to walk long, long distances I thought it might be useful to wear shoes which made the walking something of a workout. MBT stands for "Masai Barefoot Technology," a brand which bills itself as the "Anti-Shoe." After a rough week of breaking them in (and mangling all hell out of my achilles) these expensive shoes have worked out well, sending the notion of biking around New York City to a vague idea of something I will do when I have an abundance of time to waste and money to burn. Biking is also, I believe, a privilige of those blessed with a certain style of physical fitness. If I had greater physical dexterity — maybe agility is the word I want — I might have confidence to noodle around on a minuscule bike as multi-ton trucks and high-speed vehicles blast by. When I was in Tampa in January I noticed bike lanes on Hillsborough Avenue. Tiny slivers of space reserved for toothpick sized bikes to co-exist alongside 18-wheel monstrosities.
