jayroop

after over 2 years of not owning any wheels at all, i finally decided that today was the day to take the plunge and buy a bicycle.

gothenburg is quite well covered with public transit (trams, busses, and ferries), but the flat land that it sits on has really gotten me excited about riding around here. part of that might come from the fact that when i studied abroad in japan some of my best memories are from riding around late at night and wandering through the town effortlessly, able to blend in with the locals and enjoy the freedom that a bicycle gives you. (in some ways, i think in my mind i am always trying to get back to the place that was ‘my japan’)

for the past couple years i have been interested in single peed / fixed-gear bikes, and as there is no time like the present, i found a used one on blocket.se (the swedish craigslist) and picked it up after viewing it later that day. and in a strange coincidence, the guy i bought the bike off of will also be teaching a class on semiotics in the programme at hdk. when i told him i was here to study in the ma design programme he said ‘jesus, i’m a teacher there!’.

unfortunately, today was a rainy day, but tomorrow should be better. i plan on riding out to cykelcity and picking up all the necessities – helmet, lock, pump, oils + lubes, patch kit, etc. – and getting out and about as much as possible in the days to come.