Treat your bike as you would yourself and you will never go wrong.
I had a tough time figuring out what to write today partially because I am a little rushed for time in between packing for the 6 hour car ride I have ahead of me and still wrapping presents, but in between these hectic moments as I am eating my breakfast I feel a little calmer and I can, hopefully, impart some wisdom before I go back to my busy life.
What am I trying to say? If you bike needs oil lube it? If your breaks need adjusting do so? No. I am talking about love. Not the kind of love between a man and a women, because I don’t think that is legal in NY State yet, but the love we impart to objects that have been there for us through thick and thin. Sure the chain may fall off once and a while, but that can always be “repaired.”
People call me crazy for riding in the winter. Visibility is lowered as well as the temperature. Motorists forget how to drive. I am not worried though because I know that my bike, my friend, will always be there for me as long as I need him.
In closing, ride your bike. Don’t do it for exercise. Don’t do it to commute. Do it for the joy, the bond you share as bike and rider. A bond which cannot be broken. No matter how many horns sound.
Albany Bicycle Coalition 