The Modern Bike

The modern bike An alternative for those urgent go-to moments?

- Paul Miles

I LOVE OLD BIKES. I’m sure you do, too, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this; unless, perhaps you’re waiting to have an abscess in your gum lanced and it was either this or a three-year old copy of National Geographic. Thing is, with old bikes – okay, with my old bikes anyway – they are not always the most reliable choice of steed. Imagine having to ride cross-country in the dark to get to dear Aunt Ethel’s bedside on the off-chance of a million quid inheritance. Would you take your 1953 AJS, sackfuls of tools and a prayer mat, or a nice, shiny, year-old Honda four? Quite.

So we all have them. Not a 1953 AJS, obviously, only a fool would want one of those, but a modern bike for those go-to moments. Even I have one. When I worked in town full-time, the two-wheeled weapon of choice was, and always will be, a scooter. Easy to ride, economical and, crucially, suitable for day-long abandonment in London’s overcrowded bike parking spaces.