The Bicycle I Didn’t Buy

When we moved to Munich in 2024 I wanted a bicycle, but I could never settle on which one to buy. An e-bike, a nice hybrid, a folding bike? The choices were endless and the whole thing felt overwhelming, so I did nothing. I never got one at all. Which was silly, because I’d always enjoyed riding my Dahon folding bike around Japan. It was nothing special, and well past its prime by the time I gave it away, but it did the job. The subject came up by chance in April, chatting with a climbing friend. He had the opposite problem: four bikes, and one too many, collected over the years. He offered me the one he no longer rode. A free bicycle, hallelujah! Before the upgrades I picked it up a week later. The stem, handlebars and brakes were a little rusty, so I bought replacements and fitted them myself at home. Small work, but satisfying. I now ride almost every day, often along the Isar or through the forest nearby. Blasting along the trails with nothing but trees around me feels wonderful,…