I know I have been obsessively recording the steps along the way towards changing this old Giant Nutra hybrid bike into a capable touring machine. But to me this bike is more than a simple build up from an old bike to an old bike with bags and racks. To me this project is more than just a mechanical exploration of what is possible with an old bike, but rather a reintroduction to the things I love.
The Long Haul Trucker was a beautiful bike, and while I loved it, it was too small for me, but that bike was a vehicle for my travels, not only in the sense of going bicycle camping, but into my own thoughts and solitude. A side note on solitude to follow. This new(old) bike is not only a way to get into exploring these things again, but its build has led me to feel more attached to this bike than I ever have with the old Surly.
I have documented the visible changes, such as the bars, tires, racks, and bags... but I haven't said much about the mechanical things that do not show up in pictures. The things such as the bottom bracket rebuild that replaced bearings and grease, the meticulous lubing and readjustment of the derailleurs, cables, brakes, stem, seat post, frame bolts, and truing of the wheels. These seem minute details, regular maintenance, boring necessities, things that would have been done to the trucker no doubt and by me.
So why the hubbub? I have grown close to this old bike, giving her meticulous care, updating necessary components, and even some not so necessary. While the Trucker was built and bred as a touring machine, this old betsy is breathing a new life as a re-purposed machine... but less a machine, and more a living breathing life, that has the ability to start over as something else and live a life it had not had the chance to do.
This feeling of rebirth is something that I imagine most people go through... things in life change situations. New choices lead to new paths, and in this case new journeys, and new adventures, and new life. The care I have given this bike, seeing that she will be ready for the next trip, seeing that she will have the right parts to see her through to the end, has really made me grow close to this bike. Though the Long Haul Trucker didn't need this meticulous attention to make it tour ready, it is this attention to the Giant that has given me a closeness to her that I never had with the LHT. I have been through some things in life and though nothing of real note to speak of, not being able to enjoy my adventures in life can be just as depressing as losing a loved one.
I have re-kindled a sense of adventure within me by growing close to this old machine, by bringing new life into her and into my sense of adventure. Every minute I have spent rebuilding this bike has gotten me closer to another adventure tour, and towards my exploration of nature and solitude on my new (old) Bike.
Post script on solitude:
Solitude, as it may seem does not necessarily mean alone. Adventure and the exploration of the beauty of nature in solitude doesn't take away the idea of sharing this solitude. The dictionary definition of the word lends more towards the idea of a quiet place away from human activity. Though I have been on several hiking and touring trips with Ellen, and with other people, the company of others never took away from the individual appreciation of those things that Emerson, Muir, and Thoreau describe so eloquently about nature and solitude.
