A brief reminiscence
When I was a kid growing up around Keansburg, the only adults I ever remember riding bikes were people who had their licenses pulled for drunk driving. These guys made an art of it. For the most part they all kind of appeared the same, like they belonged to some drunk biking club. They looked like hell and were usually shoeless, riding beat up ten speed bikes with the sharp metal pedals and riding with no hands because they were carrying two six packs. They would ride really fast and steer by nudging the handle bars with their knees. It was pretty fucking amazing
Is this a preview of your wistful childhood memoir, “How Keen Was My Burg?”
Usually Shoeless = band name
Another good band name would be Blue Merle.
Blue Merle is taken, hippies.
Drunk Bike Club is better and probably taken too.
There is a guy in Middletown who always rides his bike near the Pathmark–it is a 10-speed. He has a very long white beard & always extremely dirty, tweedish clothing…these tan pant-leggings that look like they belong in a Bruegel painting…and a hand-knit red hat. He looks EXACTLY like the Travelocity Gnome. Middletown doesnt have many interesting characters so this guy really stands out…
you forgot the ten speed handle bars were always flipped up and they were called “DWI BARS”
That’s funny. Usually when I see an adult on a bike I wonder (aloud) how long his DL has been suspended. And then my wife will yell at me for “jumping to conclusions” and say no one else in the world has these opinions. I’m right again!