Bicycling magazine was running a contest where a parody of one of the writers was required to win a $5000 bike. I entered three times and just finished another submission when I discovered that the contest closed. I never realized how few 150 words really is. Editing the entries became a learning experience. From now on I plan to keep my posts to that max whenever possible. Here's the one that never made it.
There are two types of bike shops. On one hand you have an old school shop which has more bikes on the floor than floorspace. A game of dominoes can result if some ADD 5 year old evades his inattentive parent. The staff is an odd mix of young and old, roadies and downhillers, lean and overfed. They will gladly pump your tire as you sip a free cup, listen to the story of your tour or put your rump on any bike under their roof. They have what you need and will launch a search party immediately.
On the floor of the other shop, five bikes sit inches off the ground under spotlights and “don’t touch” signs, as if the glare of the uniformed staff aren’t enough. Air and advice are never free, coffee is $5 and the part you need is stocked but time to bother is not.
