You Are Viewing Bicycles

I have been toying with the idea of starting a community bike project in the Phoenix area for awhile. A program where, for a brief application, a copper-painted bike and a bike lock become yours. I sort of have crazy ideas like this all the time, and it’s only every once in awhile that they even begin to gain a little traction.

About a month ago, my friend Liana said she might have a connection to a few busted up bicycles. The bikes she was talking about are abandoned in the desert by people traveling further North after tires go flat or chains break. Then volunteers working around the Organ Pipe National Monument pick them up and dispose of them. I was excited at the prospect of getting a couple of worn out bikes in need of a little TLC, but it was also Christmas so I was also excited about seven (7) step bars, caramel rolls, and chocolate-chip cookies.

Weeks passed, and ideas were tossed around. Then yesterday, I got a call from Liana. “Hey Sam, we’re in Buckeye about forty-five (45) minutes away. We got those bikes for you.” I got so excited, my water almost broke. Just a little under an hour later, I had thirty-five (35) bicycles in my backyard.

My friend’s comments about parenthood came back to me. I was excited about this bike project for months, but it didn’t feel real until I saw all those rusted chains and busted spokes. And now that they are there, I am so proud.

But don’t worry, Mom. I’ll give you a little bit more warning before the real kids start coming…

These bikes have one gear, and only one gear. They are not a “single gear” bike that allows the user to coast, like a Cruiser, or a BMX bike. If my back wheel is in motion, so are my legs. They do not have twenty-one (21) speeds for me to pick and choose from. My chain is connected directly to the cog that makes the back wheel move. No technology.

Yesterday, I stopped by onePlace on the way to class to say hi to Kevin and Mark. While our friend Ace was riding around on my bike, Mark made a comment about progress. “You know, there is a way to have the bike keep going when you aren’t peddling. And to change gears to adjust resistance. It just doesn’t make sense to revert back to only one, fixed gear. Technology should always be moving forward.”

I stood there awhile with nothing to say. He makes a viable argument, but it just didn’t sit well with me. I know that technology is good – for society, the economy, adult entertainment, and many other things. We developed cellular technology, and I haven’t lived in a place with a land line for four (4) years. Furthermore, our phone numbers don’t start with the city’s name any longer. You have a better chance calling 867-5309 than you do Pennsylvania 6-5000. And even if Jenny wasn’t home, you could leave a message on her voice mail, yet another mad advance in this crazy world of ours.

Later in the afternoon, a few of us went to the Phoenix Art Museum to check out the new Graffiti Fashion exhibit. Free on Tuesdays! After that exhibit, we strolled up the stairs to the Center for Creative Photography for the traveling exhibit about Group f/64. Group f/64 might sound familiar to you because it was the battle cry of Edward Weston, Willard Van Dyke, Sonia Noskowiak, and Ansel Adams. It was there in the gallery that I finally found the words to describe my feeling earlier that day. Here is an excerpt from the Group’s Manifesto:

The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form.

Purity. This was it, I found my answer. People sometimes revert back to a single, fixed gear bicycle because they desire the purity of control. Much like how Porsche and Ferrari still offer their vehicles with manual transmission as standard. Purity of control. Sometimes people are so fed up with the direction of photography, that make a pact to avoid glossy prints, and narrow focus. Sometimes a callback to the basics is really rewarding.

This one might be a stretch, but what if there is a group of people who decide to rebel against the technology of warfare, and engage in the purity of diplomacy? Neat idea, huh?

So next time you see someone without a digital camera, automatic transmission, or a ten (10) speed bike, remember – technology doesn’t always have to move forward.