IT WAS A CRAZY IDEA. AND I don’t know who first thought of it. Probably Doug, my school-days friend. He was the one who found the rusty old bike frame that nobody seemed to want. It was a tandem, a bicycle-built-for-two. And although its wheels were missing, the possibilities were exciting.
When you’re 14 years of age and have read every ‘Biggles’ book in the library, you’ve gotta have a dream, eh. And our dream was to turn this cast-off into a speed-machine – then venture boldly where few had gone before!
We borrowed wheels off our own school bikes, and scrounged some other missing bits. We sanded and painted and greased and oiled, and hung boxes off the back to hold food.
Our speed-machine was getting heavy, and its worn-down brakes wouldn’t brake. But we didn’t care about STOPPING. I mean, Doug had installed a patched-up three-speed Sturmey-Archer hub to help us pedal FASTER!
Our destination was up the coast along a narrow dirt road. And, to a chorus of farewells, we finally wobbled off – Doug in front, me tucked in behind.
We were on a GRAND ADVENTURE … and I can still remember how GOOD it felt!
But fate – or that dirt road – had other plans. The hills kept getting steeper, the pot-holes kept making the chain slip off, and the sharp stones kept puncturing our tyres. And every few kms, instead of pedalling faster, we had to get off and push!
Talk about EMBARRASSING!
A passing truck-driver offered us a lift. And, although it seemed shameful (like giving up, somehow), we heaved the bike on the back and clambered up ourselves.
But, alas, when we got dropped-off at the next town, we saw little ball-bearings all over the ground. Our patched-up three-speed Sturmey-Archer hub had died!
We slept that night in an abandoned tin shed, and next morning sent a telegram home. Our grand adventure on a bicycle-built-for-two was over for now. But we were already dreaming of the next one …
JOHN (GRAPEVINE’S FOUNDER) LOVES THAT FAMOUS SAYING: “EVER TRIED? EVER FAILED? NO MATTER. TRY AGAIN. AND NEXT TIME FAIL BETTER!”
