Recycling and buying less are great ways to be green but it is important to remember that the cars we drive send out emissions harmful to our planet’s atmosphere. In a college like UC Davis, biking is a great way to get around and cut down on driving. When I got to Davis and saw the bikes my friends had I knew I just had to get one of my own. I didn’t want any old bike though; I wanted one in just the right colors and size. As I always do, I turned to craigslist to save some money and be sustainable.
I found the perfect bike in Sacramento for twenty-five dollars but it was missing a few key components. The first step I took was to get shifters and derailleurs from friends of mine. I then bought a set of rims and tires from another one of my friends. Afterwards I spray painted the bike gold and the wheels purple. The only items I purchased new were bar tape, shifter cable, and the chain.
The final product was just as I had hoped for; the paintjob was smooth and all the components were functional. In all I spend about one hundred dollars, much less than I would have on craigslist for a complete bike. Yuniya Kawamura states that “the consumer never finds a resting place…but must keep buying and discarding, picking up and dropping items perpetually on the move to keep one jump ahead of the common herd” (Kawamura 2005). It’s big problem that most people are more likely to buy new things than take some time out and reuse old products. I, on the other hand, am happy to pick up items dropped.
Biking has now become one of my favorite things to do. It keeps me active, saves me gas money, and best of all keeps our air a little bit cleaner. Here is a video showing how fun biking can be and the crazy tricks some people can do.
-LJ Lualhati
Sources://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOjx6qI2sIk
Kawamura, Yuniya. 2005. Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies. New York: Berg Publishers.
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