Bike Brain

Bike Brain: You can't ride, so you obsess about the bike stuff you'd like to buy. For my husband this is usually some sort of component but I'm not interested in components, unless it's going to make my bike 10 pounds lighter and also involves a small motor that makes it go faster as well. Really, I'm not mechanic-minded and as long as stuff works, I don't care what brand it is or how many grams it weighs or whatever.

That said, I do want to look cool. I recently decided that my bike socks weren't nearly fancy enough and they didn't seem to be sending the message I had in mind, so I bought these:

Apparently the message I'm trying to send is: I miss art school, but whatever, I like them and I think they're cute without being the least bit girly. I don't do girly on my bike. There will be no frills, no pink, no cuteness of that ilk on me or my bike. I like my shoes black, my jersey subtle, my sunglasses dark. It's actually a good thing I like my bike shoes black because GOOD LUCK trying to find a pair of women's mountain bike shoes that aren't dorky and sneaker-esque or, just as bad, $120. There are approximately 8,000 different options for men and like, two, for women, both out of stock. Therefore, I have to buy boy shoes that don't...quite...fit, but at least they're black and basic. And they go with my skull socks.