My Summer Tricycle
(Not to be confused with Tricycle, the buddhist magazine, which I'm also subscribed to.>
Picture, if you will, the scene. It was June of 2025, I was living in Minneapolis interning at a company whos name is a racial epithet, and life was pretty good. Sure, I hated the job, and I made a dedication to never work in the printing industry again which I wasn't able to keep despite my efforts, but it was great. I had friends who I had met through a local friend's polycule, the weather was perfect every day and the city was brimming with opportunity.
I had made an attempt at learning to ride a bicycle with Astrid, a good friend of mine. I had rented a Lime e-bike and we had gone to Bde Maka Ska to ride around the bike trail there. Going in a straight line using the electric power of the bike, great. But I had both of my feet out acting as sort of supports, for fear I'd tip over otherwise. When I tried to move my feet to the pedals, I immediately pitched over ninety degrees to port and landed hard on the grass, legs still tangled in the bike. I sprained my ankle, but thankfully Astrid and an off-duty nurse were nearby to help me. She walked and I hobbled to a diner and I tried my best not to cry for the rest of that lovely summer day. We went to the art museum downtown, that was nice.
After that day I dedicated myself to forgetting all about the prospect of a bicycle (and the moped I was hoping to level up to) and instead purchase a tricycle. A sun 7-speed, to be specific, though this isn't a review of the vehicle itself and more of a retrospective on the whole experience. I ordered it from a local shop and Astrid drove me out there to pick it up. It wouldn't fit in her sleek electric wagon so I decided to try cycling home, a real trial by fire. Turns out riding a tricycle is incredibly easy, and I had a lovely ride figuring out my gears and my turning radius.
For two months after this I rode the trike around Saint Louis Park, these were the salad days. Sadly I couldn't take it on the bus, and I never went to Bde Maka Ska to ride around the lake though I certainly thought of it. The only complaint I had about the thing is that the brakes squealed when I had to hammer them and the transmission liked to slip right over fifth gear, and in one case the chain slipped from seventh to first and I had to finangle with it to get home.
I never took the bike to the Cub I usually went to for groceries, but I did take it to Target one morning when I was sick to pick up cold medicine, and I even saw an albino squirrel along the way! I also took it to Wells for Oklahoma-style loaded fries and I biked to work pretty frequently.
Sadly, when it was time to leave Saint Louis Park I didn't have the space to fit the thing, or the scratch I would've needed to ship it home. So, I sold it for pennies on the dollar to a friend of mine who can't drive on account of narcolepsy. I understand he makes use of it whenever he can, since he can stand up on it and keep himself from falling asleep. Overall I cannot recommend getting a tricycle enough if you can't ride a bike, screw it! Take the easy path, don't make yourself suffer just chicken out and have fun!
