After riding my old blue Crestone for 10 years, last night I donated it Bikes Not Bombs and rode home on an even older Bianci built up for me from a donated bike. It was a bittersweet parting, but I felt good about giving the old bike a new home–which could end up being in Boston or as far away as Ecuador or Ghana.

Bikes Not Bombs is a non-profit which takes donated bikes, fixes them up, and sends them (almost 3000/year) to other places that need them. They also sell about 500 custom built bikes per year, and they teach city kids how to repair bikes. 

Picking up my Bianchi was a bit like going on a blind date since I had never ridden it before. We’ve been a little nervous and awkward together on our first two rides, laughing a bit too loud at jokes and tripping over ourselves while trying to impress. But I feel an underlying connection that’s going to deepen as we travel together around Boston in the years ahead.