Zen and the Art of Bike Riding

               March 30, 2025

                                                                                                                                                                                   Bill Pautler

 

 Zen and the Art of Bike Riding

Part 1

 

 

                       “Meditation is the science of reuniting the soul with God”

          — Swami Paramahansa Yogananda 

 

I was talking to my friend the other day.  This friend knows I bicycle often and meditate on my bike trips.    They asked me to write a story entitled “A Biker’s Guide to Meditation”.    So here is that story, but I changed their Title.

The first thing you should know is I have been biking since I was old enough to ride a bike.  I remember when my Dad took my training wheels off and then told me not to ride until he got back.  Then he promptly went inside the house for some reason.   I waited patiently until I couldn’t anymore.   And then I started riding circles in our driveway.   That was the beginning of ‘game on’.  

The first thing my friends and I would do on Saturday mornings was hop on our bikes and ride to each other’s houses to begin a day of adventure.  

I remember the first bike I bought with my own money, a metallic brown Schwinn which had multiple gears.  I was probably twelve.

One weekend, as a freshman in high school, I rode my bike to the county lake.   About a 15-mile round trip from my house.    Most people in the small town I grew up in would have considered this to be a long ride.  Unbeknownst to me, a classmate, a few grades older than me, had seen me that Saturday.   When we were in study-hall the following Monday, he drew a cartoon of me on my bike ride and handed it to me.   He entitled it Billy Bike Rider.  Every time he saw me at school in the hallways he would proclaim loudly “Billy Bike Rider! Ring, ring, ring!” (saying ring while vibrating his lower tongue, emulating the small round bells people put on their bicycle handlebars and activate with their thumb).   

My nickname was shortened to Bike Rider and that is what all my growing up friends still call me to this day.  

Biking is my solace, my meditation and my way to interact with the world.  During reasonable weather, which is 9 to 10 months out of the year, I average probably 3 to 4 rides a week.  Average ride is probably about 14 miles but can range from 6 to about 22.   I ride the urban city, using bike paths, parks, fields and as much low traffic road as I can.    My rides last usually 2.5 to 4 hours.  When I am not riding, I am chatting with people, meditating and sitting in nature.

The sole nature of my rides is built around enjoying myself.

Detail and preparedness are my hallmarks.  My relationship with my bike is much like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.   My bike is always ready to ride.   I schedule taking my bike to the shop once a year around a day I can’t ride because of weather.  

My bike is made of carbon fiber.   Most people ride carbon fiber bikes for reduced weight.  I ride carbon fiber because it absorbs road vibration better than other materials. Easier on my body.  I have 4 bags on my bike.  All waterproof.   My front bag carries keys, wallet, music, sunglasses.   My seat bag carries tools and air pump.   My left pannier carries miscellaneous weather dependent clothing, a rag, bike lights, small bag of nuts, more glasses with varied tints.    My right pannier carries a bike lock, frisbee, sheet and spare water bottle.    My panniers are oversized, and I commonly stop to buy groceries on the way home. My bike is probably 3 times heavier than what groups of bicyclists, riding for distance and speed, use.  

It takes me about 20 minutes from the time I get up off the couch to be prepped and out the door.   Bike prep consists of filling water bottles, loading potentially needed gear and checking tire pressure.  I check my tire pressure by pushing on the center of the tire with my thumb.   There is a perfect ratio between high and low pressure that is desirable.  In general the higher the pressure the longer the bike will roll (least amount of friction between tire and pavement), the lower the pressure the more comfort to the rider (gives the tire more bounce to absorb).    My tires have no tread in the center, just a flat surface with tread on the edges.  This provides for maximum amount of roll and traction as your bike turns.  

All my shoes are barefoot type shoes with zero drop.   That is what I ride in.  I have cages on my pedals so I get maximum amount of power to the wheels.

I always know the weather before I ride.  Including wind direction.   If the wind is strong I will usually ride into the wind at the beginning of the ride and wind at my back on the way home when I am tired.  

Over the last number of years, I have taught myself how to ride handsfree.  I can now do a ride, on a non-windy day, probably 90% handsfree.  I can also stand up on my bike handsfree and coast for long periods.   Not bragging, this is just part of the Zen and the fun.

When I am on my bike I am usually in the zone.   Probably 75% of the time I am riding with a headset in my ears and listening to music.   

My bike allows me to be in the world, but not of the world.   I pass through all types of situations.   I often visit the turtles at the pond in RailRoad Park.  

 

When I stop on the bridge, they will now swim over toward me (ps I never feed animals, it disrupts their nature).  In this picture there is seven turtles staring up at me.  The murky white in the water is a reflection of the clouds in the sky.   You can see the sun in the upper left corner.  I talk to the animals also, not just on my bike rides, but anytime in nature.     I was at RR Park one day and the birds were being particularly vocal.  I was meditating and a family walked by me, they were chatting among themselves and completely oblivious to the birds.  But one young man in their party was on the spectrum.  He stopped and hollered at the birds, “Would you shut up”.  I laughed to myself at his awareness, beautiful simplicity and understanding.   All things we consider abnormal (like being on the spectrum), come with their special set of gifts.  YouTube ‘The Telepathy Tapes’ to understand this concept.   Every coin has two sides.  

I often stop and talk with people, some I know, some I know now.   The picture on the back of my book, was taken by a very nice gentleman who was taking pictures on the bridge one day.   I run into him a couple times a year now.    As I move through the community, I try to love on people and enhance their lives with a smile.   I often give people the Pura Vida sign.   Costa Rican hand signal for Pure Life.    Anytime I pass children riding a bike I always tell them they are ‘lookin good’ and tell them to keep having fun.  

We are at about 1200 words and this story is getting a little long.   So this is going to be Part 1.   In Part 2, which will follow soon, I will go more into the meditation aspect of my rides.

 

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Be mindful, aware and enjoy our journey ……. Live a SageLife

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Namaste, the Divine in me honors the Divine in you!