25 THINGS FAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T DO: #13 RIDE A BIKE




25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do is an unabashed middle finger to the preposterous idea that any human who weighs more than the status quo does not deserve to live a full and well rounded (ahem) life. The list of 25 is composed word for word from direct lists of sheer assholery found on the internet. These range from the absurd to the profoundly shameful, and I will be disproving this offensive notion with style. Feel free to join in on the fun, and if you do, link at the bottom so I can share. May the Chub Club live long and prosper!

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I'm not even going to dignify the statement that fat people shouldn't ride bikes. Instead, I'm just going to talk about how much I love Tucson and bike riding. Guys, I fucking love them a lot.

I used to ride a bicycle everywhere, and didn't have a car for years. Downtown Tucson is pretty bike friendly and relatively small, so it makes road bikes the perfect form of transportation. I've been driving too much for the last couple of years and so I decided to find a bicycle that actually fit me (being short is hard!) and start toting this sexy ass to work and back. Greatest idea ever.




In between downtown and the barrios is "The Bike Church". The freestanding structure above made entirely of bicycle parts. Did I mention we love bikes here in Tucson?



The bike I bought was fairly ready to ride, but the seat was waaaaaaaay too low to use. I stopped by our community Bicas and picked up a seat post for one dollar bill, and used my bad ass muscles to replace it. Perfection!



Bicas is kind of the shit. Its underground and full of used bike parts that cost next to nothing. They also have a workshop area where you can rent tools and ask for help from the adorable dirty bicycle boys if you have questions. They also have bicycle building classes for the general public as well as a night for women and transgenders only. And they play a lot of Modest Mouse. I heart them so hard.



The greatest part of this whole post is that I couldn't get a good picture of me actually riding my bike. but trust me... I've been riding it. My ass is ridiculously sore to prove it.

This is the first "female" bike I've ever owned (I used to refer to my previous bicycles as "my boyfriends") and so I'm struggling with a name. I keep thinking about cinnamon candies or red hots... but that's not exactly name fodder. Any suggestions?



So fuck you haters. I love bicycle riding more than I love a lot of things and I'm not quitting anytime soon.
Oh yeah. And I totally ride bicycles in mini skirts. NBD.


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Do you want to join in on the fun? I want you to as well! There really are no "size restrictions", anyone can participate. I'm going to start one LARGE link up for all 25 Things together! ANY item from the 25 Things can be added to the link up below, instead of individually like before. Just use your name and the number chosen in the name area (see below!). Capiche?  I'll be "re-posting" this link up each time so if you've linked to any previous posts re-link here... Lets all bash stereotypes together.  Xoxoxo.

15 comments

  1. I love these pictures. As I look wistfully out the window of my suburban Detroit home and watch the snow fall for the fourth day in a row I remember bike riding and wonder if I'll ever get to do it again.

    Sarah
    bringmoreyarn.blogspot.com

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    1. I sometimes forget how lucky we are in AZ to have 70 degree weather in Feb:)

      We pay for it in the summer though!

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  2. This is perfect!! That bicycle church is sooo amazing. My fiance would freak out about this. We love riding bikes together! And neither of us fall into the 'skinny' category. (I'm sending him this link right after I finish this comment.) And that bike shop is so cool. We have something like that where I live too, but we haven't gone to it very much. Good for you lady, good for you. Loved it!

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  3. Downtown looks gorgeous! I haven't rode a bike since I was a child and now you've got me wanting to purchase a bike just to ride around. Good for you, though. I'm glad you don't give a shit and weight doesn't stop you from doing whatever you want!

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    1. Thats the thing! Just because I'm fat doesn't mean that I'm not healthy. I know women my size that run marathons. I'm not trained for that... but I definitely can race my little bike!
      xoxo

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  4. Ethelred the Unsteady, of course.

    That was the name of my red college bike, a million years ago, which I now bequeath to you, if you would like it.

    Admittedly, it was usually me being unsteady, rather than the bike (I am a bit arthriticky) but I do still bike ride and enjoy it so much. We have a little island off the coast where I live, where it is bikes only, no cars, and the holiday time I spend there is looked forward to for months.

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  5. What happened to your old bike!!!?!? This one is cute. I miss bike riding. It's too scary to ride here, people drive like maniacs and the roads are gnarly. Can't wait until we move for more bike friendly city!

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    1. I still have my old bike that Doug made! His name is "Mickey" because the colors are that of a Mickeys can;) Hes a little too tall for me so I had to find a much smaller version.

      I'm so short.

      Loving you from Tucson. xoxoxo

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  6. This makes me want to fix the bike and ride! Why is it so cold still?!

    zuleyb.blogspot.com

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  7. you rule! my husband used to ride his bike to work but it was 13 miles on busy roads with no bike lane so I made him stop! i love that you are able to ride to work, i bet it is a great way to start a day/shift

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  8. Cinnamon, yeah? So, our modern cinnamon is "Cassia".... it's the botanical name for cinnamon. How's that sound?

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  9. She looks like a Ruby to me, but maybe that's a bit too on-the-nose :P

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  10. Oh em gee......I want to ride a bike. Just got done telling hubby that I would have ridden one if I had one last year but not this year since I gained 50 lbs. That's my reality as a side effect of depression. I realize I need to change that stinkin thinkin!

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  11. I would have thought that any questions as to whether or not fat people (chicks in particular) should ride bicycles was answered through the awesome power of Freddie Mercury's vocals.

    Or is it that the discerning ear of the bigot hears emphasis on the 'bottomed' bit of Fat Bottomed Girls and fails to hear the reference to 'big fat Fanny' and the twice-repeated phrase 'heap big woman', ergo blasphemously likening Brian May's lyrics to those of Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back (i.e. 'little in the middle, but she got much back') which reasserts less realistic body ideals and media stereotypes?

    Well, ladies, all I can say is:
    GET ON YOUR BIKES AND RIDE! [air guitar]

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  12. I *love* biking. Why shouldn't you bike? You go, girl.

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