Today was a beautiful day. A beautiful sunny autumn day, one of those that is still warm, the air is clear and fresh and the colourful leaves are flying with the wind.

Today was one of those days, where I give my bike a new life again. My bike has been my trusty companion since fourteen years now. That is quite a lot! I head that one bike year is around five human years, so if you translate this, my bike is now 70 years old! (Okay, I just made this up, but I think of my bike as a senior).

This bike is the only bike I own and it has been with me in many places. I bought it together with my grandfather before I graduated school and since then it has joined me in almost every stop of my way since. It was been with me when I first lived alone, when I had a first date, when I moved via train to Copenhagen and when I moved back via car. It has been with me in the eleven places I lived in, spanning six cities in three countries. In many ways, it has been a really good friend that has joined me in many important moments of my life.

As my bike grows older, it demands more attention and care. I remember how I fixed it’s first puncture and how I struggled to get the tyre off (to be fair, I still struggle with this sometimes, even now). I was sitting on a cold balcony, with dirty hands and no idea how this works and I remember how much I did not like this. Even with something as simple as fixing a puncture, I was overwhelmed, had no support or someone with experience on my side and it took what felt like forever. It was not something I enjoyed at all.

Because of this negative experience, I paid people to do the fixing, or I asked friends. I did not like the feeling of being lost and too much out of my comfort zone. I remember paying good money at the bike shop to exchange the saddle and handles, as I did not dare to do this myself. Or I remember asking a friend of a friend to fix something for me, as I did not have the money to pay another professional again. Over the time, many things broke. The rope that changes gears ripped. The link of a chain broke apart. On a trip around a lake, a pedal just fell off during the ride. Luckily a bike shop was near and they put new pedals on for me.

Generally, I really like when people fix things and keep them alive. I find it impressive. To me, the more something is fixed, the more it feels alive. A newly bought pair of pants has less soul in it than the one that was fixed and patched a couple times. I like this. And I want to be someone who fixes things. So with many video guides, helpful friends and a good portion of willpower, I slowly started to work on my bike myself and gain experience.

I exchanged the chain myself (and learned that you should invest in a proper chain tool, not the cheap ones). When I exchanged the cassette in the back, I learned that half the work of fixing a bike is finding compatible parts. After something fell into the back tyre and put a proper dent in it, I managed to pull it back to an (almost perfect) circle by tensing the spokes to perfection. When the bearing in the back axis stopped working, I performed what felt like open heart surgery and replaced the bearing and put everything back on again. When I needed to take off the back rack to replace the mudguards, a screw broke off in the thread, preventing me from putting the rack back on. I needed to buy a new rack and - with some help - drill out the broken screw and put a new thread in the hole.

This actually became a pattern: When I try to fix things, usually something else breaks in the process. Two years ago, I exchanged all fourteen gears of my bike and tested them afterwards, just to have the rope to shift the gears rip again. Annoying!

Two weeks ago, when I exchanged the saddle, handles and pedals (this time, I did not need a professional, hah!), I screwed in the pedal a bit wrong and went for a short ride. Little did I know that one ride with a wonky pedal lead to me completely destroying the (old and porous) thread inside the crank shaft. How do you put a pedal inside a crank without a thread? In the end, I needed to order a new pair of crank shafts.

Today was the day, where I put the new cranks on. I do not know how many times I have now sat with my bike on Saturdays or Sundays like these, took some hours and took care of my old friend. By now, I have repaired and replaced more things on my bike than not. Almost every part has a story to it. It is a bit like the paradox of the Ship of Theseus , where everything is exchanged eventually. Notable exceptions: The frame, the front light and the hydraulic brakes are all still original and (for the most part) function flawlessly after fourteen years of service. That is quite impressive!

I remember how I sat on this cold balcony and being overwhelmed. Now, fourteens years later, there are few things that give me more joy than sitting outside with my bike, having the autumn sun in my face, and giving it a new life again. Another time it is not too broken and it’s life can be extended.

To me, there is something really beautiful in this. The bike being my old friend. I am growing and learning alongside. The stubbornness of keeping a friend alive. Again and again. I do quite complicated repairs now and I do not feel so lost like in the beginning. I even enjoy the process. I wanted to live like this, and now I do live like this. How nice.

I am looking forward to the next life of my bike.