the worst tip ever

I dusted off my fixed gear bike yesterday - the sun was shining and the roads were dry, finally - and took a 15-mile spin around the neighborhood. I accidentally stopped for a beer downtown, and as I was getting back on my bike, an older guy was loading his panniers with two family-sized packs of toilet paper from Trader Joe's.

We started talking when he commented on my bike. His name is Gary and he has been commuting on bikes for nearly twenty years. He told me that he recently had to switch to a recumbent bike because the stress on his wrists has made it impossible to ride long distances anymore on a traditional bike frame.

When I asked him if he had any tips for a young guy like myself he said, "Yeah. Die young."

The worst tip ever.

And a violation of my third law of bike commuting (http://clayton-ryon.blogspot.com/2009/02/four-laws-of-bike-commuting.html).