New old bike story in ZaoBao

Chinese Translation by my dear wife,Wu JinFeng

欢迎你归队，我的老朋友!
它静默忠诚地伫立在一角已经好长的一段时日。它的铁身有很多小划痕和锈斑，虽然没有大的凹痕，但覆盖着薄薄的灰尘，还有恼人的蜘蛛网，无意间瞥见，落寞难掩。它的钢轮有点磨损，可是还能使用；轮胎辐条则生锈了；轮胎橡胶也已变硬，还出现微裂痕。它就这么一直隐身在我老家的地下室，惊鸿一瞥，原来已逾越了二十年的时间长河。
这是我的自行车。我人生中的第一辆自行车。它是我利用假期在书店打工赚取的微薄薪水慢慢累积换来的。它虽然没有顶级性能，却标志着我生命中一个非常重要的阶段：年少的我凭藉自己的力量圆了自己的一个梦想。那年，我还是个口袋里没几个钱的中一学生。我记得走进一间位于后港的自行车店，帅酷地跟老板说： 给我一部Racer自行车! 他不假思索地说：就这部吧！钢的，Shimano日本牌， 很不错哟！我不记得我们之间完整的对话，却牢牢地记住了心头儿的那股热。那发亮的银色, 干净的线条，怎么看都令人炫目着迷。唯一的遗憾就是车身太高大不符合瘦小的我，而我呢，左看右看，也知道自己的“财力”有限，也只能够欣然接受它的“缺陷美”，买下它！
有了它，我就像拥有了一双翅膀，可以在邻里的大街小巷自由来去。我用青春的马力飞快地骑着。我真切地感受到风吹拂在脸上的快意。我可以一口气从实龙岗骑到榜鵝尾端。当时榜鵝一带，树多丛林茂密又常起风，我就想象自己去远方探险！它就是解放我的魔毯！哈！真正神奇的是，当时我连骑车的基本配备，如水壶和车灯，都没有。很多时候，我并不清楚自己所在确切的地点，只是遵循着有路就前进的想法，一直骑到尾端的榜鵝码头才又转身骑回家。现在回想起来，无知的我还曾经在东海岸快速公路上骑车！中途，我被警察拦住：小弟弟，快速公路上是不能够骑自行车的!他嘴角的那一抹笑意让我怀疑他年少时也曾经做过同样轻狂的事。
这辆自行车盛载着我率性精彩的童年，我渴望重新拥抱它！我走访了很多间自行车店，得到的答案都相同：不要修复啦，丢掉它，去买一台新的，比较划算！我努力地告诉他们--它很特别，他们只是一笑了之。几番折腾后，我在朋友的介绍下找到了一间由三个大男孩联手打理的店铺TR Bike。L、C 和H，这三个大顽童在听了我的故事后，没把我当傻子，只说：放心好了，我们会好好照顾它的！
两个星期一晃而过，一天我接到C的电话：快下来看你的宝贝吧！我搁下手中事马上冲了去，一路上心里竟然忐忑不安，手心还直冒汗！终于与它相见了，我兴奋得想放声高喊！它修复得很有个性，车身的一些旧划痕得以适当保留，就像青春战斗的伤疤！褪下曾经闪亮的银色，它显得那么坦荡自信，像在对我示意，伙伴儿，我们再一起上路冒险吧！它没装备速度调节器，我的双脚用心地骑着，时而快时而慢，记忆在我的身边翱翔， 我又是个少年，迎着风，梦想在我心里逐渐壮大！欢迎你归队，我的老朋友！
New Old bike

The poor bike have been standing there for a long time. It was a sad mess and the fram have a lot of scratches and rust spot. No major dents but thoroughly covered in dust and cobwebs. Rim wise, it was worn, useable and the spokes rusted. Cheng Sin Tyres deflated, hardens and cracked. It was just sitting there quietly for 20 years in my mum’s basement. 

It was my bicycle. My very first bicycle. The bike I had bought using my first monthly salary working at the local bookstore. It wasn’t the top of the line bicycle but nevertheless it marked a very important phase of my life. I was in Secondary 1 and didn’t have a lot of money. I remembered the awe I had going to the bicycle shop at Hougang. I just told the shop uncle “ erh.. I want a racer and In a blur he sold me this bicycle with the words “ It is a steel frame, shimano parts, very good one” I couldn’t remember the full conversation but I remember distinctly how the bicycle looked. It was shiny and silver.  Pristine and clean. A size too big but it was just the right price. 

With the bicycle, it was like having wings. I could explore the neighborhood and ride anywhere. It was my magic carpet and very liberating. Magical if u considered that I didn’t have lights nor a water bottle.

Powered by youth, I keep riding. It is amazing to feel the wind on my face. I rode from my home at Serangoon Gardens to Punggol End. Approaching Punggol was quite an adventure as it was still very forested and windy. I really didn’t know where I was heading. I just followed the road to the end of the jetty. Then turned back and rode home. Thinking back, I actually even rode on the ECP expressway once. For that ride, I was stopped by a policeman who told me that bicycles are not allowed on expressway. I honestly didn’t know that. Mr Policeman was smiling when he told me that. As if he also had done the same thing as I did when he was a schoolboy.

This bike is full of my childhood memories. I had to restore it. I spoke to many shop and all just told me to throw the bicycle away. That is was not worth it. I tried telling them about my childhood memories but they just laughed it off.

And eventually I found a shop by the name of TR bikes who agreed to help me. When I told TR bikes Lytnen, Chris and Henry my story, Chris looked at me and said. “Dun worry bro, we will take care of it.  2 weeks passed and I received a call from Chris. “The bicycle is ready.. come and see it….” I rushed down. Heart pumping and sweating. It was a beauty! Small changes and you can still see the scratches on the frame. I decided to leave it as is. Like battle scars and not shiny. The bike beckoned me to ride it and I did. Just a single speed, no fussing with gears. I pedaled and the bike moved forward. Just like old times. Wind in my face and I smiled. Welcome back old friend!