In fact, he’s really looking forward to buying a new bike next year. “It’s my first bike; a friend of mine gave it to me for free. I plan to sell it next year and get a better bike because this is not really comfortable for cycling,” says Ling.
But that doesn’t stop him from getting nostalgic about this mountain bike. “My favourite memory is of the day I cycled down to Den Haag to visit the Escher Museum,” says Ling. He even has a ‘worst’ memory to share. “This one time, the tail board of the bike dropped off right in the middle of a heavy downpour and I was completely splattered with mud and water,” he says.
Though he uses the bike daily, mostly to get to work and home, he’s still not really into the maintenance aspect of cycling. “I have no idea how to fix the bike when it’s broken and getting it repaired at a shop is expensive in the Netherlands. Come to think of it, if my bike is ever broken, I would have no idea where to go. Maybe I’d go ask some senior students where to go,” says Ling, adding, “So far though, I haven’t needed to get my bike repaired.”
Interestingly, when we spotted Ling he was cycling around with a loose front wheel, which can be quite dangerous. “I was quite comfortable while cycling. I wasn’t even aware that my front wheel was loose, or that it could cause serious consequences. It’s always been like that,” he laughs. Our photographer stopped him to point out the problem and, thankfully, showed him how to push the wheel back in place, so Ling needn’t rush to replace his trusty steed.
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