我騎著自行車來到河邊，心底裡也許是帶著把煩惱拋開的願望，但後來連這個願望也漸漸忘記，遠去了。一切非常安靜，偶爾有一兩輛自行車從我前面迎來，經過，然後只留下我的喘氣、輪胎的轉動聲，和山的聲音、樹木的聲音。
I cycled to the riverside, hoping to forget about my troubles. Then, in the stillness of the landscape, I forgot about the hope itself, too. Occasionally, someone would cycle past in the opposite lane, leaving behind the sound of my breathing, of the wheels spinning, the hills, and the trees.
我總是喜愛聆聽這種近於無聲的聲音，即使我的耳朵不夠靈敏，但我可以感應它們。自然萬物的流動是如此巨大又細膩，光束從巨大得無法估量的雲層中漏出，直射到天邊一角。雲的影子覆蓋了整片大地，不動聲息地在我頭上移動，我感受著我作為這個影子的一部分。可以說，這也是自由的一種嗎？
I’ve always loved listening to this soundscape verging on silence. You don’t need acute hearing to catch the expansive yet delicate rhythm of nature: columns of sunlight radiating from the clouds; their silent, moving shadows cast over you, becoming part of my you shadow. Is this a kind of freedom, too?
我期盼著每一次的自行車旅程。把折疊車打開，懷著興奮的心情出發，說不定可以延續上次沒探索完畢的路線，把記憶中地圖剩下的部分劃完整。隨直覺前進就好，方向和路線不需要太清楚，我向來喜歡這樣，不論是慣常的城市隨機散步，抑或鄉間的自行車漫遊，兩者都是我喜愛跟環境連結的方式。
I look forward to each journey on the bike: the thrill of unfolding its frame and the idea of completing an unfinished route from that last journey, filling the gaps of my mental map. The best way forward is through intuition. There is no need to clarify directions and routes. I prefer meandering through the city or cycling slowly around the country as a way of connecting with my environment.
要找一輛適合這種漫遊風格的自行車不太容易，這也是我對STRiDA自行車一見鍾情的原因，它明顯不是爭分奪秒的速度型，甚至怪異得以現今眼光來看依然難以定義。不下一次跟資深的老車迷談起STRiDA，他們總是充滿疑惑，還勸導我早日換一輛正經的折疊車。STRiDA對於他們來說，是一個不入流的、過度設計的玩意——阻礙氣流的三角形車架，一條取代鐵鍵卻不能轉速的膠帶，足以令絕大多數人卻步。
It’s not easy to find a bike that’s perfect for just that, which is why I fell in love with STRiDA at first sight. It’s obviously not built for speed. In fact, it’s so strange looking, it’s impossible to define. More than once, experienced cyclists have voiced scepticism and urged me to swap for a proper folding bike. STRiDA is too much of an unusual, designer gimmick for them. Its anti-aerodynamic frame and single-speed belt drive can be quite off-putting.
如此充滿未來感的前衛構思，讓人有點意外地，乃來自1984年英國設計師Mark Sanders的畢業之作，在1986年開始正式投產，到三十五年後的今天依然能像一個新的小眾品牌般推出市場。即使在組件物料上有不少改進，表面上看卻並無二致，不得不讚嘆當年設計者把工程學的計算和人性化的心思放在一起考量，成為一錘定音之作。
STRiDA’s futuristic design is, surprisingly, an invention from 1984 by UK designer Mark Sanders. Since production began in 1986, to date it maintains a niche brand positioning on the market. 35 years later it’s still looking the same, notwithstanding a few innovative upgrades. Its timeless engineering and human-centric design practically defined the bike of city dwellers’ dreams.
Mark一心想打造一台最簡單的自行車，而沒有比三角形更少接合點而堅固的幾何圖案了，在草稿紙畫了無數個草圖之後，再參考當時Maclaren嬰兒手推車的聰明折疊方式，便產生了折疊後仍可單手推車前進的設計。這顯然是一輛講求便利而不適用於長途的車子，Mark深明它在速度、操控上的局限，因此他藉著製造試用車來收集使用者意見，把STRiDA的操控性和堅固度提升至最佳效果，實際騎過後，便知道它比想像中要快和省力得多。
Mark wanted to create a minimalist bike, so he settled on the sturdy, triangular shape for minimum joints. Building on a few rough drafts, he took inspiration from Maclaren’s strollers and conceived a pushable-upon-folding design. It’s clearly a bike that champions convenience over endurance. Mark understood its limits in speed and control, and so he collected feedback on the test bikes to optimise the prototype’s control and sturdiness. One would be amazed by how fast and effortless the STRiDA actually is.
即使如此，STRiDA也許依然是一輛不太有趣的車，它不會為駕駛者帶來太多駕駛的快感，徹頭徹尾散發著一種「隨便兜風就好」的氛圍，卻是像我這類人被它吸引到的原因。在公路上，連換檔也不用顧了，只是一直踩，一直踩，按自己的心意而行，享受在孤獨裡心逐漸甦醒過來的這一刻，好像風是第一次滑過田野，汗水第一次濕潤我的皮膚。
Still, it’s probably not at all a “fun” bike for those seeking adrenaline. It’s got a laidback, “ride across the country” ring to it, which is precisely what attracted me in the first place. There’s no need to faff with shifting gears on the road. I just ride, in solitude, as I slowly tune in with my state of being: feeling – the wind slice across the fields, or my sweat beads moisturise my skin – for the first time.
