Bike rat a tat tat

I have felt the rush of freedom and power that a bicycle can provide. I have been on the 'epic ride' on a mountain bike feeling at one with nature and myself at the same time. I have gotten the jump late in a meaningless race sprint and then pushed my wheel over the line first for the "greatest moment of my racing career". I have been on the bike for a century ride where the world fades away and its just me and the bike and then somewhere around mile 85 its just me. I have done all these things (not at any kind of a competitive level mind you) but i have experienced them all at one point or another, probably much like you have. What i haven't done, is feel the need to record any of those moments permanently on my body in tattoo form. (not that there is anything wrong with that) When i come across someone with a bike related tattoo i usually feel like i understand them a little better. Like we sat down and had a beer and they shared the details of one of the biking memories that is marked as indelibly on their mind and now their skin. Here are a couple of memories for you to ponder.

This one is the least surprising of all the ones i have come across. I always assumed having a tattoo similar to this one is a requirement on some level to joining in a critical mass ride. This is one i probably wouldn't have seen were it not for the Internet or got invited to a critical mass after party. Judging from the pasty skin the rider doesn't ride shirtless often or lives in Fairbanks Alaska where its dark four months out of the year. I do wonder if he was simply into celebrating life outside of prison confinement when he drew in the iconic man with his hands raised and then added the bike later. We will never know.
This one is another take on the same theme. Critical mass this time with a little artistic license. This picture I really like. Not enough to have it tattooed on the crack of my ass, but I like the art.

This picture boggles my mind and angers me at the same time. The poor art aside, A chain ring on the calf is one of the most popular tattoos, the choice to tattoo an entire road crank on your leg is another thing altogether. Why did he choose a triple for gods sake? Is he subconsciously courting a Cat 5 woman with similar objections to climbing? There is a place for a triple in the cycling world; its on the bottom bracket of a budget beginner bike and not across anyones calf. Looking at his bike in the back ground i would not be the least bit surprised to find an inked top-tube pump along his inner thigh.

Here is another deviation on the crank on the calf motif. HR Geiger meets the terminator. Single chain ring embedded under the skin. I am not sure what the shop used for reference for the crank and chain ring. Possibly a pulley from a washing machine or the timing chain gear off of an 85 Subaru 4 cylinder.

This one bothers me on many levels and i almost feel bad about disparaging it or pointing out its flaws...almost. Anyways i am sure its nothing he hasn't heard before. First the things i like about it:

1) Its bike related

2) The freckles give the appearance the bike is resting on the storied cobbles of Paris-Roubaix after a long days work on a historic race.

3) Did i mention its bike related?

Now, why did anyone feel the need to include the oddly mounted pump and a highly detailed water bottle complete with company logos, but couldn't manage a believable chain line or something, anything, that resembled a derailleur? Top tube pad: Completely unnecessary. And a note for all the other amateur artists out there; there is no shame is using a template to make perfect shapes like wheels. I will hold back any judgement on the decision to present the bike as if every component and part is red. There is the off chance this color looks alot better against the back drop of the tattoos owners red hair.

Yes i realize this is not a bike related tattoo directly. However this is the one situation i have spent the most time considering. I cannot seem to wrap my mind around someone wanting to tatto their entire face and scalp that wasnt part of an intimidation racket in a third world country. The fact this guy is a pro athlete and happens to be a cyclist is the reason he finds himself on my blog for a third time in as many months. I watched him race in San Dimas and found all other aspects of him as a person to be normal (not suprisingly). However the tattoos he reasons "give him a feeling of facial accupuncture" and calm him, put me in a constant state of awe struck slack jaw. If i ever commit to a tattoo, it will be all the way just like this cat. BOOM!