Angus The Big Blue Bike

ANGUS: The Big Blue Bike with his GroveTribe owner Chris

We wanted to give our friends a bicycle gift for the holidays and on the eve of Christmas we decided to share the story of Angus The Big Blue Bike. Angus is the name of Chris' mountain bike and one day we started talking about all of his adventures and making up stories about Angus. Here is the first one we wrote. Please share this with your kids, read it out loud to them as a part of your Christmas celebration. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

ANGUS THE BIG BLUE BIKE
story by the GroveTribe

Angus’ first experience of the world was dark and noisy and bouncy.  He did not know where he was or where he was going and he was a bit frightened.  After a while the noises stopped and he could feel himself being lifted through the air. He was set down, still in his box and everything was quiet for a long time. He sat in the silent darkness and wondered what was to become of him. He began to feel very lonely and cramped.

A while later, Angus heard voices and although he was still a little frightened, he was excited and hoped he would be let out of his dark shipping box. The voices got louder and he began to be jostled about, he heard a loud noise and a rush of light and air flooded into his box. Hands grabbed his frame and pulled him from the box. He was very happy until he heard the voices grow angry.

“What’s this? A mountain bike? Hey! Did you order a mountain bike?!?” One voice said.

“Of course not! We only carry road bikes! I wouldn’t order a mountain bike!” Came a reply. “I’ll call and find out what happened. I can’t believe we get this sort of mess up just a week before Christmas.”

The voices walked away and Angus was left alone once more. Or so he though. Looking around he saw dozens of other bikes. Sleek, small bikes with delicate frames and thin smooth tires.  None of them looked like Angus. He was big and tall and blue with heavy, nubbly tires and a big, tough frame. He began to hear whispering among the other bikes.

“What’s HE doing here?”

“Have you ever seen something so clumsy looking?”

“Who would ever want to ride THAT?”

Angus had wanted to say something as soon as he saw the other bikes but now he felt awkward and afraid to speak. He just sat there very still and said nothing until the first two voices returned.

“Well.” Growled the first voice. “It looks like were stuck with it. Put him up in the rack and hopefully someone will buy it before Christmas.”

With that, Angus was gruffly lifted into a rack in between a petite black bike with delicate vines and leaves painted on her frame and a tall, red bike with thick white letters and handle bars. Once the bicycles were left alone, the tall red bike sneered at Angus.

“You don’t belong here. No will ever want you!”

“That’s enough Orbert! Be nice!” said the delicate black bike on the other side of him. “My name is Annadale. What’s yours?”

“My – my name is Angus. Why don’t I belong here? Why did those others call me a mountain bike and said that they didn’t want me?”

“Others?” Asked Annadale not sure of what Angus meant.

“They don’t look like bicycles. They have no wheels.” Angus explained.

“Oh! Those are RIDERS. We are made for them. When we have a rider of our own we become free and we become fast and nimble and taste the wind! Oh, to have a rider is the greatest dream come true!” exclaimed Annadale with hope and joy in her voice.   “This is called a bicycle shop, this is a place where riders come to find us and take us home to become part of their family. It is every bicycle’s hope to have a rider.”

“He’ll never have a rider. He is far too ugly? What rider could fly on the back of such a beast like him?” sniped a black bike with an angry pink stripe that curved along her frame.

“Damia! Be nice, it’s not his fault he shouldn’t be here! He’s just misplaced but I am sure someone will want him too.” Angus could tell that Annadale was trying to be nice but she did not sound like she believed he would ever find a rider of his own. Angus thought Annadale was very sweet but he didn’t want to be in this place where he felt so ugly and unwanted.

As days and night passed by, more and more riders entered the shop. Some were shorter and smaller and looked at bikes like Annadale and Damia. Some riders were tall and slim and muscular and would take bikes like Orbert off the rack and sit upon his seat. Orbert would preen and shine and looked so pleased with himself. No one looked at Angus.

More and more of the bicycles left the shop. Angus was very happy to see Orbert leave with a rider and ignored how proud the red bike looked. The shop became more and more empty and the whispers of gossip about Angus faded away as the bikes and riders, everyone except Annadale, ignored him.

Over and over he heard words like “Christmas” and “Hanukkah” and “present” repeated by the riders. The bicycles were always so excited when the shop was opened in the morning. Everyone was so joyful, except Angus. He knew that soon, a bike as beautiful as Annadale would go home with her own rider and he would have no friend left in the shop. Later that morning, one of the tall, muscular riders with eyes as blue as Angus’ frame touched Angus front tire and gave him a close look. Angus felt a rush of happiness and hope as the rider looked at his frame and his gearing and his brakes. Maybe, just maybe, this rider would want Angus!

Then a voice distracted the blue-eyed rider and he walked away, forgetting Angus and moving on to another part of the shop.

“Oh, Angus. I’m so sorry.” Whispered Annadale.  Angus just hung silently in his rack and refused to look at any more of the riders. It wasn’t until much later, when the shop lights went out and he turned to Annadale that he realized that she was gone. Annadale had been claimed by a rider and he hadn’t even said good-bye to her. He was so busy feeling sorry for himself that he didn’t share in his only friends joy that her dream had come true. Now Angus was more alone than ever.

The next morning the words “sale” and “clearance” and “Christmas Eve” were said by riders just as much as the words like “gift” and “under the tree”. More and more bicycles left and as the sky grew dark Angus found himself alone. The only bicycled that had not found his rider. The riders that helped the other riders find their bicycles started preparing the store for closing. Bits of paper were being counted. The floor was being swept and words like “family” and “dinner” and “time with the kids” were being used by the two riders left. When one of the riders turned the sign on the door around so that the word “closed” could be seen through the window. Angus’ heart sank. There would be no rider for him, he was big and ugly and alone. No one wanted him.

“No will ever want you!” Orbert had been right.

The two riders were pulling on jackets when a loud banging on the window made them turn around. One of them opened the door and let in a tall rider who walked right up to Angus. As soon as the rider looked up at Angus with his clear blue eyes and touched his frame.

“I want the Big Blue Bike.” The rider said. The other riders smiled and hurried to the money box while Angus felt himself being lifted by the strong hands of his rider.

“Do you want us to load it into your car for you, Sir?”

“No.” Replied Angus’ rider. “I’ve been saving up all year. I want to ride him home. “