Mike-On-A-Bike: A Phoenixville Legend

(suggested background music pairing:  The Theme from Pee Wee's Big Adventure)

One of my friends posted the following on Facebook tonight:

"Got an iced coffee on the way to work today. I saw Mike on a Bike, NO BIKE!! I asked him about it, and he explained due to hip and knee pain he doesn't ride much anymore. It's like when Greenman lost his puppy dog..."

And one of the comment replies was:

"Last year he told me when his birthday was and gave me a piece of paper with his address on it and asked me to send him a birthday card. So I did. He's a Phoenixville legend:)"

And, completely separate, there was a Facebook poll launched about two months ago:  “Who is a Phoenixville Icon?” Mike-On-A-Bike is the clear winner with 37% of the vote, followed by Frieda’s Store with 28%, with over 500 votes. Mike-On-A-Bike is such an icon in town; there is an active Facebook page devoted to him.

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For my non-Phoenixville readers, let me explain; and for my Phoenixville readers, let’s take a trip down memory lane… Mike-On-A-Bike is a mentally slow grown man who rode his bike around town all the time. (Side note, someday I’ll rant about political correctness; using the phrase “mentally slow” seems awkward to me.) It was a bright aqua blue bike, one of the older style bikes, not a modern-looking 10-speed. He had an abnormally high-pitched voice, and he would wave to everyone he passed with a big smile on his face, and most times would say “Hi, my name is Mike!” 

Mike-On-A-Bike was everywhere…riding around town all the time. He would be at the high school football games, or the little league baseball games, He would ride downtown or through neighborhoods. Growing up, everyone went through their period of mocking fun of him or making fun of him out of earshot – that’s what kids do - but he didn’t change what he did. But, and I think this is true for most people, as we got a little older, he became a constant for us, and I think a lot of us learned subconsciously that he was different, and more importantly, that was OK. As we got older, we would wave back, but not out of jest anymore.  When we’d go to the annual Dogwood Parade, we’d expect to see him riding in the parade. And of course, as life goes, we get older and grown-up and move on with our lives and jobs and stresses and just caught up in it all, and memories get distant and blurry. 

Before I moved to NY, I too remember seeing Mike-On-A-Bike once or twice over the years, and it was natural to say “Hi” and ask how he was going, and he always gave an honest innocent answer in his voice. The last time I saw him, maybe seven years ago, I noticed he didn’t have his bike.  So when I read the above status, it conjured up some emotions.  Mike-On-A-Bike is a Phoenixville Legend, an Icon, not unlike a Hollywood legend, who when they pass, really takes us aback, and makes us pause and say, “Wow.” To know that Mike-On-A-Bike is no longer on his bike, it’s a little unsettling. A star is fading, as stars invariably do. 

One of my favorite profound clichés is “ignorance is bliss.” Mike-On-A-Bike didn’t know any better, so he did what he knew – he rode his bike all day and waved hi to all of his friends. For that, he became a legend. And I, for one, am proud. I am proud of the fact that a generation of kids growing up in a small suburban town has the chance to experience something different, and so innocently simple, and give that experience legendary status. And I am proud to be in that group. I am proud that we learned that someone different can be appreciated for what he is and what he does, and proud that we were able to move past that poking-fun stage.  I think it makes this small segment of society special.

And may Mike always smile, wave hi, and ride off into his inevitable sunset blissfully. I am a better man today because of Mike-On-A-Bike.