A woman returns her rented bike at a rental station in Beijing on February 17 (XINHUA)

"I would have arrived here much later if I had not taken my bike. Rush-hour traffic is usually terrible at this time of day."

The Chinese man speaking was 72 years old. His trim, fit figure immediately suggested the value of having two wheels for manual transportation, as well as good health, as opposed to four-wheeled gasoline guzzlers that reflect status. While automobiles only sometimes ensure speed, they definitely contribute to the damage to the ozone layer and the rapidly diminishing clean air supply. However, anyway you look at it, wheels are vital to our existence.

In Beijing and elsewhere, thousands of pedestrians move about their daily lives pedaling furiously in and out of stalled traffic jams. In New York, my cousin worries about digging out her car wheels deep in the snow. Choosing the bicycle option could be a wise move in this increasingly environmentally conscious period.

The ever faithful corner bicycle repairmen stationed throughout the city, through rain or shine, make many hearts warmer in times of need--a bent tire rim, a broken spoke, faulty hand-brakes lines, and, of course, the airless, punctured tire itself. All of these and more need attention and reliable care. Not a problem in Beijing--it is not important how old or new your transportation habits may be, only your energy and desire to reach point B from point A.

Wheeled transportation was a wonderful invention in ancient times. However, even in today's era of drone air strikes, flat screens, and digital messages, transport via wheeled vehicles will undoubtedly remain part of our culture for a very long time.

Even our language reflects how dependent and useful the simple wheel has become: wheelhouse = highest area of confidence; wheelbarrel = single-wheeled equipment for carrying heavy loads; and meals on wheels = a program for food delivery to the elderly or shut-ins. Most of us are familiar with these pithy sayings: "The squeaky wheel that gets the grease" or "spinning your wheels"--which means one is going nowhere due to inertia or lack of creative imaginations.

Socially speaking, potential romantic couples detest the mere presence of a "third wheel," a chaperone or witness to every word said or physical movements made between the couple. Of course, if you need a highly reliable and safe chauffeur or driver, you preference is to obtain the best "wheelman" available.

Even our luxury automobiles depend on reliable rubber wheels, although most, if not all, are steel-belted these days. I remember that winterized cars in the West were most efficient when they rolled on "studded tires" in deep snow and ice. These were tires with metal, nail-like studs spaced around the rubber tire. The tires may have come from famous brands: Michelin, Firestone, Dunlop, BFGoodrich, or some other competitor. Today, regardless of which company makes your trustworthy rolling gear, be sure your life goes forward and not backward because of this critical technology.

Two memorable wheel sights can be witnessed on visits to Lhasa and other parts of China: prayer wheels and real spinning wheels. One can experience the former as a heavy, well-worn, ornate brass cylinder moving in a horizontal twirl when touched by faithful hands in deep solemn moments. Several columns of these silent, gentle-moving religious icons reflect a mysterious grace. The latter wooden tool has a more immediate practical use. In some quarters, homes and shops house spinning wheels that have spindles hold raw natural twine soon becoming thick yarn for clothes-making. A viewer might still be amazed how the ancient technology of a wooden wheel spinning actually produces yarn for the making of clothing materials.

The concept of the wheel is a constant reminder of a key source of modernity and progress. Finding a faithful repairman for bicycles and automotive tires is like finding water in a hot parched desert, or a lucky gold mine after years of prospecting. Most of us still love our bicycles even if for only sentimental reasons. And after all has been said and done, in this age of modernity, none of us really want to add extra poundage to lug up steep stair steps. Having a fleshy "tire" around our mid-driff is not the most attractive thing to see in an age of progress.

The author is an American living in Beijing

Copyedited by Bryan Michael Galvan

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