Where have all the winkles gone?

And the net is filled with a million voices - ok a thousand.. maybe a hundred.. two? - voices asking what the fuck is a winkle?

For those of you who don't live in Sri Lanka, and or never had a bike, and or never got their bike fixed, a winkle is a bicycle repair place. Usually they are small places, run by an oldish guy and a young apprentice (if any)

You get a patch, you take it to the winkle. You want to get your tyres re-inflated.. take it to the winkle. Want your bike modded up, you take it to the winkle. Want new tyres? Wheels? Spokes? Chains? Well, you get the idea.

A lot of you may have seen them. If you ever had a bike as a kid, then you probably took it there at some point or the other. It was always a place of wonder. Brand new tires hanging from the roof. An old Bicycle pump lying in the corner. Maybe a compressor chugging away, waiting to pump air into the tires. And like many such Ali Baba's caves of mechanical mysticism, they were almost all dark. The light came from the front of the shop, and the little low-wattage light bulb only served to accentuate the darkness. All the action happened outside.

I got my first bike when I was seven or eight. It was a Tomahawk, a smaller, cut-down version of the Raleigh Chopper. I rode it many places. My mother refused to allow me to leave the garden, and then confined me to our lane. But I loved riding the bike. It got stolen one day when I was about 10. I was heart broken.

My next bike was a Phoenix. It was made in China, and was what was called a sports bike. Which, in Sri Lankan terms, meant that it had slightly smaller wheels than the standard and cable brakes instead of levers.

That died when I was in my early 20's after I smashed it into a three-wheeler while going down-hill at high speed in the rain. I also broke my arm.

But one of the coolest parts of the bikes was tinkering with it. I didn't do much tinkering with the Tomahawk, but I did watch with interest as the old man at the winkle fixed it and tuned it. With the Phoenix i was more involved. I learned how to take it apart, flip the handlebar so that it was moderately under-slung, mod the seat and the pedals and everything else.

But the best days were the ones when I went to the winkle. It was a pleasure and education to see a professional do in a few minutes that which took me hours and many screw-ups.

In 2002 I bought a new bike. This was made to order. Lightweight racing wheels, narrow tyres, lighter pedals, 18-speed Shimano racing shifters. The works. It was what I called a street rod. A racing bike with a slightly curved mountain bike handle for better handling on Sri Lankan roads. The first time I took it to my old winkle was awesome. The look on the guy's face as he checked out my machine was gratifying. Of course that didn't stop him from tweaking it a bit more for performance.

I still have the bike. Though I don't ride it that often. I used to ride it the 25KM from my house in Piliyandala to Liberty Plaza every day in under 45 minutes. I used to be fitter then. Now I ride it when I can, and for much shorter distances.

Today I went to get my bike fixed. I wanted to do some riding this weekend, so I wanted the tyres re-inflated and checked. I went there and.. he was gone.

The place announced that it was up for sale.

I ended up getting my tyres inflated at a wheel alignment place. But it wasn't the same.

Then I realised, the winkles are disappearing. There used to be one at Anderson Flats, he's gone. There was another under the Mara tree near Bagatelle Road, he's gone too. And now my guy at Nugegoda is also gone.

I guess it's understandable. There are so few people riding bicycles now. I am one of the few people on a bicycle on the road. If I mention that I ride a bike, the questions range from ooh, how many CCs does it have to what are you? suicidal or something?

It really is dangerous to ride a bike nowadays. Most vehicle drivers don't pay you any attention. There are fewer and fewer of us on the road, which means that there are fewer and fewer of us to provide services for. I am sure that there are lots of winkles in the out-stations. But in Colombo they are a fast-disappearing breed.

I can't expect them to stay open for the few bits of business that comes their way. But watching them disappear is saddening. Like watching part of yourself die.