What all the cool kids are riding this year
I got a new bike for my birthday! Thank you, family!!
There was nothing wrong with my old bike, really-- except that it was a boy's bike, with that straight bar from the handles to the seat, which made it very awkward to get on and off. This doesn't seem like a big thing, but it's always bugged me. It was my own fault, of course. We bought it years and years ago, when our other bikes were stolen-- talked into it by a salesman who convinced me that it was sturdier, more stable, I'd get used to it, etc. . .
I never did.
Over time I rode rode less, and less... until literally months would go by between trips. It hung in the garage, unused unless one of the kids' buddies came over and needed an extra set of wheels.
This morning, I got to open the enormous box that's been sitting in our family room for the last several days-- and, after an hour or so of "some assembly required" (not too awful, really-- the critical bits were all in place), it was ready to ride.
No, it's not a fancy, "riding in the Tour de France next year" model. It's more the "headed down to the church, and running a few errands while I'm out," tooling around town sort, which is just exactly right. The seat is very comfortable, and the handlebars are higher and set wider than those on my old bike, which makes it easier on my back. It felt odd at first, but I got used to it in a hurry. Especially when we all rode down to MoCones after lunch, for ice cream.
The amusing thing about this is that riding with such straight posture gives me the oddest sensation... as though one ought to be looking for Toto in a basket behind my seat.
*Cue the theme music.*
There was nothing wrong with my old bike, really-- except that it was a boy's bike, with that straight bar from the handles to the seat, which made it very awkward to get on and off. This doesn't seem like a big thing, but it's always bugged me. It was my own fault, of course. We bought it years and years ago, when our other bikes were stolen-- talked into it by a salesman who convinced me that it was sturdier, more stable, I'd get used to it, etc. . .
I never did.
Over time I rode rode less, and less... until literally months would go by between trips. It hung in the garage, unused unless one of the kids' buddies came over and needed an extra set of wheels.
This morning, I got to open the enormous box that's been sitting in our family room for the last several days-- and, after an hour or so of "some assembly required" (not too awful, really-- the critical bits were all in place), it was ready to ride.
No, it's not a fancy, "riding in the Tour de France next year" model. It's more the "headed down to the church, and running a few errands while I'm out," tooling around town sort, which is just exactly right. The seat is very comfortable, and the handlebars are higher and set wider than those on my old bike, which makes it easier on my back. It felt odd at first, but I got used to it in a hurry. Especially when we all rode down to MoCones after lunch, for ice cream.
The amusing thing about this is that riding with such straight posture gives me the oddest sensation... as though one ought to be looking for Toto in a basket behind my seat.
*Cue the theme music.*
posted by Jane Ellen+ at
3:50 PM
2 Comments:
Happy birthday and welcome back to bicycling! I usually ride about 15 miles a week (often all at once, on Saturdays).
Thank you!
I will have to work my way up to a 15-mile ride; I'm not there yet by a long shot.
There was a time when I made far longer treks, but that was awfully long ago. But I'm doing better, and it's fun. (^_^)
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