Saturday, February 26, 2011

Jinkies!

I bought a bike today.

In case there's any question, I bought a bicycle, not a motorcycle.

I've been trying to decide whether to join a gym or get a bike, but the bare truth is that if I have to drive myself to it, I won't go.

"Walking" is recommending, but it takes forever and I hate walking around things for the hell of it, and there's really nothing to walk to in my neighborhood. I don't mind running, particularly, but I do mind getting up early enough to do it before it's too hot here to do it without passing out.

Biking is just more efficient.

And besides, I like riding bikes.

I went last year and looked at bikes, but the selection was just daunting, so I left.

This time I researched ahead of time. I spent a lot of time reading reviews and specs and figuring out what I need and want my bike to do.

I didn't want the bike itself to be too heavy, and I'd rather be somewhat upright than hunched forward on it. I want to wear sneakers, not cycling shoes. I'm not going to be going off-road with it (on purpose, anyway). I have no special need for speed. More than 10 speeds will be too many. It should not be pink.

After all that looking on the internet, I was still confused, so I looked on the website of my favorite bike shop (where I used to get my old bike tuned up, before an old roommate hocked it), and it said RIGHT THERE that if I had questions, I should ask Mike, so I called him up and asked him.

And now I'm the proud owner of an Electra Townie Original 7D. They're building it for me and I'm picking it up tomorrow. I'm also the somewhat reluctant owner of a shiny black helmet, which I won't enjoy wearing, but I will if I'm riding with the children or there's traffic.

So whee!

4 comments:

  1. Oh it's a lovely bicycle! What color did you choose? Jeff tells me he's going to get our bikes ship shape so we can ride them this year - In previous seasons, I've been too pregnant to ride!

    The Electra looks more my speed than the bike I have. Love the seat.

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  2. It's vanilla with a brown leather seat. Now I think I want orange.

    I haven't ridden it yet. We had something like a tornado yesterday, and I got to my housesitting gig too late the day I got it.

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  3. Well, just haul that thing back on over there and tell Mike-The-Expert that you'd like to swap. He seemed to be the likeable "I'll swap out your bike" type. I will point out, however, that the orange one had the white seat and you'd be constantly trying to keep that all pretty and clean. Just sayin...

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  4. I'm taking it today to exchange it. I don't have a single cream-colored thing.

    New seats can be had, you know.

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