Some of you have been reading my blog posts, the ones that talk about the bike I want to buy and how I waver back and forth about the cost and such, and say to the screen, "Just buy the damn bike already."
Fine. I did. I bought the damn bike.
It's probably more bike than I need--a $900 road bike, and considered a "middle-end" bike at that--but it's nice, and I won't need to upgrade anytime soon. The seat's a bit uncomfortable, so I'm either going to need a padded seat or a padded butt. (They have those bike pants with the gel pads in the seat, but I don't think I'm ready for that kind of embarassment. When the bruises become visible and unbearable, maybe--MAYBE--I'll change my mind.)
I tried it out one Saturday by riding to work--10 miles or so, round trip. I hadn't been at this biking thing for a while, so I didn't really know how far I'd get (I was, however, highly motivated--I actually had to be at work for a while that day). I made it, and with the exception of one hill (which I conquered pretty well in low gear--this bike has about six or seven hundred of them) it was an easy ride. So I made a decision--I was going to bike to work as often as possible, and for as long as possible.*
For four days now, I've been biking to work, changing clothes there, and then changing and biking home. I'm forced to leave some clothes and shoes at the office, which is a little strange, but the biking has done wonders for my legs**, wonders for my self-esteem, and has probably helped out with my gas budget some. I've even encountered wildlife along the bike path--rabbits tend to cross my path, there are hundreds of birds' nests on the freeway overpass, I saw a squirrel yesterday, and I encountered a coyote this morning (got within three feet of the sucker). Yeah, this biking thing is cool.
Fifty cents more a gallon, and we'll all be doing it, I suspect.
*I'm being transferred to a new job site in the Fall, and it's too far away to use the bike. I'm not sure when I'll get my biking in, at that point, especially if I become addicted to this.
**The ride takes me 25 minutes each way. On day four, it still took 25 minutes, but it felt longer. I'm well on my way to legs of steel--or jello, depending.
Observations, rants, and plausible
deniability from a person who refuses
to be a prisoner of his own world.
deniability from a person who refuses
to be a prisoner of his own world.
The Village
I AM WRITING!
My Screenplay -- Draft Three
I'm currently reading:
On my Kindle 2
I'm listening to:
iTunes Radio
I'm driving:
The Honda FCX Clarity
