Maiden Voyage . . .er . . .Ride
The first ride with my tricked-out bike went smoothly . . . until I came to a stop at my destination and swung my leg over, throwing my flip-flop into the middle of the street. The dark-haired guy sitting in one of the window seats at the coffeehouse laughed. Yeah, real funny, Dude. Actually, it kinda was. I got to thinking what if a car had been going by. The driver would have been startled good by a brown flip-flop landing on the windshield.
All in all, my new and improved commuter bike is awesome. One issue I'm going to have to get used to is the added weight. Each basket weighs 5.5 pounds. The rack weighs around a pound. That's like having an infant sitting behind me. Then, when something is in one basket but not the other, the balance is off. Just like having an infant sitting behind me, wiggling around in the seat. I'm looking at these things as good problems, those kind that help a person in one way or another. Not only will my legs get stronger with having to deal with the added weight, and thus help me go faster on my road bike, but my balance will also improve, maybe getting me to the point where I can sit back in the saddle, my hands in the air, and say, "See, Ma, no hands!" when on my road bike. Definitely a win-win.
My speed on the road bike was awesome yesterday--for the last eight miles. While Hubby and I were out riding, on the last stretch of a 23 mile out and back, Hubby's phone rings. It's the junior high, calling to say our youngest had been in a physical altercation and had been suspended for the rest of the day along with the rest of the week. We needed to go to the school and get him. All I can say is my youngest is lucky I was out far enough that by the time I arrived home, I'd worked out any anger that was coursing through me. From the point I took off, I didn't see the mph go below 19.5, and that was only when I came to a stop sign and slowed long enough to make sure I wasn't going to get plastered by a car. Not smart, I know. Thankfully, the stop sign gods were smiling down on me. It was fun seeing 22.5 and 25. Showed me I really can get the speed up and keep it up if I want to. My youngest? The teacher dealing with the situation said, "When I asked your son why he hit the other boy, your son replied, 'Stupid people make me mad, and he was being stupid, so I hit him.'" No comment.
Never, ever a dull moment around here.
All in all, my new and improved commuter bike is awesome. One issue I'm going to have to get used to is the added weight. Each basket weighs 5.5 pounds. The rack weighs around a pound. That's like having an infant sitting behind me. Then, when something is in one basket but not the other, the balance is off. Just like having an infant sitting behind me, wiggling around in the seat. I'm looking at these things as good problems, those kind that help a person in one way or another. Not only will my legs get stronger with having to deal with the added weight, and thus help me go faster on my road bike, but my balance will also improve, maybe getting me to the point where I can sit back in the saddle, my hands in the air, and say, "See, Ma, no hands!" when on my road bike. Definitely a win-win.
My speed on the road bike was awesome yesterday--for the last eight miles. While Hubby and I were out riding, on the last stretch of a 23 mile out and back, Hubby's phone rings. It's the junior high, calling to say our youngest had been in a physical altercation and had been suspended for the rest of the day along with the rest of the week. We needed to go to the school and get him. All I can say is my youngest is lucky I was out far enough that by the time I arrived home, I'd worked out any anger that was coursing through me. From the point I took off, I didn't see the mph go below 19.5, and that was only when I came to a stop sign and slowed long enough to make sure I wasn't going to get plastered by a car. Not smart, I know. Thankfully, the stop sign gods were smiling down on me. It was fun seeing 22.5 and 25. Showed me I really can get the speed up and keep it up if I want to. My youngest? The teacher dealing with the situation said, "When I asked your son why he hit the other boy, your son replied, 'Stupid people make me mad, and he was being stupid, so I hit him.'" No comment.
Never, ever a dull moment around here.
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