My bike and me

This is the summer my bike and I reunited. I've had the same bike since I was a teenager, but hadn't ridden it in years and years. This summer, motivated by high gas prices and yet another resolve to get in shape, I decided to pull out the old bike. Taking it down off the hook from which it's hung in my parent's patio for about 10 years, I could tell it needed a lot of work. A lot. The tires were flat, it was covered with rust, and one of the brake lines was disconnected. Fortunately for me, I have good friends who know a thing or two about fixing bikes - Emily and Vaughn. Here's Vaughn with his bike, and Emily with my bike:

Emily fixed my tires, and taught me how to get the rust off the bike. Then she fixed up other various things she noticed were wrong. She is very skilled, as I talked about in a post earlier this summer. Vaughn is equally skilled. He replaced my brake line and put a kick stand on the bike. After he fixed it up, he told me to take it for a ride to make sure everything was working. I rolled up my right pant leg (something people love making fun of me for), and self consciously rode up and down the street. He sat on the porch and watched me, making me feel like a little kid.

Once my bike was road worthy, I started to ride it regularly. I love feeling the air blow through my hair as I fly down the streets. Yes, I look silly but trust me, I'm going so fast no one can even tell it's me, so no worries. My wind-in-the-hair days were short lived however, as friends starting lecturing me about getting a helmet. When I was a kid (a long time ago) nobody wore helmets. It's not that it wasn't cool, it's just that it wasn't done! So, anyway, I got my first helmet and I wear it most of the time but sometimes I just have a need to feel my hair blowing in the breeze. I figure if I keep on the back roads, I should be ok. Right?

One thing I've thought about a lot this summer: you know that expression, "Don't worry - it's like riding a bike! You never forget how!"? Well, I think that expression might need to be tweaked just a tiny bit to be more accurate and not give returning bike riders false confidence. I found that although it's true that you don't forget how to balance on a bike, you do forget some of the finer points. Things like turning a corner without putting your foot down, getting started again after stopping for traffic lights, or keeping out of that horrible pit of death between the edge of the sidewalk and the grass from which it is almost impossible to get out once trapped. These are things that don't immediately come back to you and you may have to make a fool out of yourself a few times before you've mastered these skills again.

Needless to say, it's been a fun summer with my bike. The thing is still a mess (just this afternoon I was on a ride with Sarah and the handle bars came loose), but I love it anyway. To anyone out there thinking about buying a bike or getting out your old bike - I'd highly recommend it. I've grown to really love my bike. And I appreciate bikes more in general - I stare at them as they ride by, feeling jealous of their bells, baskets, and other accessories. Next summer I'll focus on beautification, this summer was about function. Function and fun. (Should I make a cheesy joke about putting the fun in function? Too late, I already did.)

And for those of you who know my goal of riding my bike to work this summer: I haven't done it yet. But I will! (Well, most likely.) I'll keep you posted.