« Commuter bike lust | Main | an evening on the river »
July 22, 2006
Spilling over 
It's 9:30 in the morning, we have fans in the window, and the house is 83 degrees. Outside, it's 80 degrees, so it's not bloody likely that we'll actually cool the house down.
Yesterday, Hillsboro (a west suburb) got up to 108. It's not supposed to get that hot today, but it's still going to get hot. Ugh.
So, I bought a new bike this week. It's the Trek t80 mentioned in the last post. I'm absolutely thrilled, but there's a learning curve involved with it. It's super light, it's got everything I need to commute short of a computer and a front basket, and it feels agile and fast. It's got thin road tires! I luff it.
But as you can see by the photo below, it's ugly. It's very dutch utility bike (which I like, it's dorky), and it's got this awful paint job. If I were vain, and I kinda am, I'd get it repainted. Or repaint it myself.
I'm avoiding talking about the learning curve, but here goes: I'm used to being solidly in the saddle and able to touch the ground with my toes. That ain't going to happen with this bike. And so, at this particularly ungainly part of my life I need to learn the hop onto the seat and the hop off the seat.
The morning I bought the bike, I spent about 20 minutes in a parking lot starting and stopping. Hopping off the bike feels completely out of control, but I do it fine. No problem. Hopping on is a 50/50 proposition. My sense of balance is just not what it used to be.
So I would straddle the bike. Place left foot on pedal. Try to rise up onto the seat. About half the time I'd tip, almost going down, feeling that bit of adrenaline as I lose control.
Anyways, suffice to say, I have a bit more compassion for other bicyclists who don't stop at stop signs. I have been almost completely unlawful since getting this bike. I don't like it, but there it is.
Posted at July 22, 2006
Comments
That's damn hot, VJ. Its a wonder the bike tires don't stick to the asphalt. Did I mention I have a brotherin Hillsboro? I'm thinking there's a million people there. Its like saying I have a relative in NYC. :D
Posted by: Jon in Michigan at July 22, 2006 6:09 PM
I SO feel your pain. I've had several asphalt moments with my racing bike because I can't seem to work out the whole feet-don't-reach-the-ground thing. I marvel at people who can do the running mount/moving dismount thing. I've got an awkward, lean-the-bike-way-over, set-the-pedal-just-right, push-off-hard-and-try-to-clip-in-before-losing-momentum thing going. It ain't pretty.
Posted by: Siren at July 26, 2006 1:19 PM