For my birthday present to myself in 2007, I purchased a lovely yellow and white road bike which I had had my eye on for a couple of months at the shop. It was my pride and joy. I took to road riding like I never thought I would.
In May of 2008, I became a bicycle commuter, riding 9 miles each way to my job at the bike shop. From then until the snow fell (I skipped 6-8 weeks while finishing wedding planning), I navigated the streets on this noble steed (with a few Metro Transit rides thrown in for good measure on tired or rainy days when I wanted to rest my legs). (When the snow finally did fall, I switched to a more appropriate bicycle for the weather and continued to bike, with the exception of a few exceedingly icy days during which time I cheated).
I have thoroughly loved this bicycle, logging nearly 1000 miles on it. I accessorized it with a cycling computer, a rack, panniers, head and tail light, clipless pedals, fancy saddle, matching helmet and gloves. I was debating which color of handlebar tape I should put on next now that the stock embossed white tape had turned a dingy color of brownish grey. To my surprise, I found a crack in the frame on Bike to Work Day. It appears all the hard work of taking me to work through the not-so-well-kept streets of Minneapolis had taken it's toll on my trusty bike. My beloved bike frame was headed for warranty replacement land. The new frame arrived a week ago, lovingly packed in bubble wrap. Before it had even arrived, I'd had three offers from co-workers to assemble it for me (not that I don't know how, but I find I'm a little busy this time of year). The first to offer, Dave, previously my service manager and teacher of many mechanical things. He would be the one to bring life to my new bike. Today was the day. With the parts stripped from my old frame, Dave went to work, carefully piecing together a masterpiece. And when he was done, a quick spin inside the warehouse let me know, this bike would be loved as much, if not more than the last. It's sleek carbon frame, the new cables and housing, the way it didn't make any noise at all while coasting on the cement....beautiful. On the way home, I stopped to get the finishing touch - pink handlebar tape. In my mind, I had envisioned this bike streaking down the street with it's hot pink handlebar tape blazing. Turns out, hot pink is a hard color to come by. I had debated ordering some online, but was well aware that online photos are not always true to color and the tape I ordered could well have ended up being pastel pink or salmon. So I opted for the "hottest" pink stocked by the Erik's, Cinelli pepto pink (or is it bubble gum?). Either way, it looks pretty sweet. 
So, should I wake early tomorrow and the sun be shining, I may take this wonder on her maiden voyage through the streets of New Brighton and possibly Long Lake Park. And from there, the horizon shall likely be my ultimate destination.
Labels: biking, daily life, summer |
