Bike: Day 1
I picked-up the bike today. It did not snow. In fact, it was in the low 60s under hazy sun.
Finding a helmet turned into a real chore. They don’t stock the line I was interested in. I didn’t think they did, so I had a fall back position of something inexpensive and very well ventilated for July and August. And red.
The problem is my head. It’s too big and it’s also oddly shaped. Not a nice oval like most folks. No, I have this trapezoid thing going. Everything I tried on hurt the rear points of the trapezoid, including the same model as the loaner. I certainly wasn’t paying attention to the helmet when I was test riding.
The salesman finally found one that fit, and is red. Since it had been sitting on the shelf for two years, he knocked $16 off the price. Even after, it was $60 and about twice what I’d hoped to spend on a “starter” helmet. The other one will have to wait.
I also bought gloves, since all I have are bulky snowboarder’s mittens. Certainly warm, but a bit clunky for operating the shifters and brakes.
Did you know it’s apparently impossible to buy front and rear blinky lights that use the same size battery? I even bought a kit with one of each inside. The front one uses four AA and rear, two AAA. What’s up with that?
I was surprised to find that most people buy really cheesy locks, even for bikes far more costly than mine. I sort of ballparked 10% of the bike cost, or around $40. The most popular models at the bike shop are in the $12 to $15 range. I bought this Kryptonite U-lock and cable combo deal instead, and even that’s rated for low to moderate crime areas.
On the ride home I stopped to fiddle with the seat. It was better but not quite right, but with so little experience, I wasn’t sure what needed adjustment. I got home fine and hauled it up the fire escape and tried to figure out how to lock it. Then I fiddled with the helmet straps.
The ride home I stayed on the sidewalk for the most part. I found the the cracks to be most uncomfortable. Now I know why many people prefer the road. I tried adjusting the forks for a softer ride, but I think it’s just the nature of the cracks.
Another check arrived in the mail today, so I set off to the bank on the way to the library. Even with a stop at the bank (which is in a grocery store)—and figuring out how to lock the bike to the grocery cart racks in the parking lot (their bike rack is joke) and with stopping to chat with a friend who was walking, I still got to the library in less time than it took on the bus.
And it’s all downhill from the grocery store to the library!
Which, of course, means it’s uphill coming home. And that’s where I discovered what I need adjusted on the seat. It needs to slide back a inch or so. That requires bike tools and I purposely didn’t buy any today. So I’ll buzz over to the bike shop tomorrow and begin taking advantage of their free adjustments for 30 days thing.
It was also after dark when I came home, and much to my surprise, the front light, which I though was just a blinky light, is a pretty good headlight in the non-blink mode.
At the library, last night my boss all but ordered me to keep the bike inside instead of locked to the bike rack. She says that the only locked bikes stolen over the years have been those of staff members. I felt sort of silly in my ogre-sized bright red helmet pushing the bike through the library, and it’s sort of a pain with the doors and the staff room in the opposite corner from them, but if that’s what the boss wants, I’m not going to argue.
Tomorrow, I get to tackle Pinnacle Hill on the way to and from the hospital. It’s both the tallest and steepest of the hills on the southern border of the city. I can sort of skirt the edge a bit on one route, or take it on the bias with another. But each of those takes me on uncomfortably narrow and heavily trafficked streets.
So I think I’ll avoid those for now and see how low into the 24 speeds I have to dig in order to do the straight up-and-over on Goodman Street. It’s the most direct route anyway. The bus takes 45 minutes plus the walk to and waiting time at the stop. I’m hoping for half that.
