Enjablog

- I am surprisingly out of shape.
- 8 5 miles is far.
- Even though I could walk outside in short sleeves and short pants right now and be comfortable, 15-20 mph winds makes it really cold.
- I’m terrified of cars. Need to find a new route without cars…
- I love my new bike! :)

I did it! I bought a bike today! After all the debate yesterday, I was talking with my bike commute buddy and while I was in his office, he got an email from the bike shop I went to… They have a clearance sale starting today. 10% off all new bikes, 40% off all gear, 50% off clothes. The bike is still on the high end of my range, but with the reduced price on accessories, I might still be coming away only about $100 over what I had hoped to spend. Which is ok.

Also, my bonus turned out to be awesome. I only saw the amount deposited the other day. It turns out they also took out for 401k, which I hadn’t accounted for. So between that and taxes, my bonus was much better than I had expected. So, I can kind of justify spending a little bit more…

They let me take it out for a test ride and ohmigod it was fantastic! So, my memory of bikes: kid bikes with just the one speed and when you stop pedaling the bike stops. That’s what I am used to, that’s what I know. Then, when I went to college and was living in an apartment, my cousin let me borrow her bike, which was an old 10-speed. I rode it around campus a few times, but every time I had to go up a hill, I would try changing gears and the chain would fall off. I ended up taking twice as long to bike as it would have to walk. So, I stopped using it.

Apparently, modern-day bikes are awesome. I barely had to pedal and I was already zipping around the parking lot. I changed gears with no problem. The hand-brakes made the bike stop. I am so thrilled. I am back on board with biking possibly 3-4 times a week instead of 1-2. We’ll see how it goes though… I still haven’t tested the route out. The guys at the bike shop were incredibly nice and helpful. They helped me pick out the bike, explained how to change gears, what kind of accessories I should consider… and were even willing to help me figure out a good route, either to get to bike trails or using streets that aren’t as busy.

I’ve decided that I won’t be taking Dellilah with me on the days when I bike. At least not at first, for sure. I’ll re-evaluate as I get more comfortable. I’m considering if bringing Maggie would be useful or not. I think it’d be fun, but for my current uses (to/from work) isn’t at all necessary. I will be bringing change of clothes, possibly towel (depending on where I park my bike, not sure if it will be more convenient to bring that back and forth each day or just leave a gym bag in my office), and general purse stuff. The saddle bags I’m eying will also have the capacity for carrying papers conveniently, but I doubt that will be a regular occurrence.

So excited!