How Far Can I Go?

Introducing my dream bike, Salsa Fargo! Yes, it lives with me now. It carries me along the wind. It makes me happy. I bought it as a complete bike from the Anchorage LBS and had them add the fenders and rack. Today was my first morning commute with it. 10 miles, sunny and 50* and she rode like a dream. The gearing is really different than anything else I have ever ridden. Her 29ers roll along like we could conquer the circumference of the planet! I love the drops, it offers multiple hand positions thus adding more comfort for my weak wrists. She cut 15 minutes off my commute from riding old Rocky the Beater without even trying. My plan now that I am in Anchorage, Alaska full time, permanently, is to commute to work every day until the temps get so low that I can't keep my face from freezing or my feet warm. I am in the worst shape as I have ever been in my whole life. My job is crazy busy and fast paced. The full time commuting seems to make more sense now than ever. Compared to commuting in Atlanta and Philadelphia, Anchorage commuting feels like cheating it is so easy! There are bike trails that connect my house and my work so I never have to ride on the road, and the scenery is breathtaking! The long daylight hours mean no hassling with lights, and no humidity makes the most pleasant biking experience ever! Today could very well be the hottest day of the year with a high of 75* and I was chilled this morning on my ride in. So here we go, back in the saddle, back in Alaska, and back to loving life... via bike!

Back in the Saddle

Ahhhh, bikes and the city. They were everywhere!! And EVERYONE of them was a beautiful beater with giant baskets! It was like Rocky's homeland. Everyone rode in the streets and it all seemed good. The cars were way too busy with each other to worry about the bikes. Walking on the unbelievably crowed sidewalks I longed for my bike and to ride in traffic.

Would it be silly to drive my bike the 1.5 hours to New York just to ride in the city for the day? I don't think so, I plan on spending summer days doing just that.

Back here in the new digs in Allentown, I'm sorting out the stable. I believe the Mongoose will be my winter commuter because she has the beefiest tread. I took her out for our inaugural ride today over to my new campus. Yes, I believe she will do fine for the pavement, ice, and snow.

When the weather warms, or the streets are more clear of the elements, Rocky will be my steed again with her large basket for shopping at the local farmer's market.

The quiet, winding county roads are perfect for long rides in warmer weather. I look forward to that exploring as well. I have only seen one cold weather roadie thus far. I haven't met enough people to have heard about mountain biking, but strongly suspect they are near by.

Plans are a brewin....

Lehigh Valley Coming Soon....

Some random pictures from biking in Atlanta in the last year....

Time flies by! The bikes are packed up in the trailer that we are towing behind us to Pennsylvania in a couple weeks. All 6 of them are making the move, I never could decide which to sell and which to keep, so I kept them all. I am putting my notice in at work on Monday- Yippee! I can't wait to get up north. From my web searches it looks like there is some decent mountain biking in the Lehigh Valley. I am looking forward to that. I also need to get a mountain bike, and looking forward to that too. Should be interesting!

Allentown, PA here we come!

Germeeee

Man I was in looove when this all happened. I was so excited to get this bike. He even bought a bike rack to transport it all the way back from PA for me. Now that is love.

Unfortunately, the beautiful, shiny bike in the craigslist pictures wasn't exactly how it looked from the bouncy seat. I took it for a test spin after laying a big ol kiss on the man when he got home with it and immediately I noticed a few things that wasn't evident in the pictures:

-the front tire was wobbly, took it off and put it back on and it's better

-The skirt guard is a little ragged and has a hole, purely cosmetic issue

-The back tire has big nail in it, but it is holding air

-none of my tools fit the nut to get the tires off to fix the nail

-It also doesn't fit me that great. It is waay on the small side, I am 5'4" and I think it would be great for 5'2" or shorter. See....

But it is fun to ride a bike where I could easily lounge with my feet on the ground when stopped.

She definitely has some great features like:

-the self generator lights in front and back

-super cool rack that has a springing holding thing

-fenders

-a bell

-3 speed hub that I figured out you can't pedal while shifting

-coaster brake and hand brake, not sure why both

-chainguard and kickstand
-don't ya love the quirky, girlie paint job??

I am really struggling with this one. I mean the man bought it for me out of pure, wonderful love. That is sentimental! But it really isn't practical for me for more than a little jaunt up to the movie house or out to dinner or such. I really want a bike just like this, but a little bigger. Man, I'm picky.

Goosey

Mongoose Crossway
Purchased at Performance Bicycles, $420 included a free new helmet, May 26, 2008.

Rocky wasn't making the 14 mile commuter trip too good for me. I started dreaming about the perfect bike. I wanted something reliable, comfortable but kinda aggressive like a mountain bike and with disc brakes. I was obsessed with having disc brakes! (I am rolling my eyes still) I shopped, and shopped and annoyed every bike shop in town looking for the perfect bike. My list of wants was long and in the end I was broke. I sold my Trek 1000 road bike for $450 and that was the money I had to spend.

The Mongoose kinda looked like the Gary Fisher Kaitai I wanted, kinda. But since it was $250 less I got the 'Goose, and they threw in a free helmet, sweeet!

I was happy. The bike seemed happy.

We rode many a miles together. I was a full time commuter.

With full time commuter problems...

We had fun on long 5+ hour rides through the Atlanta streets. Everything was going great. I was feeling fit and having a lot of fun just riding. I was racking up miles with 100 mile weeks. I was faster than I was on Rocky, but leisurely enough still to really just enjoy the town and riding with friends.

Then the disc brakes started squeaking...is this something I am causing to happen? The LBS said I need to just clean them more often. So I did. Then the cables stretched. So I adjusted them. They loosened up again almost immediately. I took it back to the LBS, they adjusted them, they were great for about two days then got loose again. I took it back, they said it's because I have crappy, cheap brakes and that I was going to have to adjust and clean them every couple rides. Are you kidding me? I thought a bicycle was supposed to be low maintenance. Daily adjustments is high maintenance in my book.

Then the boyfriend (who was gone all summer) complained that I was too slow on Goosey and needed a road bike again for him to enjoy riding with me. I took the seat (which I find incredibly comfortable) off Goosey and put it on the Allez so I could be faster on rides with the man. The front brake is still really loose as I grew sick and tired of adjusting it and just gave up.

She is sitting 'seatless' in the storage room right now. I put her down there last month. I couldn't look at her anymore. I felt so let down. Everything was so good for awhile....

Rocky

Purchased: March 2007 on Craigslist for $25

The guy was recently divorced, selling most all his possessions and moving to Peru to backpack until he didn't want to anymore. He delivered the bike to my house, he was asking $45 for it. He said the bike had been left by his sister years ago and he rode it to the store once in awhile.

The seat was torn up and it was dirty and had cobwebs all over it. I offered him $25 and he took it with a big smile, cause he was leaving the 'normal' life and going to backpack in Peru.


I had sold all my 'nice bikes' a few months prior in a fit of desperation since I was at a low paying temp job, and I was feeling stupid for the way I so frivolously spent my money when I had a great job. To save money I was going to ride my bike to the bus station and ride the bus to my temp job as a construction site receptionist 20 miles outside of the city.

I gave the old bike a bath and shined her up with some Bike Lust Polish, added some stickers and did a cheap fix up job on the ripped up seat with some hot pink electrical tape I found in the toolbox. Then I found this giant basket on craigslist for $20. I looked for a used rack to no avail, so ended up spending another $45 at the LBS for this gem.

I named her Rocky, because at the time we were commuting to "Rockdale" together.
We went places together Rocky and I...

I rediscovered the fun of riding a bike with no 'goals'. It didn't matter how many miles we did, or how fast. I wore whatever I was going to wear that day, no special clothing or shoes were required with Rocky. We were just out there doing whatever we wanted...

taking fun pictures...

sitting and watching the sun rise in the early mornings together.

She had a kickstand so she would stand while I would sit.

To save money on gas, she even became the hauler of our ENTIRE household sustenance.

She was my only bike for three months. We had a lot of fun.

Her poor frame started feeling like a soft noodle with the 40 pound loads.

Then her chain started jumping off and getting stuck like every mile.

Then the brakes were crazy SQUEAKY loud!!! I used to joke that the brakes were like a bell to alert people I was coming.

I tried to replace the pads myself (another $20) as the LBS said it wasn't worth their time on the old beater. The brakes have never been the same since. Like I said I really suck at the maintenance.

I wish she had a chainguard too, but I have never found one.

I got a new bike when I changed jobs and was only 7 miles from my office. Rocky wasn't very comfortable to ride 14 miles a day.

So I have since banned myself from riding her more than a 3 mile distance. See how watching miles ruins things??

She is sitting in our storage room with no front brake now and a really loud SQUEAKY back brake. But she shifts good and the tires are good too.

I miss riding her. I just need to get the brakes fixed....

Pondering Still

Sometimes I guess you just need a break. Life has been crazy, we are moving in 7 weeks 1000 miles away over Christmas. Work has been crazy, so I took up a second job to make it crazier. So I decided to take a break from riding.

I know, I know- What?!? Why?! Why NOW?!

I think I said this previously. I really suck at bike fixing. And all my bikes, yes all 6 are currently in various states of disrepair. I'm so overwhelmed I'm not even sure which one to take to the LBS to have someone else fix!

The three current favorites are still snuggly next to our bed. Begging to go out and be rode. I still have my list of need to do's before the next ride.

I am still pondering

"Do I need to ship all 6 of our bikes to Pennsylvania or should I sell a couple here?"

"If so which ones?"

"What bike(s) will I need/want in Allentown?"

I don't know.

So instead of riding to and from the job that I can't wait to quit- I'm walking and taking MARTA. It was really weird the first time to ride all by myself. Before I always had a bike with me, or my boyfriend. I felt so alone.