This bike rack was my big present this past Christmas, and I've already used the heck out of it. My schedule doesn't afford the former morning jogs I was able to take, and central standard time doesn't allow me daylight rides after I get home. So I often take my bike to work and ride it during my lunchbreak on a stretch of the 13 or so miles of paved bike trails that weave through the city I work in. It's nice to be on a bike again so often. It's a way to burn off steam, get some good exercise and reconnect in a way to my childhood. It also lends my car some Trail Cred. Or at least City Bike Path Cred.
The bike itself is one I bought after graduating from college, which makes it 10 years old this year. It has been ridden on hardpacked sandy beaches, on mud and gravel country roads and in the urban and suburban jungles. I have even done some hardcore off-roading, but my body couldn't cash the checks such rides were writing. I put it into the local bike shop for a tuneup last week, and will pick it up today and enjoy the fruit of their labors. Sure, I'd love a new bike, but why? With a new set of city tires to make pavement rollin' a bit easier, it will be good to go for many more years.
This is the bike that was my first ticket to freedom. It wasn't my first bike, but probably my fourth ... a pedal-me-down from my dad who replaced it with a recumbent. The problem? The frame is sized for someone at least 6 feet tall (my dad), and I'm not even close to 6 feet tall on a good day. After years of riding my mountain bike – bought specifically for my height – it's nearly impossible to ride it comfortably. But as a teen-ager, I made those wheels spin quickly and often. Now, I'm trying to find it a new home. Makes me a little sad, but really I know it's got lots of miles left on its lugged steel frame. Time for someone else to find that freedom of the open road. Any takers?
I'm actually shopping for a cruiser model....
Since my frame is much closer to 5 feet tall than 6, I don't think it would work for me.
Your other bike looks awesome for being 10 years old!
Happy Trails to you
Cas
Good luck finding a home for your bike. Cool bike rack!
that doesn't look like a ten-year-old bike!
when do you eat your lunch if you are soooo busy riding?
don't forget to do that! you need your fuel!