The Chronicles of the Angry Geologist

Since I am now committed to buying nothing this week, I probably shouldn't get gas either. So it may turn out as the week wears on that I begin to rely on my bike as a form of transportation. This is not a bad thing as such, but I do need to fix things up a little bit. Just a few small safety accouterments: head and tail lights, a lock, a rear-view mirror, and possibly some way to get air in the tires. Fortunately, I had purchased all these piecemeal over the course of the last month or so, and I just hadn't had time or motivation to put it all together.

I started with the rear-view mirror. After some consideration on my general comfort level on the bike and the road-bike configuration of the handlebars, I decided on a mirror that sticks on the helmet. Probably not the most permanent solution, but it's going to work for now until I become more comfortable riding in traffic. Just sticks to the helmet- easy, right? Even so, I spent a good 20 minutes in the bathroom wearing my helmet to try and get the little bugger at the right angle. I got it going, but I found that if my glasses slide too far down my nose, I can't see in the mirror clearly. Still, it's better than what I had.

Next up were the lights. I splurged and invested in a pair of Cat Eye LED head and tail light set. They even came with batteries, and setup was really too easy to comment on. I'm really pleased with my purchase, but you can bet that they won't be left outside on the bike.

In a moment of what-the-hell-was-I-thinking, I tried to cut costs a little bit and bought the lock and hand pump at Wal Mart instead of Downhill from Here, the awesome local bike shop. Look, I know- it was frankly dumb. The products weren't quality, I hate shopping there anyway for various ethical reasons, and I got what I paid for, hence the what-the-hell-was-I-thinking moment. But they'll work for now. The lock was a bell U-lock with a plastic bracket that doesn't clip very well onto a women's frame. It took me the better part of an hour to get it together, and I'm going to have to be very careful when I lock it, because one latch doesn't seem to really catch all that well. I got it eventually, but I'm still going to have to be careful, and I'll probably replace it the first opportunity I get.

The hand pump didn't go much better. As far as I can tell, it attaches to the frame with a strip of velcro. The only reason I preferred this one is that it has a pressure gauge on it as well, and a (fortunately unnecessary) needle popped off the moment I touched it, and refused to go back into the slot. Like the lock, I will probably be replacing the hand pump as soon as I can.

My friend that helped me with the tires also gave me a vintage rear rack from an old bike he parted out that was a bit beat-up, but still serviceable. So between that, the LED lights, the lock bolted inexpertly to the frame, the hand pump velcroed on, and the girl wearing the helmet with the sticky mirror, my bike is now totally dorked out.

The Angry Geologist Rides Again.

Triathlon Guy helped me set up my bike tonight. We adjusted the seat (easy). We checked the shifter and the tire pressure (easier). We adjusted the handlebars (way harder than I thought it would be). This afternoon, I had purchased a cheap helmet that ran me almost as much as the bike itself. And TG's fiancee is a doctor, though specializing in pediatric neurology, she would at least be able to keep me from dying until the ambulance arrived.

I was ready to roll.

I started out the pretty standard, somewhat incompetent way, pushing down one pedal while using the other foot as a cantilever, then switching sides, until I got going in a way I could keep my balance. It's a road bike, which I am not used to, so I was pretty much holding onto the handlebars for dear life- my hands are still a little bit sore. I kept pace with him up the first hill at about 7 mph by his speedometer.

It was right after we started down the other side that I started seeing the appeal. All I could hear was the soft tic-tic-tic of the wheel, and the wind rushing by. It was so cool it scared me a little bit, and I slammed on the brakes hard enough to throw me forward off the seat. If I were male, that would have ended painfully. Fortunately, it is a womens' road bike, and I am a woman, sparing me any family jewels insults to my person. The net effect was, however, by the time I caught up to TG, he was circling around an intersection waiting on my fat ass to catch up.

I threw the chain once later on in my first real attempt at intelligent shifting. By the end of the ride, I was actually going faster uphill than I had on my first downhill. The whole thing lasted about fifteen minutes, and was over way too soon.

This bike was worth the $200 dollars I thought it was. It shifts with hardly a thought, once you get the hang of it. It's comfortable, it's safe, and it's in excellent condition. I can't believe the deal that I got here! It was better than any of my previous bikes, which gave me the following insight that I shared with TG as we rode home into the sunset.

"You know, I think I realize why I never got into this before."

"Why's that?"

"I had a really crap bike!"