Gone With The Schwinn

C.J. Cregg: Is there anything I can say other than the President rode his bicycle into a tree?
Leo McGarry: He hopes never to do it again.
C.J. Cregg: Seriously, they're laughing pretty hard.
Leo McGarry: He rode his bicycle into a tree, C.J., what do you want me—"The President, while riding his bicycle on his vacation in Jackson Hole, came to a sudden arboreal stop."—What do you want from me?

—The West Wing, "Pilot" (9/22/99)

------------------------------

So a few weeks ago I sought out some advice from friends, neighbors and This Guy, and began the shopping process for a bicycle. I looked at a few websites, I stopped in at a few stores, I taked to a couple of salespeople, and about a week or so ago I decided on the bike I wanted:

Unfortunately, this one wasn't available. Plus, the last one sold for something like $17,000 on eBay, so it was a wee bit out of my range.

I went back to the shops and, specifically, stopped into a place called Performance Bike, on East Joppa Road. I chit-chatted with a sales person, found a bike to my liking that also happened to be on sale, and left, letting him know that I'd be back when my Economic Stimulus arrived from the good folks at the IRS.

As it happened, the day I returned (about a week ago) I went through much the same sort of thing I tend to experience at Petco. However, the place was very busy that day so they get a bye from me on that one. I went back today and it was a good news/bad news kind of thing. The bad news was that the bike I'd wanted was no longer on sale. The good news was that there was a sale on last year's model. The even better news was that after a test ride, I actually liked the older model better. So say hello to my new bicycle: the 2007 model Schwinn Voyageur.

The last bike I had was a ten-speed, with side-pull caliper brakes, a couple of levers on the center post and the kind of handlebars that curved down and then back. I put in thousands of miles on that thing, and even survived a head-on collision with a car while riding it (and this was back when NOBODY wore helmets).

For such a simple machine, the bicycle has gone through a few changes. My new bike has disc brakes, twenty-four gears and a relatively straight handlebar. Disc brakes! I have to admit I like them better, but I'm a little worried about maintaining them. I wasn't even that great at adjusting the side-pull calipers (I tended to screw them up and I'd get one brake shoe dragging a lot). But the typical brakes are so much harsher than the discs. With the usual brakes, there's always this fear that you'll be moving very fast with, and then all of a sudden without, your bike. The twenty-four gears feels to me a little more like "Feature Creep".

My worry at this point is that somehow I'm going to get it into my head that I'm half as old as I am, and try to take the bicycle to get somewhere impossibly far away before I'm in good enough shape to do that. As it is right now, right after I answer the phone I have to stop and catch my breath. Small steps, small steps.

Although, I think my boss would agree that I get plenty of exercise just by pushing my luck, running down the folks at North Avenue and flying off the handle.

Comments

[yellojkt]

That is a sweet bike. We need to organize a Comics Curmudgeon/Baltimore Diary/Foma* NCR trail ride/meet-up.

[Johnny]

Congrats on the new ride! I have a very similarly set-up bike, and it's great for Baltimore's hills. I've had good luck with the folks at that Performance. One guy who works there mentioned to a buddy and I that he rides in from Remington! Have you thought of a name for your wheels?

[Claude]

I have to name the goddamn thing, too? I didn't even do that to my penis.

[Johnny]

You didn't?! :)