17 June 2012
We Got Bikes
17/06/12 06:19
When we moved into Harby House we planned on getting bicycles. The last place we lived was on the side of a (very) steep hill and on a (very) busy road so it wasn’t something we thought much about. Here though, we’re on a back road that’s fairly level. Even Peterson isn’t one tenth as steep as Rutherford so bikes are a real option. We could pedal down to Barbara’s or to the Lantzville Market or The Pub. We could even go down to the beach, though I wouldn’t recommend trying to bring much back.
Above all I didn’t want to spend a lot, partially because I wasn’t sure how much we really would use the bikes and also because I’m a cheap SOB. We started checking garage sales, but mostly what we saw were kids bikes Then we stopped at a sale in Upper Lantzville. As soon as we got out of the car I saw a 27” 10-speed next to the free bin. It was a bit rusty, and needed a tune up but overall though it wasn’t pretty it looked like it would do. I went to talk to the person running the sale and she confirmed that it was free. Woo Hoo! Jackpot. I started to ask her why but then I noticed a couple of things about her. She was 60ish, and the garage sale had a fair amount sports equipment, skates, skis, golf clubs, and such. In the driveway was the brand new Mustang convertible with an automatic transmission and she had a very extensive and complex brace on her left knee. I’m thinking she finally realized that she wasn’t as young as she used to be and it was time to, as they say to “put away childish things”. Fortunately, that isn’t true of us. We’ll be childish for a longtime yet.
We put the bike in the Prius. We had to put both back seats down but it did fit. Marsha and Barbara sat in the front but this meant that there was no place for me. (I briefly suggested that we see if we could trade Barbara for the bike but Marsha shot that down. After all the bike was ALREADY free.) So with the two of them in the front I had to lay in the back. However I couldn’t lay ON the bike. I had to hold myself above it in pushup fashion for the whole trip home which got to be downright painful. Even if the bike never rolls a meter it’s already given me more exercise than any bike has in fifteen years. Why you may ask didn't I just ride the bike home - well it had two flat tires so it wasn't going anywhere until I worked on it a bit.
Then last weekend we went to Coombs. Marsha had been there before but I hadn’t. It’s a fun place with lots of funky little shops and we had a good morning wandering around looking at stuff. Combs is definitely on our list of places where we’ll go with anyone that comes to visit. Anyway, after a couple of hours we headed for home. We got a kilometre or so down the road when Marsha suddenly slammed on the brakes and turned into a parking lot. Once we skidded to a stop I looked at her and asked “My dear, what perchance prompted this sudden deviation? It must have been ever so important.” At least I think that’s what I said. I’m sure it was something like that. (Yeah, right - mga) Anyway Marsha just looked at me and said: “Bike” and there it was in the front yard of an antique store. I don’t know how she knew but there was the bike I had been looking for.
Understand that I’m not a fan of the standard 10-speed. They use what are called derailleurs. They have a bunch of sprockets on the front and the back and this mechanism to push the chain from one to another. I find it so analogue. You never know if you’re quite in gear or not. They tend to make clicky and draggy noises. I much prefer what are called planetary gears. These bikes look like the old single speed but inside the rear hub are the gears. They are protected from the grime and dirt and work cleanly. In the handlebar is a simple lever to change gears. It moved up and clicks into place and you KNOW you are in the next gear. It’s nearly digital in its precision. The other thing I like about them is that the astronomy geek in me likes anything with an astronomy word in it. I almost bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse for the same reason. As a kid I imagined that planetary gears meant that I could ride the bike to Mars.
There it was sitting in the front yard not only a bike with planetary gears and but also a mid ’70s Raleigh three-speed just like the one that I rode from the fourth grade almost all the way through college. I took it everywhere. I rode to Vaneeta. I pushed it up the ridge at the end of Greenhill road and hit 50mph on the way back down. I rode it to junior high and high school. One winter day it was really icy. I took it out and found that I could get up to speed on the gravel, swerve onto the pavement and when I slammed on the front brake the bike would whip around and I would slide backwards for 30 to 50 feet. The bike was nearly indestructible. Finally my senior year I jumped on it and the right pedal broke off. The old girl had finally given up the ghost, at least that’s what I thought. I sadly put it in the dumpster behind where I worked and started looking for a new bike. About a week later a friend of mine mentioned he’d seen my bike. A transient was riding it across town. He would push down on the left pedal, pull it back up with his foot, push it down again, pull it up, and so on. He was making good time across town and I’m convinced the old girl may STILL be rolling along somewhere. They are nearly amazing machines. We went into the store and after a bit of haggling got the bike and put it in the car. Fortunately it was just the two of us so I had an actual seat for the trip home.
So we now have bikes. Sure they need some service but I put air in the tires and they held. The brakes need some adjusting but they work. The chain, the gears, the shifters, and all could use some lube but they work. The paint and chrome are pretty sad but I think with a bit of maintenance these bikes can be made to look ok. Best of all we’re out only $50 for the two (yes my bike cost $50 while Marsha’s was free. mine’s a classic!). Of course we then went out and spent more for helmets than the bikes cost but some things I won’t go cheap on.
Doug & Marsha
PIX: What's in our yard right now. Something the locals call Red Hot Poker (I call it a candy corn plant - mga), Dogwood, Peony, Don't Know, and our Japanese Maple. I think it might need trimming or something but I'm not sure I want to.
Above all I didn’t want to spend a lot, partially because I wasn’t sure how much we really would use the bikes and also because I’m a cheap SOB. We started checking garage sales, but mostly what we saw were kids bikes Then we stopped at a sale in Upper Lantzville. As soon as we got out of the car I saw a 27” 10-speed next to the free bin. It was a bit rusty, and needed a tune up but overall though it wasn’t pretty it looked like it would do. I went to talk to the person running the sale and she confirmed that it was free. Woo Hoo! Jackpot. I started to ask her why but then I noticed a couple of things about her. She was 60ish, and the garage sale had a fair amount sports equipment, skates, skis, golf clubs, and such. In the driveway was the brand new Mustang convertible with an automatic transmission and she had a very extensive and complex brace on her left knee. I’m thinking she finally realized that she wasn’t as young as she used to be and it was time to, as they say to “put away childish things”. Fortunately, that isn’t true of us. We’ll be childish for a longtime yet.
We put the bike in the Prius. We had to put both back seats down but it did fit. Marsha and Barbara sat in the front but this meant that there was no place for me. (I briefly suggested that we see if we could trade Barbara for the bike but Marsha shot that down. After all the bike was ALREADY free.) So with the two of them in the front I had to lay in the back. However I couldn’t lay ON the bike. I had to hold myself above it in pushup fashion for the whole trip home which got to be downright painful. Even if the bike never rolls a meter it’s already given me more exercise than any bike has in fifteen years. Why you may ask didn't I just ride the bike home - well it had two flat tires so it wasn't going anywhere until I worked on it a bit.
Then last weekend we went to Coombs. Marsha had been there before but I hadn’t. It’s a fun place with lots of funky little shops and we had a good morning wandering around looking at stuff. Combs is definitely on our list of places where we’ll go with anyone that comes to visit. Anyway, after a couple of hours we headed for home. We got a kilometre or so down the road when Marsha suddenly slammed on the brakes and turned into a parking lot. Once we skidded to a stop I looked at her and asked “My dear, what perchance prompted this sudden deviation? It must have been ever so important.” At least I think that’s what I said. I’m sure it was something like that. (Yeah, right - mga) Anyway Marsha just looked at me and said: “Bike” and there it was in the front yard of an antique store. I don’t know how she knew but there was the bike I had been looking for.
Understand that I’m not a fan of the standard 10-speed. They use what are called derailleurs. They have a bunch of sprockets on the front and the back and this mechanism to push the chain from one to another. I find it so analogue. You never know if you’re quite in gear or not. They tend to make clicky and draggy noises. I much prefer what are called planetary gears. These bikes look like the old single speed but inside the rear hub are the gears. They are protected from the grime and dirt and work cleanly. In the handlebar is a simple lever to change gears. It moved up and clicks into place and you KNOW you are in the next gear. It’s nearly digital in its precision. The other thing I like about them is that the astronomy geek in me likes anything with an astronomy word in it. I almost bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse for the same reason. As a kid I imagined that planetary gears meant that I could ride the bike to Mars.
There it was sitting in the front yard not only a bike with planetary gears and but also a mid ’70s Raleigh three-speed just like the one that I rode from the fourth grade almost all the way through college. I took it everywhere. I rode to Vaneeta. I pushed it up the ridge at the end of Greenhill road and hit 50mph on the way back down. I rode it to junior high and high school. One winter day it was really icy. I took it out and found that I could get up to speed on the gravel, swerve onto the pavement and when I slammed on the front brake the bike would whip around and I would slide backwards for 30 to 50 feet. The bike was nearly indestructible. Finally my senior year I jumped on it and the right pedal broke off. The old girl had finally given up the ghost, at least that’s what I thought. I sadly put it in the dumpster behind where I worked and started looking for a new bike. About a week later a friend of mine mentioned he’d seen my bike. A transient was riding it across town. He would push down on the left pedal, pull it back up with his foot, push it down again, pull it up, and so on. He was making good time across town and I’m convinced the old girl may STILL be rolling along somewhere. They are nearly amazing machines. We went into the store and after a bit of haggling got the bike and put it in the car. Fortunately it was just the two of us so I had an actual seat for the trip home.
So we now have bikes. Sure they need some service but I put air in the tires and they held. The brakes need some adjusting but they work. The chain, the gears, the shifters, and all could use some lube but they work. The paint and chrome are pretty sad but I think with a bit of maintenance these bikes can be made to look ok. Best of all we’re out only $50 for the two (yes my bike cost $50 while Marsha’s was free. mine’s a classic!). Of course we then went out and spent more for helmets than the bikes cost but some things I won’t go cheap on.
Doug & Marsha
PIX: What's in our yard right now. Something the locals call Red Hot Poker (I call it a candy corn plant - mga), Dogwood, Peony, Don't Know, and our Japanese Maple. I think it might need trimming or something but I'm not sure I want to.