I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Well, now that I'm officially a Portlander, I figured it was time for me to buy a bicycle. So I walked over to the local bike shop, Weir's Cyclery, and purchased myself a shiny, new bike: a Specialized Sirrus.
Of course, once I bought a bike I then needed a few accessories: a helmet, a little bike computer, a water bottle holder, a rack, a portable bike pump, and - having spent all this money on a bike - a lock. I'm not even done, but I'm more than out of money so I had to stop. Still, I'm happy with what I've got thus far.
If we were to jump back in time 10 years, we would find me owning a very nice bicycle. I don't remember the brand, but it was fairly solidly built, properly sized (XL), and was of the "hybrid" style; mountain-bike ergonomics, road-bike tires. I don't mountain bike, so I don't need the knobby tires working against me. The bike I had back then was amazing; it had what I needed it to have to carry me around the city. Since I lived in Eugene at the time, I could go almost anywhere. Of course, since I lived in Eugene at the time, my bicycle was stolen.
Back in the present, I wanted a bicycle with roughly those same properties, and you can see what I ended up with. Today was the inaugural ride of this fine bicycle, since I just got it from the store on Wednesday (they had to special order the size.) I took a nice ride around Portland; 19-ish miles in all. Not a great distance, per se, but I'm finding that bicycling is working muscles I don't normally otherwise use. I'm okay with that.
I'm looking forward to discovering more of Portland on a bicycle over the coming months!
Of course, once I bought a bike I then needed a few accessories: a helmet, a little bike computer, a water bottle holder, a rack, a portable bike pump, and - having spent all this money on a bike - a lock. I'm not even done, but I'm more than out of money so I had to stop. Still, I'm happy with what I've got thus far.
If we were to jump back in time 10 years, we would find me owning a very nice bicycle. I don't remember the brand, but it was fairly solidly built, properly sized (XL), and was of the "hybrid" style; mountain-bike ergonomics, road-bike tires. I don't mountain bike, so I don't need the knobby tires working against me. The bike I had back then was amazing; it had what I needed it to have to carry me around the city. Since I lived in Eugene at the time, I could go almost anywhere. Of course, since I lived in Eugene at the time, my bicycle was stolen.
Back in the present, I wanted a bicycle with roughly those same properties, and you can see what I ended up with. Today was the inaugural ride of this fine bicycle, since I just got it from the store on Wednesday (they had to special order the size.) I took a nice ride around Portland; 19-ish miles in all. Not a great distance, per se, but I'm finding that bicycling is working muscles I don't normally otherwise use. I'm okay with that.
I'm looking forward to discovering more of Portland on a bicycle over the coming months!
posted by Burton at 1:31 AM
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