(no subject)

[lenora_rose]

After a weirdly epic struggle just to be at the same place at the same time as the damn thing, I Has Bike! It's almost exactly what I wanted: Not too many gears (Seriously, in the flattest of flat cities? The biggest bumps we have off fancy trails are BRIDGES. And I've never been a fancy trails kind of person.) Step-through ("Female") body, fenders (Amazing how rare those seemed to be), a rack on back for strapping my bag to, and the chain covered so I needn't fear too much biking in a skirt (Within reason). Plus the little things like looking right (Aesthetics, being a decent colour, handlebars I like the feel of. More standard wheel than racing wheel, which I prefer, but nice enough.

I think Ladybird was stolen in 2004. It might be 2003. This is the first bike I've had since.

So of course I overexert myself the first day I actually use it. Not a long trip, but longer than might have been ideal for a first outing. Not helped by the fact that we forgot to adjust the seat height before I took off, or the fact that my bag was full and heavy and strapped to me, not the bike's support rack.

Alas, it does make me think my breathing problems are slightly more than just being in crappy shape; crappy shape doesn't usually leave one coughing for an hour afterwards. And asthma does run in the family.

Still, Bike! Does help the crappy shape part. And Fixes some transportation issues, at least once I get used to the swing of things again. Which, i seem to recall, takes less time than it feels like it will today.

Comments

[eleanore-c.livejournal.com]

So did you use any pieces of Jeff's bike? And will anyone have any use for the frame that's still in my basement or should I just put it in the trash? (We have metal scavengers in out neighbourhood who pick up metal stuff left out fot the garbage.)

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

You have a bike frame?

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

Jeff's mountain bike got the wheels stolen, so yes.

I have to admit, mom, I don't know the answer to that question. Jeff's other bike wasn't in terrible shape, if it weren't for the wheels thing they might have saved it just fine.

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

One of the people Chris works with use to own his own bike shop, if he could look at it to see if it would work that would be a good start to a bike for me, we have lots of storage space too anyhow.

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

No. After the fact, I suspect we should have handed the frame over to Natural Bikes, who could probably have used even more of the parts, but we left it with Gord's. Short version, the tire size for his bike no longer exists, so getting new tires in would have been nigh on impossible. They got Colin's bike into working order(Though it no longer shifts, as his shifters are also obsolete). he thinks he can fix that himself, possibly, but in the meantime, he has a revamped single-speed.

[amy34.livejournal.com]

Hey, wow, I bought a bike today too, the first I've ridden since childhood. I didn't realize how much was involved in choosing a bike; I went out on more than 10 test rides.

Enjoy your bike! And yeah, I don't think coughing for an hour afterwards is normal :(

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

I had a pretty good idea just what I wanted (NOT 21 bloody gears!), so recognizing the necessary traits was made easier. I think I only test-rode 2 bikes, because the other near-fits were $500.00 or more, but I did look at a number besides.

Still not feeling the best for breathing. Now I'm considering it, though, Haasiophis' explanation (allergy season) also fits. I'm not taking any anti-allergens right now, and the snow cover just went away (er, we got a new set tonight, well after I was biking, alas), so dust, snow mold and other things are popping up. I'll just take shorter rides my next couple of times to ease in.

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

Yay bike! Chris and I are hoping for bikes (Probably next summer, not this summer, with the money situation. But I have roller skates!!!)

Do you have allergies to something maybe? I cough and cough after being around hay. (As a possible other explanation.)

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

We still have that bike in the basement that Chris can look at, that's too tall for us (And probably in good enough shape to not need a tune-up, or only a minimal one.) We got it free from Colin's parents, who got it free from... well, I don't remember the details exactly, so when they visit this summer, maybe they can tell it again.

It could well be allergies, and/or the borderline freezing weather, which can be fun on the lungs (But I usually freeze my lungs doing hard exertion at like -20, not -2); It's weird that I didn't even consider the dust and that. Probably because I wasn't biking in a grassy area.

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think we'll probably yoink that bike off you for Chris, then we just need one for me. (We might want to have Chris's bike-guy look at it, if thats ok.) I was somewhat confused buy the back and forths above - is the frame your mom has not useful anymore? Or were you talking about something else?

bike frame

[eleanore-c.livejournal.com]

Its Jeff's, but it is in my basement. As Lenora said, its a mountain bike that had its wheels stolen, (from right outside my back door!). Its many years old, and I am certainly willing to give it away. Lenora was talking about Jeff's other bike, a racer that they recently took from here, that is also old and apparently can't be repaired.

Re: bike frame

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

I would be super happy to take bike-potential off your hands :) I understand I live relatively near by to you, but we don't have a vehicle ourselves, I'm not sure if you do?

Re: bike frame

[eleanore-c.livejournal.com]

I do have a car and the back seat folds down so I can carry bikes - that's how they got Jeff's other bike to their place. We should come up with a plan to get the bike from Colin and Lenora's plus the frame from my place to yours I gave you a ride home once and know you live on Edelweiss but don't remember the number, but I'm sure Lenora does!

Re: bike frame

[haasiophis.livejournal.com]

If not just get my email from Lenora :)

[evilrooster.livejournal.com]

Yay bike! I hope the coughing reduces.

Having a covered chain is useful for skirts, but you still have the risk of getting something caught in the spokes. To solve this, most bikes in in the Netherlands have "jasbeschermer", a "coat catcher", on the back wheel (Image search here to give you an idea.)

You can buy them here, but the image search shows a style one could sew that goes over the back fender and hooks onto the axle bolt. Or you can use these instructions to make one without sewing.

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

I remember the coat catcher from Emily the Bike (Who was actually quite close to what I wanted, if I'm recalling the picture and stats correctly). I thought it a wonderful idea.

I got pretty good at tucking my skirts so they wouldn't be in any risk of snagging with Ladybird, since she only had a back fender, and no protection at all. But some guarantee would be nice. It just means taking the plant off the sewing machine table sometime.