This is my Christmas/Birthday present from my in-laws. It's weird calling it a new friend, but we FINALLY had some nice weather over the weekend, and I was finally able to take it out for more than a spin around the driveway.
It's nothing flashy or expensive, but it meets my needs well. It's certainly far better than anything I had growing up. I had 2 hand-me-downs with banana seats before I got a Huffy 12-speed touring bike for for my 12th birthday (irony unintended). That Huffy got me where I needed to go, but I left it at home when I went to college, and I've barely hopped on a bike since. My parents got rid of that Huffy some time ago (with my permission) - so I've been wanting to get another one for some time.
Now that Karsten can ride a bike w/o training wheels (started last fall), I figured now is as good a time as any to get another one. After riding for a couple hours this weekend, my rear end is pretty sore, but I'm hoping this pain eventually goes away. (TMI, I know, but that's the hard truth!) Otherwise, you're looking at a prime dust collector for the garage. The exercise has been great though, and it was so nice to be outdoors without a jacket.
What's odd for me is that I'm wearing a bike helmet for the first time. That takes some getting used to - and I know I look like a dork - but it's certainly safer than no helmet, and it sets a good example for the kids. The other thing I'm still getting used to is the gear shifters. My Huffy had some paddle shifters, but there was no way of knowing what gear you were in, and the shifting was pretty imprecise. The shifters on my new bike are super easy, but it takes a little while to get used to shifting now that I know what I'm doing.
The bike is an '06 Marin Bobcat HT, if anyone is curious. You can read about Marin bikes at the Marin website.
3 comments:
Nice ride..hey what's wrong with banana seats? I hope they come back like all the other crazy styles have! Huffy bikes had the big fluffy padded pink banana seats! Why on Earth did they ever change their seat. I'm sure no one complained about them. What happened to Total Quality Managment and the Customer is Always Right? I want my old Pink Huffy Bike Back, ok, who am I kidding? I was as tomboy as you get and I had a boy's bike and a boy's haircut and all I can remember is that forever I wanted the "big cranks" so I didn't have to peddle as fast. What a dork. Yeah, it was beautiful today. Hope it stays warm. Adios.
Yeah, hooray for the nice weather, huh? Here's hoping it sticks around.
I have to echo Gretta's sentiments about the banana seats. They may have looked incredibly dorky, but at least it was easy enough to tote your little sister (or brother) around on a banana seat. Try doing that with the postage stamps they give you to sit on now.
Happy biking! You've inspired me to dust off my bike.
You should take better care of your friend! If you leave your new bike in the yard like that again, I'm taking it away for a week!
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