I have a Bike

I have had this bike for about 25 years.  I bought it when I worked for a major retailer that was trying to become the first in their niche market to pass a Billion Dollars in Annual sales.  So they had a great sale!  It is not a great bike.  A Schwinn 12 speed.  Not what you would call a racing caliber bike.

Back in High School, I bought a Peugeot 10 speed that had bent front Forks.  I straightened them out, and got a $250 bike for $29!  I also learned all about 10 speeds in those days!  Being under 18 (the legal driving age in Germany), I rode that bike over half the countryside, but after going to college, my brother rode it to school and had it stolen.  So much for my dream bike.

But this one does well enough.  Or I should say did.  For in the last few years (read about 10), I have not ridden it much.  But my wife is now on a Bike kick, so yesterday we went riding.  I had to cut the grips off of the handlebars as they were dry rotted and only made your hands black.  So I do have to regrip it.  Plus, I think I will put new pedals on it, since I love to ride with no shoes (I hate shoes) and this has the spiked pedals (I will get some smooth ones with a toe clips).

Anyway, we went riding yesterday, and you know what?  Once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget!  As we had a heat index of 110 yesterday, we did not over do it.  But as the temperature gets better, I suspect we will do more riding.  We live in a very nice neighborhood and traffic is not bad.  There are no through streets, so the only traffic is people who live or are visiting there.  Plus with all the children, people do not usually drive like maniacs.  So it will be fun to get back into it.  Maybe I might get down to Florida next year and ride with Mason some.  I owe my mother a visit anyway.