My 18-speed touring bike, which I have owned and enjoyed for the past 30 years, is in this weekend's used bike sale at The Hub Bike Co-op. I think of this bike as a friend. It''s still a good bike and I hope someone buys it who will enjoy it as much as I have. While it's hard to let it go, it just doesn't suit me anymore. Some of the reasons are minor, but the deal breaker is that I need a bike where I sit up straighter for the sake of both my neck and hips.
This bike and a different car were my first big purchases after college. This was after I moved away from my hometown, although I was still in Illinois. I had to get a different car, since my old, beater, college car was falling apart and I needed a car to get to work. The bike was purchased on a whim. A friend from work wanted company while she was purchasing a bike. Each year "the" bike shop in town held a big sale at the fairgrounds. A different friend worked for the bike shop and was working at the sale when I was there. I got bored waiting for my work friend. On a whim, I asked for help picking out a bike to try. I wasn't planning on buying it, but I sort of fell in love with it. It was a good price, since it was the prior year model, but it was also spendy enough that I decided to finance it. There was some sort of 90 days or 6 months same as cash deal. I figured why not, especially since it would also help me establish a credit rating. After I filled out the requisite paperwork for credit approval, I had to wait. so my friend took me over to look at bike helmets.
Today, bike helmets are ubiquitous and I feel naked without one. In the late 1980's, that was not the case. I looked at my friend and said "really!?!, I don't need a bike helmet". My friend told me that while he couldn't make me wear one, he was not going to sell me the bike or any bike unless I purchased one. I am thankful he insisted, since I have faithfully worn a helmet ever since I purchased that first one from him.
Sometime after picking out a bike helmet, but before the bike purchase was finished, my friend disappeared for several minutes. When he came back, he had a strange grin on his face. I asked him what was going on. He said that the credit guy had called him over and told him that my credit had checked out, it was really, really good, and he should try to sell me a more expensive bike.
It was a great bike and I'll bet I rode it at least several thousand miles. It would be interesting to know the actual mileage. Today was the last time and my trip was between 8 to 10 miles. My loop included going to a client site and my co-working site, along with doing several errands afterwards. While I was pleased and very happy to get all of this done via bike, it also helped me solidify my decision to buy a new one. I test drove several this past Sunday and I was surprised by how much more comfortable I could be. The funny part is that I always complained about the color of my bike. I was never thrilled about the brown color. Of course, I would prefer a bright, bold color like purple. The funny part is that the new bike I am looking at comes in white (ugh) or brown, so I will likely continue to own a brown bike.
I hadn't quite come to the decision to part with the old one or at least not to part with it until I had the replacement. However, my hubby is also looking at getting a new bike that will work better with the new hip. Throwing his leg up and over a bike with a bar on it is even less desirable for him than it is for me. We dropped off his bike before dinner. The guy at the bike shop was helpful and very nice and the price the guy recommended as a sales price was higher than I expected. We asked about the difference between bringing a bike in for a trade-in versus trying to sell it through the used bike sale. It made a lot more sense to do the used bike sale. After dinner, I decided it was time to let go. The same guy at the bike shop evaluated my bike and he recommended a price. He also said that I could probably go higher. I elected not to. I want it to sell and I think it will. I want it to be a decent deal for someone else and I hope they enjoy this bike as much as I have.
It's funny and kind of weird to be so sentimental about an object, but I also don't have that many objects which I have owned, used, and enjoyed for 30 years.
Oh yes, this is supposed to be a blog about art, drawing and painting. After a long hiatus, I picked up a pen a started drawing yesterday. Today, I tried several quick outlines / drawings of cats. They would not stay still, so I could not go into detail. Here are two that I like.
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