Pimp My Ride

Last weekend someone posted on Facebook that they were selling a used bike trailer. For whatever reason, I found myself insisting that we needed one. Never mind the fact that I hadn't ridden a bike in 15 years. Or that I didn't even own a helmet. "Think of all the fun we'll have!" was the only thing going though my head.

I tried to push the thought away, but my brain kept coming back to it. Clearly, my mind wasn't going to rest until I had possession of one gently used bike trailer. So, $40 and 45 minutes later, it was all mine,

The contraption perplexed me. But I managed to fish my old $5 garage sale bike out of the basement (after wiping off the cobwebs), get the bike trailer attached, and stick the kids in it. I have no idea what all the straps do or if I'm using them properly. Luckily I found instruction manuals online...I just need to sit down and open them. Looks close enough?

My personal caravan

$5 garage sale bike

Thursday night we took the trailer for its inaugural spin around the block to the farmers market. Jacob was thrilled that I was riding with him and Ryan was loving the fact that he could sit and relax while I pulled him up all the hills. Jon was also happy....as always. The first trip was a success except for my quickly deflating tires and broken gears. And as we were riding up the slight incline back home, I couldn't tell if I was just really horrible at riding a bike (can't be - I go to spin class at least once a week!), if my bike was in really bad shape, or if my three year old and nine month old could somehow weight 150 pounds between the two of them. After much huffing and puffing, we all made it back home.

Ryan hasn't stopped talking about the bike ride. Every day since Thursday he has asked me if we can ride "Mom's bike." So today, I took the bike down to a repair shop. The long-haired, pony-tailed, body-odor smelling repair man told me that it would cost $150 for new tires and to fix my gears and brakes. I almost laughed. There was no way I was going to drop $150 on a $5 garage sale bike that was probable purchased for $60 new at Target about 20 years ago. Then a shiny, green Cannondale with a large comfy-looking seat caught my attention from the corner of the room. The bike repair man said he just fixed it all up and was selling it for $200.

And that's how I left the bike shop today with this beauty. (The bike repair guy wouldn't even take my old bike for free....it now has a new home at Goodwill).

Our bike ride today was SO much better! No deflating tires. No squeaky, unusable gears, effective brakes. The kids are obsessed with my bike. Ryan has taken it upon himself to make sure my water bottle is always filled and tucked into the water bottle holder. Jacob is enthralled with my gears and talks about the day he will get a "gear-bike." And Jon loves to use it as a drum set. (He "bam, bam, bams" on everything).

Hoping back on a real bike (not a spin class bike) after 15 years was really strange at first. Contrary to the popular saying, I was really wobbly and unstable at first. Five minutes later, it was like I had never stopped riding. I kept wondering why I had ever stopped. The kids and I zoomed all over our quiet little downtown tonight. Jacob and I kept vying for the lead and Ryan kept giggling from the trailer and pointing out interesting sights along the way. The city looks so different on bike. It was a blast riding through the neighborhood streets and waving to neighbors. I can't wait for our next trip!

Ready to ride!

Taking the first lead

Me and my groupies....exploring the city by bike!

And here is Jacob giving me a heart attack.

Have you guys been on a bike lately? If not, you absolutely NEED to. I forgot how fantastic it is to ride a bike. It felt like childhood. It felt like freedom. It was fantastic.