I finally got a road bike!!! Said bike:
Now here’s my story: I have been pining for a road bike for months and months…leering at each and every one I see ridden, screeching “bike envy, ohh bike envy”, perusing craigslist at work (hitting refresh every five minutes or so), emailing countless people trying to get my hands on one, dreaming of frame sizes, drop bars, and dérailleurs.
Yesterday, however, my so far fruitless quest bore a fruit! Mom and I stopped at a garage sale that had advertised bikes. No bikes in sight, and the guy, let’s call him toothless bearded guy, said he had sold them all except for the ones that needed fixing. He didn’t seem to know what a road bike was. Toothless bearded guy took us to the back of his mobile home (showcasing to us his “beautiful” poker table) and showed us two mountain bikes. While he was talking I was staring at this upside down road bike missing a wheel. Instead of handlebar tape, the drop bars were covered with some type of foam and electrical tape–pure class. He pulled it out and offered it to us for $10. Bought it. My very own Super le Mans Centurion!
But there was work to be done. Each tire cost 3x the cost of my bargain bike, and tubes were $5 each, bringing my grand total to $85. Still reasonable! I worked all afternoon, changing tubes and tires, fixing the dérailleur, bringing my silly bike to rideable condition. And rideable it was! I took it up Lovall Valley and except for one pretty stubborn chain wedging halfway up the hill (thanks to Brian, the biker who stopped to help me), it was fine.
I love my bike! I didn’t know a junky $85 bike would make me so happy! Sometimes I just stare at it and smile…
