A-Bike is A-OK!

As I sit here in my dining room with a cat on my lap, anxiously awaiting the end of the rain I thought I'd drop y'all a line. I was supposed to head out to Stockbridge Bowl (not a football event) to test drive some kayaks. I feel bad, because I know I'm going to end up buying one from EMS and that's not who's sponsoring this demo day. However, I stop feeling so bad when I remember I just dropped a month's pay on a bike two days ago at the store who is sponsoring this event. Guilt Averted!

First, let me tell you I took my new A-bike out for a test ride yesterday and it was a highly eventful trip. First, my bike came complete with one properly inflated tire and one quasi inflated tire. And being a "fancy" bike, it has different valve stems in the tires (the doohickeys that you put that there air intuh) that you're used to. They aren't the same as car tires or American bike tires. I had to buy a pump before I could even ride the sumbitch. No biggie, there's a bike shop around the corner.

As I left the bike shop empty-handed, I was getting frustrated. At this point I had arranged to pick someone up and drive to the Rail Trail, I'm suited up in my riding clothes, I spent forever getting everything together and ready and if EMS doesn't have any pumps it'll all be for naught. When I picked up my friend, I called EMS and confirmed that not only do they carry pumps (the kind I need) but they in fact have one in stock. Out we went.

It wasn't until we were halfway through the mall that I realized, as Adam did when he ate from the Forbidden Fruit, that I was walking through the mall in biking shorts. Well, at least my shirt wasn't lycra.

At EMS, I grabbed a pump, some tire patches (just in case) and checked out. They hooked me up with a coupon for a sale they're having next week. This sale is 20% off your most expensive item, and 15% off the next two items. The dude working there (the same guy who ran the last kayak demo day) put it like this... "Your kayak is 20% off and your paddle and lifevest are both 15% off. Come in as early as you can this day and buy them." Yes sir. I'll be ditching work if I have to.

So off we went with the new bike pump. I pulled my bike down from the roof and attempted to inflate the tire, just as the bike salesman had showed me the day before. I proceded to let all remaining air out of the tire while adding none. Finally, I asked a fellow cyclist to help out. He gave me new directions which also didn't work. At long last he busted out his frame pump (a pump that hooks onto your bike frame for emergencies or when young punks need their tires filled and don't have a functioning pump), got it going and handed it off to me. As it turns out, it takes a lot of oomph to fill a tire to a high enough pressure. I was mildly successful, but able to ride.

That bike is so freaking awesome. I got zero workout going at the pace we were riding and probably could have ridden upwards of 1,000 MPH. At one point I think I even heard the bike groan because it was so bored with my speed. AWESOME! It's not as nimble as I would have liked since my bicycle upbringing has been with BMX and MTB bikes, but I'm sure I'll adjust soon enough.

I have what might possibly be good news to share with all y'all, but I'm not going to out of fear of jinxing myself. You'll just have to wait it out until I know for sure what the dilly is, yo.

Well, I think I should answer the call of nature and head off to test out some kayaks. I'll holler at y'all later.

Oh yeah, I'm going to see Dave Matthews Band today. The Summer of Todd is alive and kicking. Hate all you want, bitches!

Over and Out,
Old Coot