The Bicycle Lives!!

Yes!! I did it!! I took my bike in to the shop (it fit in the hatchback). Win for me! Now... when I got there, the guy said they were booking for June 22 but... but... they could probably squeeze me in if I just left it there. Yes, please!

And then... less than a week later, I got the phone call that it was ready to pick up. I got a new gear shifter thingie and... I got tested for my sit bones. Which means I bought another bike saddle. They think the one I have is a bit old, worn out and a bit too soft. Your sit bones push down into the softness which then rebounds and pinches the soft tissue which... leads to sore butt.

OK... well... the saddle has a 30 day money back guarantee so I am going to give it a whirl and see how it goes. Apparently, a saddle that is too soft is not a good idea... so that is good to know. 

I am very proud of myself. I actually did it. Something that I have been meaning to do since last year... and the year before. Get the bike tuned up and get a new saddle. I now have no excuse. I can get on my bike and go for a bike ride. And if my butt hurts... then off to the bike shop I go for a new saddle. Fingers crossed that this one is the ticket!

It's always amazing to me how it is these small things... just figuring out if the bike fits into the hatchback... that keep me from doing things. It's a small thing to have a conversation with the bike shop staff and ask about getting my sit bones measured. And yet these small things keep me from doing so many big things

Because now... with a bike that works, I can pedal off to Starbucks in the mornings and:

1. get some exercise
2. reduce my carbon footprint
3. reduce my gasoline ($$) usage
4. get some exercise

It's a win-win-win all the way around. Fingers crossed it actually works!! So... yet another small step that yields big results.

Dusting off the Bicycle

Every spring I think... this will be the year I get back onto my bike! And... for the last few years... that fizzles out very quickly. I'll get back on my bike, go for a few 5-10 minute bike rides and... lose my umph. Part of it is the dreaded "bike butt".

You know what happens... you get on your bike, you feel all pumped and excited. You go for a bike ride, a short one... and all is well. But the next morning... you wake up with the sorest bum bones (the sit bones) in history. The idea of getting on that torture device of a bicycle seat is... like... nooooooo!!! So I'll wait a day or two until the bike butt calms down but... then I'll dread the next session for the next bike butt.

And the bike just stays in the shed. I don't understand it. I used to ride my bike a LOT! I'd ride to Starbucks, I'd ride around town, I'd go on adventures. And then... somewhere around when my Dad died... it just fizzled. Or I'd wait too long. The ideal time to get back onto the bike is in March here... but then it would already be May or June... and I'd figure... "what's the point"... Sigh.

Cause part of it too... if I'm honest... is that I feel like a complete slug when I get back on the bike after the winter. My legs feel like jello and I have no umph for all of the hills. And we have a lot of hills... or gentle gradients. All of them seem to be uphill when I am coming home after a ride and that is just depressing.

Yes, I know that I could get an e-bike... and we have thought about it. But the dreaded bike butt then rears its ugly head. What's the point of spending $3000 on an e-bike if it just gives me bike butt and then I don't ride it?? I need to get over the bike butt hump first.

There are other tips... get a padded bike seat or wear padded bike shorts. But I've ridden this bike, with this saddle for years and always gotten over the bike butt after about a week of riding. My sit bones (which are the ones that get sore) just get used to it!

Every year, I tell myself that this WILL be the year. Last year though... we had the wettest spring on record and that would have been no fun.

But what about this year? It's possible... I am writing this on February 9... so the timing is kind of perfect. And yesterday was a nice sunny day and I saw a tonne of cyclists out there getting their bikes on the road.

I thought about getting mine on the road, but it needs a tune-up. The gear shifters always get out of whack during the winter... so it's time to take it in for a tune-up. Which raises another issue... how to get it to the bike shop... I used to pack it in the back of the 4-Runner but we got rid of that vehicle over a year ago. I don't know if it will now fit into our little hatchback. Which means I'd have to walk it to the bike shop - 45 minutes. And then walk home... or get my partner to pick me up. It's not impossible... but it does raise the friction level for getting this done.

I'm trying to think... when did I last ride my bike? Pre-covid likely... so this is going to take a bit of getting used to but... small steps... that's all I need to remember... just small steps.

Step 1 - See if the bike fits in the hatchback...
    Yes? Then drive it down to the bike shop for a tune-up
    No? Then walk it down to the bike shop.

And I just checked (always good to do that) and the bike shop I normally go to is closed!! But... there is one that is only 30 minutes away from home (walking)... so will try that one.

One small step at a time...

Except... this is getting published in early June and... will I actually get the bike done by then??