I would still recommend them...

So I have been striving to reverse the downward trend of declining physical fitness. Unlike some people we might find, I am not only "plus-sized", I am becoming more-so. The poor Goose did not know what a poor deal she was getting... but to her credit she has never complained. In fact, she pretty much supports me in everything I do...my basketball and softball playing, my poker playing... my ridiculous 11 theatre, 25 movie habit (so far this year)... and my latest endeavor, this past Friday I purchased a bicycle.

Now, the last time I purchased a bike it did not go well. I don't even remember for sure where I got it...maybe Target or Whore-Mart (Wal-Mart for the uninformed), perhaps Fred Meyers...does it matter? Probably not. The bike was something like $99 bucks...or a dollar a minute before I wrecked the thing. Or it fell apart. Kind of a One-hoss shay type thing (there is our obligatory "classic literature" reference).

I shouldn't say it was worthless...the only problem parts were the handlebars, which were mis-aligned, the breaks which stuck to the wheels which, in turn, could not hold air, and the gears which could not shift. Other than that it worked great....

Anyhow, the bike I got this time was NOT the cheap-skate weasel model and it also was not from a chain store. I actually went to Performance Bicycle at Mall 205 and got one very similar to this little beauty. It is a great bike. Has disc breaks (!), shocks, a nice padded seat...better bike than I have ever even pondered before. I liked the experience. The guy who helped me obviously knew his business.

I explained my wants; Obviously, I am no maintenance wiz so I wanted something rugged, easy to care for, but since I won't be riding it near as much as say...Ironman aspirant Al... so I didn't need a Cadillac. And he did not try to up sell me. They had bikes for 500, 1000, 2000, and more....he directed me towards the more, shall we say, affordable section...explained concepts such as "stand over height" and comparing usage to handlebar styles, stuff like that. After I purchased it, he took about a half hour going over it, making sure the bolts were tightened, tires properly inflated, that I knew how to adjust the seat, etc...

I rode it home, a nice 4 mile ride right out of the starting gate. It was fun. Took me back to the years of simplicity...such as when I was riding the bike with no chain guard when I wore bell bottoms...yes, that will be yet another embarrassing post I will throw up here soon...my varletry knows no bounds...and had much less on my mind than I do these days.

Got home, went to put it away...and discovered the first slight, almost insignificant problem arrived when I got home. No kickstand.

By the time I got home I was tired, did not feel like going back down there. Saturday was largely occupied with helping a friend move. Sunday afternoon I finally got around to calling them.

Turns out that kickstands, an expected accessory at a chain store, is an extra at a real bike store. Unfortunately, the guy who helped me neglected to mention that...The Goose pointed out that is kind of like buying a car and finding out the tires are optional....

I am still happy with it, the price and service...I just thought it was pretty funny. Then again, I am a sick puppy...