Bicycles

A friend of mine participated in a bicycle ride in support of a cancer research organization a few weeks ago. I contributed $25 on my friend's behalf; he was riding for a good cause, one in which I have a particular interest. This morning, he sent me an email with several photos attached...all of him in the race. He said he rode only just over half of the 100 miles he had committed to, due to equipment problems.

It's interesting that his message came this morning, as I have been thinking about buying a bicyle and using it for exercise. Naturally, because I am a devotee of comfort, I would want something really comfortable...something that won't be hard on my back, my legs, my neck, all of me. His message, though, prompted me to start looking tonight at bicycles...what people think are good models, etc. I'm not looking for a racing bike, nor a mountain bike. More of a touring bike, but since I am not planning on cross-country tours, a lower-end version.

I would ask my friend, but I have the impression he's a bike snob. Nice guy, but a bike snob; I asked about his bike, and he told me what it was...I checked, discovered it was a $1200 bike...and he mentioned "upgrading: next year. For years, he thought the only car in the world was the Volvo. I think he was a car snob, too. And he's probably a food snob...he's been vegetarian for 10 or 15 years. We're not close friends...only see one another occasionally, and then only in connection with association management meetings, etc. He's a good guy, nonetheless...some association management types these days seem to do things like ignore the plight of thousands of desperate people in hurricane-ravaged, flooded cities. Actually, I have a lot of admiration for the guy to have survived being an association CEO for more years, by far, than I lasted. He's generally just a very nice, generous guy, to boot. But I've never met his wife...odd, my wife has been to many association events, but his wife has not, to my knowledge, ever attended one that I've attended. Maybe she hates association execs...maybe she has to look out after the kid...maybe she has better things to do...maybe she's off doing her own thing. It really is none of my business. Why did I bring it up? Don't know.

I found several nice bikes at $1500 or more...obscenely overpriced, in my opinion (but I gather that lots of bikers consider their expensive bikes as status symbols...morons!). Anyway, I found considerable support for Schwinn bikes in the $750 range as good bikes. That's still way too much for me. So, I started looking for used bicycles. The Schwinn Fastback (2004 model, anyway) was talked about by those in the know about what makes a good bike, as a very good value at $749. But I cannot find a used Schwinn Fastback at a reasonable price. So, I'm going to keep looking. But, considering my problems with transportation of late, and my dwindling financial resources, I may not buy one anytime soon. But I do want a bicycle. Damned if I remember what happened to the one I took to Chicago when I moved there...I know I didn't sell it, and I know I didn't move it back to Texas, so it may well still be chained to a post in my Chicago apartment's parking garage.

There are newly-minted biking/walking paths near my house...not beautiful, but a good place to start biking. Of course, I would need helmet, biking garb (or I could just ignore the nutcases and wear sweatsuits), but those things are more affordable. First, I have to find the bike! When I do, I will promise myself to ride at least ten miles per day. That might help reduce my massively stuffed belly.