Back to Basics

I rode a bicycle for the years i was in university . Everyday , okay almost. Day and Night.  And boy was it fun as well as a perfect way to exercise .

Well , truth is i couldn’t afford any other mode of transport , except maybe a pair of roller blades or a skate board ….no , these are not designed for a daily commute even for an athletic college student . (yes ,back in the day i was .. )

Since i started working out i have been thinking of ways to get some cardio work out on a daily basis and  owning a bike seemed to be an excellent way to do that. I had some questions on the type of bike best suited for what i had in mind which is mostly road based with a bit off road , cost was a factor too . Commute by Bike website is a great resource for such information with its excellent commuting 101 post.

Fast forward to 6 weeks ago . I get a knock on my gate at about 9pm. Am like who in the blazes . As we were in the middle of a blackout in the area and you don’t expect visitors in the dark of night .
Turns out to be an acquaintance from the neighborhood. A slick character , prohibited substance/s  smoking , veve chewing , true rasta . And surprise surprise , he had hot hot merchandise for me , one sleek cyclo cross bike.

Now am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth , this bike was a beauty , so so sleek and going for a song, a steal i tell you.  So the story was that the current owner was in desperate need of money and willing to sell it dirt cheap.

Hmm , i thought about it for a week , i dreamt about what i would be up to on that bike all through the week .  I could use it to commute to work on occasions . Do errands around town , save on fuel and lose weight as i cycled.  I would finally have a bike i could attempt a few road rides, trail rides and the occasional mini triathlon with .

I even window shopped for riding gear , rear and front LED lights . Sourced for budget paint job , seat repair and other cosmetic upgrades. I was psyched.

Sigh …..

Am glad i waited to make my decision , turns out the bike was hot , yup , hot off someone’s premises. I would have had a hard time explaining why it was in my possession to the cops.  So am still searching , the dream is still there . I am trolling used bike shops looking for a deal .