I dusted off my old bike, unstuck the brake cables then lubricated and readjusted everything. After borrowing an air pump from my wonderful neighbor (I have no idea where mine has wandered) I hopped on and went for a ride.
It took 15 minutes to get to the church parking lot. I could have made it faster but didn’t even try. Figured out where I plan to secure this thing for tomorrow and headed home.
Saw my neighbor at the corner market on the way home and thanked him again for loaning me his air pump. You have got to ensure good neighbor relations when living a simple life.
My leg muscles are not used to the motions of bike riding so I will need to work on that. I am just happy that once again I will be able to save money and be mobile at the same time thanks to my handy-dandy bike. It gets boring sitting at home all of the time, but I so hate using gas when I don’t have a valid reason!
I Googled the subject of bike riding to work. Some of those writers amuse me. They turn people off by telling them they need to spend hundreds of dollars on a bike. If I am spending several hundred dollars, you can bet it’s on some type of scooter, not something you pedal! Instead my bike was bought on sale several years ago at Wal-Mart when gas was over $4 a gallon. When I decided to no longer pay those prices I took the price of a fill-up and went shopping for a cheaper mode of transport.
As for maintenance, all I have ever bought for that poor thing is a back tire, a better seat, a rack on back to support my crate and some WD-40 for lubrication. Eventually I will need brake pads but those weren’t as bad as I thought so it is still safe to ride.
Well, I need to look in the outbuilding for my bike chain. I know I have two around here, so I am not about to purchase another one!