Three months of bike commuting and my legs are loosening up for the daily ride--okay, okay, I blamed my initial slowness on the vintage of my commuter bike and its parts, but most of it was me. But, there was that bit that was the 10-year-old bike.
A 10-year-old mountain bike: hardtail steel frame, no disc brakes, a suspension fork with a whole 2.5" of travel (they don't make those anymore, I checked), cheap wheels that I'd bought when my net worth was below zero.
And yet...
If the bike fits, ride it, right?
Well, there's not much to be done about the fork and brakes, but it's a commuter bike. New brake pads at least; a new, less-slumpy saddle bag; new tires (slicks), new wheels (and those make a world of difference), and someday soon even a new bottom bracket (square taper!).
The set of decent wheels alone probably cost more than the bike is worth as a whole, so the sceptic would say I'm throwing good money away that I could be spending on, oh, I don't know, braces? Or a new toy with actual easy-riding capability like Option A or Option B. But those would look pretty silly with a pannier rack on the back...
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2 comments:
Didn't dt recently tell me that you'd bought a new bike? Doesn't it get a post?
New bike hasn't arrived yet--popular bike, and in a near-freakishly large size for my long legs. I'm hoping it's at least made it onto the boat from Taiwan.
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