I have a new bike!

I went to a bike shop called CycleSmith's, down Shelbyville Road in Louisville, just on a whim. I talked to Brian, the person in charge there, and he was very knowledgeable and approachable, which was great for a bumbling idiot like me. I had a look around the used bikes upstairs, found one Brian said would be good for my budget, three sets of seven gears, in great condition from one previous owner, fully equipped with fenders, rear rack, and bottle rack. $275. I enlisted my mom to pay for it, since I don't yet have the money, and Brian said to expect any used bikes to be gone quickly. She said she would (public thanks to her).

So here's the thing.

It's taking me a bit of time to get used to it. Part of it is that the handlebars are lower than I'm used to, combined with the seat being much higher than I'm used to. I now have to actually get off of the seat when I'm stopped, standing over the middle bar, then use the pedal as leverage to jump back to the seat to get moving again. I wasn't aware that was how high the seat ought to be. It took me a handful of tries to get used to it before riding the bike home from the shop. Since getting it home, I've taken it on a few laps around the nearby mall. It's a very smooth ride compared to what I've had previously.

It'll be interesting to see what it's like to ride it over the next several days. I'll be developing a bit of upper body strength, for possibly the first time in my life.

Geoff is Still on a Bicycle

I just though it would be a good idea to post here, largely since it's been a few months since my last posting, and I hadn't really concluded anything or made sure anybody reading thought that I wasn't dead.

I'm not dead, I've still got my bike, and I'm now back to using it for purposes far more mundane than gallivanting around the country (at the moment).

I've got a job at a Kroger in Louisville, and I'm playing music around town while I'm at it, scrounging up money and having some fun with old friends. I'm biking around town; my job is six miles away from where I live, so I bus there and bike back, since the buses conveniently have bike racks in front and the road to work is inconveniently and uphill slog the entire way. Street-biking conditions in Louisville are really kind of ludicrous, which in some cases I'm grateful for, since it's forcing me to be more thoughtful and aware of what I'm doing, but on the other hand makes me feel bitter about how Louisville is "trying" to be more accommodating to cyclists and pedestrians--my ass. Just like everywhere else in America, Louisville treats non-motorists like third-class citizens. Luckily, the drivers as individuals are somewhat responsible people. I've only been honked at a couple of times since Saturday.

As for traveling by bike, while I'm rooted here for a little while, I figure I'll be back on the road before too long. Since I've got a vague amount of financial security, I'll be saving up for a better bike (I'm still using that Walmart clunker from last year). I'm thinking within the next year or two I'll want to find my way over to Iceland for a while--bike from here to Boston, have a plane ticket over to Iceland for under 300 USD, probably cycle the circle road around the exterior of the country. It would probably take a good bit less than 2000 USD to do the whole round trip if I do it right. I don't know. It's something to research a bit.

Anyway, that's where I am at this time: putting things in place for future adventures. And while it pains me to wait at all, it does excite me to be planning something a little further down the road.