I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want To Ride My Bike!

Didn't know I was a closet biker, did you?

I bought a bike from a friend at work a few years ago, and I'm sure it will come as no surprise to know it was a ten minute wonder, and the thing has spent most of the last few years rusting away in the back garden. Lately though, I've been thinking about bikes a lot - Sean uses his a lot, and has often expressed his opinion that if I got another bike we could go on rides together - plus, Ethan wants to get a bike (he has LOTS of Toys R Us vouchers to spend), so it would be something we could all do together.

So the three of us went off to Halfords to have a look at what they had - they had a good deal on a mountain bike that was reduced to £79.99 that I wanted to see. So, I sat on the bike (it wasn't pretty, because I am so unfit my hips aren't particularly supple and so my hefting of a leg over to sit on was not, shall we say, in the least elegant. Anyway, I wasn't really impressed with the bike, it seemed a bit flimsy, and the guy serving us didn't really seem very knowledgeable about bikes anyway, so I said I'd think about it and we left the store.

Fortunately for us, there is a big branch of Hawk Cycles on the Coventry Road, so not far from here, so we popped in there on the way back. Not only do they have a huge selection of bikes, the place is packed from floor to ceiling with all the accessories you could ever need.

We had a good browse, and I found a bike I liked. It was £100, which was definitely more than I wanted to spend, but it was a Y-framed, dual suspension bike and it was a pinky purple colour (all girls know that the colour is the most important thing, right?). Sean pulled it out of the line of bikes it was in, and I sat on it. Well, I'm not going to say it was comfy, but the frame was the right size, and I liked it. It also felt way more sturdy than the Halfords cheapo one.

So I spent some time in consideration, and finally made the right decision this morning when Colin told me that I'm showing signs of sleep apnoea again - I had this a couple of years ago, but managed to cure it with less pillows and of course losing some weight. Unfortunately for me, my willpower is about as strong as a wet paper bag and I've put loads of weight back on, and despite sleeping on a memory foam pillow that is supposed to hold your head at the right angle to not allow your windpipe to collapse while you sleep (cos that, peeps, is what happens when you have sleep apnoea) obviously my weight is not helping.

Isn't it a good job that this year I am determined to be more active? I freely admit that I am a lazy cow - it all really started when I was pregnant with Ethan, I was constantly exhausted and that was the time that Sean started to do lots of stuff for me, then after having Ethan by caesarean section obviously I had to recover from that ... then there was the ongoing saga of my gallstones which also made me unable to do much as I was in so much pain ... and then the depression ... it all added up and made me into a fat lazy cow who did sod all around the house, and Sean into a young man who did far too much. He rarely complained though, and even now it's not unusual to find that he's cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom or something without being asked. He's an incredibly good boy and I appreciate him. So, this year is all about me taking back the reins and doing my job properly at home. Since Christmas I've made a good start, doing most of the cooking and getting the dishwasher sorted myself most days instead of asking him to do it.

They do say that the more active you are, the more active you want to be - I really hope that's true!

So anyway, Sean came back to Hawk with me this morning to get my bike. Naturally I needed a few bits and pieces - a gel saddle cover, a pump, a cycle computer (so I can tell how far I've ridden), and some lights. I also bought Sean a gel saddle cover for his bike, and a bike stand (mine's already got one). Not a cheap bit of shopping, but I'm focusing on the benefits. As I paid, I asked about the bike carriers for the car - I've read so many differing ideas on whether my car is suitable for a cycle carrier or not - I've got a Renault Scenic with a split tailgate (ie the back window opens separately from the rest of the boot), but the man in the shop said it was all dependent on the composition of the back of the car - if it was mainly metal then it would be okay. He helped us to get the bike in the car and then checked out the back of the car with a magnet - yep, we would be fine. So, another £29 went on a cycle carrier. I need to get another number plate that I can hang on the bikes, as they will obscure the one on the car (damn, means I need to find my log book to get one), but as soon as that's done, we can be off to the park to ride. Now all I have to do is hope I manage to stay enthused about cycling long enough to get fit and to make riding a part of daily life.

Once we got home it was time to try the bike out, so the gel saddle covers went on, I found my helmet and off we went. Time was limited as Sean's Dad was on his way over to pick him up for their regular Sunday hanging out session. B.L.O.O.D.Y. H.E.L.L. Now I remember why I didn't cycle much with the last bike ... the saddle was a bit too high and I couldn't get on it without great difficulty. Sean managed to drop the saddle a bit, but it's still too high (there's a reflector underneath it that needs to come off so that we can drop the saddle another inch or two. We'd just decided that when Andy turned up with Carol (Seanie's Stepmum), who was very impressed and said that Andy keeps telling her she should get a bike - I said they should both get one and then we can all go up the park and ride together, or ... as I said would be more likely, Andy and Sean can ride, and we can hobble along on our bikes at the back going 'ooh, we can't do this'. Anyway, when Sean gets back later he's going to drop the saddle down again and we will go out. I know its going to take some practice and perseverance to get comfortable riding again and gain confidence, but I am determined that by the end of this week I will be riding properly. Watch this space!

Now all that's left is to get Ethan a new bike and teach him to ride without stabilisers. We all need to get a bit fitter, that's for sure.

And it's a good job I've got Colin all psyched up to be ready to rub my bum better after a bit of biking - even with a gel saddle cover, that thing is damn uncomfortable!