The date was April 9, 2010. I don't remember why but I was off work that day so Tyler and I were just hanging out, running errands around town. Tyler was five at the time and would normally be at day care all day. Kindergarten wouldn't be starting until September. I'd been thinking it was time for Tyler to learn to ride a bike - but he didn't have one yet. In the back of my mind I knew that I would need a bike too. I hadn't owned a bike since I was 15 years old. But I would need one now - to ride along with Tyler while he learned, progressing from training wheels to fearless rider with skinned up knees.
 |
| Tyler on the bike that started it all. |
February 17, 2012. Not even two years have passed since that April day in 2010 yet three mountain bikes now hang upside down from the ceiling in the garage. Each one more technologically advanced than the next. A fourth is temporarily stationed in the basement, affixed to a training roller for winter exercise. I built each bike, one piece at a time. Accumulating special tools and extra parts along the way. I watch the weather every day, calculating the next day when my busy schedule and suitable weather will align. I am 42 years old and I'm in the best shape of my life. I look forward to mountain biking like I used to look forward to the many hobbies of my past. Golfing. Fishing. Hunting. Metalworking. Biking has become all that - but with a killer work out.
This blog will take a ride through those past 21 months. A guy who knew nothing about bikes and riding to building four bikes and riding twice a week. I scoured the Internet and magazines. I hung around the local bike shops. I tapped the knowledge of some good friends that are long time mountain bikers (this is really their fault in a way). And I hope to capture the high points and valuable nuggets here. Hopefully it will be a gnarly ride. Dude.
 |
| Hiking my bike across a ledge in Jim Thorpe, PA. Never said I was smart. |
No comments:
Post a Comment