Today, I bought a mountain bike. It’s nothing special, just a very cheap, second-hand, lowest common denominator mountain bike. Never been ridden on the road, apparently. The guy that I bought it off had gone into hospital for a knee op soon after buying it, and was now unable to use it.
I was somewhat surprised that the rear gear dérailleur did not work at all, but figured that it was probably just a configuration issue, so didn’t let this stop me from forking out £30. When I got the bike home, I got my tools out and flipped the bike upside down. I was most impressed to discover that whoever had installed the kick stand had managed to trap the gear cable, and so the problem was easily fixed. There was also a lot of configuration required, but this enabled me to learn how bike gears work, and it was an educational experience.
I haven’t ridden a bike for about ten years, and I haven’t had much exercise for the last year, so you can imagine how exhausted I was after just a four mile round trip. I’m looking forward to getting my form back.
I also wore one of my brand new t-shirts.
This shirt, and many others like it, are available from Dr Pockless on Bountee. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of Bountee, but if you want Pockless on your chest, it must be endured.