I have a new bike.  My first ever new bike.  My parents always got bikes from other people when I was a kid.  Being in a family with 6 kids made anything "new" hard despite me being the oldest.


Wanna see?

Mine is the red one and my son's is the giant blue one.  His wheels are 29 inches where mine are 26.  29 inch wheels seem to be the new thing right now, but they are just too big for me.

I can't ride a bike very well as I've discovered.  Just getting over the bar is hard and my legs get caught up in the seat.  The seat needs to be a little higher, but if I raise it, I can't make it over.   I am really relearning to ride a bike and I feel so embarrassed.

I did make it around a couple of blocks twice before my legs turned to spaghetti.  I played with shifting gears and suddenly my gears started clicking and it wouldn't shift up to 2nd.  I could get it to 3rd, but 2nd would protest with all the smaller gears protesting as well.  Great.  I get a bike and the second time I ride it, I mess it up.

After I got home, I checked the gears/chain.  The gear things are all scratched up.  True to my ability, I manage to mess up something that should be fairly indestructible.  I wasn't doing tricks and I wasn't moving very fast, about 8mph (I made it to 11 one time) so now I realize I need to be a beta tester for the Trek company along with the companies out there with products I've destroyed over the past year.

I called up the store and they said to bring it in.  With my luck, I've totally destroyed something and either need a new bike or a new part that has been back ordered for months like my Topaz part.

I finally got my Topaz back yesterday after, not kidding, about two months because of a back ordered part.  I'm glad I have another machine because that would drive me crazy.  Does that mean Viking screwed up a part and now is paying for that mistake by having to fix everyone's machine?  Or is it just an uncommon part that doesn't break that often needing a wait to get it?  If so, I get to work for the Viking company to beta test their machines.

Now I'm off to get out my ice pack and when my kids get home, take my bike to the shop.

Oh.  I forgot.  This has been amazing on my back.  Not kidding.  Part of physical therapy has been strengthening the front stomach muscles and my glutes.  This is perfect.