My first ride was a commute to work, which may sound like no biggie, but it's five miles each way. My antique Ross, "the quality lightweight bicycle", is suited for just up to that distance, but not much more. This is not due to the lack of speeds, but to the antique components that barely cling to the bike.
Last year, I had a wheel laced around a brand new Sturmey Archer 3 speed internal hub. I was sad to lose the built-in grip shifter emblazoned with the letters "H - N - L", or high, neutral, low, from the old Shimano system. The new thumb shifter is quite nifty though, and operated by a very slight flick of the rider's thumb. I knew thumbs were good for more than hitch hiking.
The second ride was a shorty but a goody. I tra-la-lad around the neighborhood, diligently checking my odometer for the correct mileage. Then I headed over to the tennis courts in the park near my home to meet a mom and her daughter. The daughter is 7 years old and had been having trouble learning to ride a bike.
It is an unparalleled joy to give the gift of bicycling to a child. After all, once you learn, you always know. At one point, after pedaling without help for several seconds, she hopped off and ran to her mom for a celebration hug. My heartstrings came unstrung. Before I left, we took a lap around the tennis court together.
The third ride was to my local fabric store, to procure materials for the upcoming Bike Craft show. I'll be displaying at the Bicycle Kitty booth and selling butt pillows (somewhere dry to sit wherever your bike may take you), buddy flaps and embellished valve caps. For a sneak peek of fabric choices, zoom in on the pink pannier in the photo above.
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