Tuesday, June 2, 2009

I Just Gotta RIDE Man...

I had to stop running and hiking and walking a few weeks ago, because the little foot problem of mine flared up--as well as a new and improved case of tendonitis.
But I was hooked on the cardio workout. I started scouting for a good deal on a nice exercise bike, because I figured it would be the sensible choice for a gal who lives on the surface of the sun (yay, Arizona summers....) who wants to exercise without hurting her tootsies or having a heat stroke.
No luck with the exercise bikes. They're expensive, and I'm not willing to spend a big hunk of money on something that I may or may not like very much.

I decided to look around for a regular bike, to see if maybe that would be the answer. Bikes, it turns out, aren't that cheap, either. I was looking for something around $50, and everything was $100 and more. Thrift store!! Aha!!
I went to the Thrift Store and found a bunch of very nice bikes that needed a LOT of fixing. Broken gears, flat tires, broken chains, and on and on and on....

As I was leaving the Thrift Store I ran into one of Shay's friend's moms. I told her what I was looking for and she said, "Well, I have an old 1960's Beach Cruiser that I picked up for $20, you can have it!"


Whoa.




Shay and I painted the frame powder blue, and I polished all the chrome. I have a little rack that fits behind the seat, and I have it off right now while it's being polished.
Unfortunately the wheels are covered in rust, so I've emailed pictures to a friend of mine who is a self-proclaimed bike nut and he's going to tell me what to do about that.

So far, I've invested about $29 into the bike, which includes the new handle grips and the original-style peddles that I've ordered online. When I'm in between bike improvements, I'm peddling around at the airport getting my exercise. It's awesome!! I ride at the airport because the hills on the streets out there are way less steep than the ones at home, and there is no traffic to worry about. I just put the Bee Gees on my Ipod and start peddling.

I love my Beach Cruiser!!