My New BFF

I am feeling guilty.  It seems like not so long ago I had rambled on and on about my renewed "friendship" with my trusty old bicycle.  I rode the old Rock Hopper all the time, which included riding back and forth to 30 Swedish classes!   I had even added a kickstand, mud guards and lights (and trust me, those lights are becoming more important every day!).

All that being said....I have purchased another bicycle.   Sigh...How could I?  What happened to loyalty??  I know.  I know.   Just let me explain.   Going back a couple of weeks, I found myself with a new a job (which is exciting...but a whole other story).   So then I got to thinking about how I was going to get there.  Drive?  Certainly a possibility especially as the weather turns colder, but then my extra exercise goes out the window.   Walk?  Not a chance (as it's about 4 or 5 mile trek).  Bike?  Well, that was certainly an option on days that were relatively dry and not too cold (currently I'm thinking temps in the 40's are OK).

I realized, however, that my current bike had a few...shall we say....issues.  For quick trips, the "mountain bike" was manageable, but as I rode longer distances I realized that the smaller wheels made me work a lot harder (it's not a good sign when people much MUCH older passed me by with minimal effort on their part).   Also, if you recall, I could not have a basket installed on the Rock Hopper, so I always had to wear my backpack.  Again, not an issue for short trips but combined with longer trips (like 30 minutes to the new job) and the poor posture which is employed on a mountain bike...I was starting to experience tingling pain in my hand (I don't think that's normal).

I'm sorry Rock Hopper.  It's not you... it's me.

So I went in search of a more Swedish...or European...bicycle.   I needed either a City bike or a Mormor cycle aka "grandma" bike.   And if you think that I would be embarrassed by the thought of buying a "grandma bike", think again!  I first called my friends at Ekman's cycle (who had helped me pimp the old ride) and they actually had a used bike they were selling.   I drove over immediately, thinking that this would be a quick solution to my bike dilemma.  I knew that it would be in good working order AND that it wouldn't have been a stolen bike (bike thefts are relatively common here).   However, upon arrival, I found the ugliest bike I had ever seen!   It was kind of a mustard yellow and frankly I just couldn't get past that.   Shallow...I know.

Picture this color on a rusty bike...ick.

I then moved my search to www.blocket.se - this is kind of like a Swedish Craig's List.   I certainly couldn't justify a brand new bike....they are quite expensive and I did already have one bike at home.  I had a few small adventures trying to check out a couple of the bikes.  On my first attempt, I found the bike, but not the seller.  On my next try, I drove around forever only to discover that I was on the wrong "Bondegatan" street (maybe someone could have told me there were two of them in Lund).  I finally found the right place, only to find a bike that was a little too big for me.

A couple of nights later while checking blocket (again) I saw it... a reasonable priced City Bike that even had a basket!  I contacted the woman immediately knowing that the good stuff sells quickly.   Using Google translate I did pretty well corresponding with her via email.  However, I had a little more difficulty when she called me the next morning.  I asked her (in Swedish) if we could talk in English, and was taken aback when she said "Nej" (yup...that means no).  Uh oh...I rarely get this response.  Luckily I now know a few more Swedish words, so I think I was able to get my point across.

Can I buy your bike...bork, bork, bork?

Having successfully navigated through the phone conversation in Swenglish, I took the girls with me to take a look at the bike (perhaps they could help me translate).  It didn't take long for me to realize that this was "the one".  Of course, I had to give the nice woman a small "deposit" as the bike AND the children would not fit in the car at the same time.   I returned a short while later having taken the girls back home.  It wasn't easy, but I was able to squeeze the bike into the car.  I drove off, very satisfied with my purchase.

When I first saw her....

So far the bike has been working out quite well....except for one cold morning (coincidentally my first day of work) when I turned on a patch of ice and ended up on the ground.  Not a great start, but I blame myself, not the bike.

If I ride to work it is a solid 30 minutes each way which is GREAT exercise.  In the morning, the ride is easier as it's slightly down hill (you can do the math on the return trip...a bit more challenging).  However, since a bit of time has passed since I started writing this post, the weather has become quite a bit colder, and we have snow on the ground, so my riding days might be numbered.   Perhaps I may have to go back to the Rock Hopper if I'm going to ride in the winter...if she will take me back!

I'm just not sure how I feel about this!