After not biking for far too long I finally had a few days of good bikerides. We biked to Bundek one day and to Jarun the next.

This year, after decades of hiding, the old black bicycle has re-appeared in the shed. My sister had found a good bike mechanic in Cakovec (the guy rewired my dad’s overworked back wheel with motorcycle spokes – genius!) and got the bike working. Cakovec is apparently where it’s at as far as bikes are concerned. Last weekend my sister took the old bike to the Critical Mass ride. I wanted to take some photos of the ride but could not get there in time. Instead, I tried out riding the bike the next day.

Alas, I could not ride it! Apart from not being able to brake (I am sure there is a trick to it) the set-up was quite awkward. I kept hitting my hands and handlebars with my knees, the bike was just too small for me. I remember my grandfather, who was the original owner of this bike, to be quite tiny but apparently in the fifties, when he bought the bike, he was very tall. We think that the handlebars were adjusted much higher as the bike mechanic in Cakovec originally suggested we do. We don’t have the tools to readjust the handlebars at this time so a test ride will have to wait.

This week was the last of the winter spinning session at the Point. I was going to two classes per week since I got back from birth break. It was nice though I am glad to take the summer break and I will only be taking one class per week next year. I am hoping to bike outside through the fall.

I don’t know how much riding I will get to do this summer, but I went bike shopping with Luisa who plans to get back into it. She is looking for an entry level hybrid so we went to a couple Ottawa bike stores, three on Bank street and two in Kanata. I am not sure what she’ll end up getting, but bike shopping for someone other than me was tons of fun. The highlight was a bike very much like the one a few posts ago with standard dynamo hub and full set of grind guards at Foster’s. I hope to see more of these in the upcoming years.

Now every mom can get her very own two kids on a bike setup at Toys’R’Us.

This is what Kurt Cobaim must have felt like when the record company handed him the copy of Nevermind they were going to press.

We’ve made use of the Family day to do the (possibly) last outdoor skate and the first bike ride of the season.

Ever since the days have been getting longer, I have been missing biking something fierce. I do have a “winter bike” in the garage, but it is not winterized enough to handle whatever is on the roads right now (ice covered with slush) and Markus is still not old enough for me to have enough time to just myself, I have not been using it.

My dad sent me the picture of this bike the other day and I took a look into it. For one thing, this bike gets it exactly right (by my standards) as far as accessories go. It has:
– rear rack
– integrated 7 speed hub
– fenders
– chain case
– lights
– hub dynamo (I have never seen this standard on any bike. I actually went to the store to have my bike fitted with it but the store owner talked me out of it because it is non standard for my bike and very expensive)

I absolutely love that it has all these features and it is a step-through.

The price on the handlebar translates to just under $1000 in Zagreb. I looked this bike up and there is a store in Toronto that carries the brand and these bikes go for $1300 in the States (so more in Canada).

On one hand this bike is very much for people like me. It has all the features that I would want on the bike except for one – looks. This bike is not intended for sporty people and yet it is painted for the lycra set. I don’t get it. It is like the otherwise perfect purse that is made to look like a plastic bag on the outside. Maybe it is made for women who want to feel sporty without breaking a sweat.

This bike is a more upscale version of the Africa I am currently riding. Apart from having lights and dynamo hub (drool), I am assuming that it is a smoother and faster ride because it has more gears (7 rather than 3), bigger wheels and it is one of those posh brands that girly transportation blogs write about. It is aluminium which makes it lighter, but I prefer steel so that’s a draw. on the other hand, my bike is half (or even third) of the price and it looks more stylish. Big drawback of both bikes is that I can’t fit three kids on either.