Bike Repair and Revelations

Something I'd put off for who knows how long was replacing the tires on N's bike. They were in reasonably bad shape, no doubt about it, but it was not as if we were doing any high stress or impact riding. They were adequate, but it clearly bothered him, enough to discourage him riding it and instead, opting for his old bike.

I'd even got him the new tires, they were sitting in the barn, collecting dust, and he would keep asking me, "When are we going to put the new tires on?"

Finally, the other day, I put everything off, sat down with him, and we replace the tires. It's not rocket science, it just requires that you get a little dirty. In fact, it reminds me of when I was kid. We used to sit around the neighborhood and take apart our bikes, sometimes ruining them in the process, but oh the things we learned.

Now he's got new tires, and is enjoying his new ride. There's something special about a boy and his ride, you just can't put a price on these moments. Now, of course, we need to get new brake pads, but we'll head on over to Paradise Sports and get them. I love that store, BTW, because not only is it a killer store with a cool cast of characters, but it's local. You can't beat that.

Speaking of bikes, I had a revelation about A's bike. I got her bike essentially for free. It was left over from a yard sale, and the sign said everything remaining was free. It has a $10 price tag, so I left the money and took the bike. It is in decent shape, but was not the most picturesque piece of machinery. A is a good sport, however, and said looks didn't matter, and she could add stickers and spruce it up. Of course, the stickers all fell off, and she had alluded to the fact that she wasn't so keen on the dull gray color.

I told her we'd keep an eye out for a nicer, spiffier bike, but she didn't make issue of it. Then it dawned on me that we could get her one and then either R and I could ride hers. It's a 24 incher, and we ride 26 inchers. The difference is negligible considering the riding that we do, which is family style cruising. We need a 4th bike for family outings since we only have 3. This way, A can have a cool new(ish) bike, and we have a bike for every family member. How cool is that?

Now I just need to find a new bike. Oh well, the search never ends. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Gabriella Silvestrini for the pic.