Where the rubber meets the road

Through this last year Nerd Dad tried going to the gym, and making it a routine. It was a colossal failure. Every time I'd get on a good roll, going three times a week, or what have you, something would spring up. This winter was especially cold and hard to get out of the house. It was nice to have a warm place to go to work off the Christmas cookies, but I couldn't drag myself out into the -20 degree weather (forget about wind chill) to work up a sweat, and then go back outside to drive home.

We cancelled our membership finally this month due to not utilizing it. I still have the Christmas cookies in me that need to be burned off, plus seven months of non-Christmas junk food. I started thinking about biking. I haven't ridden a bike in years, but I look forward to riding around with Ozzie one day, and I don't want to have years of Christmas cookies built up in my frame when we go.

How am I going to get out of the house to ride  a bike when I couldn't get out to go to the gym? I don't know, but I don't have to pay monthly dues on a bike. I don't have to see a monthly money reminder of what a lazy (small) pig I am and feel bad about myself. A bike is a one time purchase, and once I bought one, then I'd have it, and could figure it out from there.

So I started my search for a bike on Target.com. I know that Schwinn is the name in bikes (or at least it was when I was a kid), so I looked at them. I found one I liked for $200. I thought I could save for it little-by-little with the money that would no longer go to the gym "donation." Then last night I Googled "free bikes," and was reminded of the Minneapolis bike auctions they hold. Megan and I used to live up the block from where they hold them. We even went to a few to see what kind of deals there are, and it's excellent people-watching; but the next auction isn't for a month. (If you're looking for a bike though, I'd suggest you go to an auction. They're fun, and you can get a really nice bike for a fraction of the cost.)

I was also reminded of Craigslist. I have avoided Craigslist for a few years since a punk-kid sold me a bum iMac keyboard for $30. I figured with a bike that I can test it out right on the spot (unlike the keyboard where I had to take the liar's word for it). I searched for Schwinn Fridley and saw some nice bikes, but they were hundreds of dollars. I thought if it's going to be used for near the same price of the new one at Target I wanted, I might as well go with new. Then I searched in Blaine and found a nice one for only $70.

I emailed the seller around 11:00 last night and they actually emailed me right back. We set up a meeting this morning. I told Megan about it when we woke up and she said that she drove by a garage sale yesterday that had 30 bikes outside. I was meeting my Craigslist contact at noon, so we packed up Ozzie and went garage-sale-ing. We went to the 30-bike sale first, and there was no sale what-so-ever. It was quiet this Sunday morning, and there was no sign of life at the house. We drove around a little and stopped at a couple of other sales, but there weren't any bikes at them. 

I remembered after about a minute at the first sale we hit that garage sales are just people trying to get 25 cents for things instead of, or before they throw them away. What I mean by that is that garage sales are tables and racks of other people's garbage. Instead of picking through their trash cans, they lay the garbage out for you to easily view. You could pull the items from the dumpster on trash day for free, but they charge you pocket change to carry their rubbish home with you. 

Anyway, I came up empty looking at garage sales, but I still had my meeting at noon for the Schwinn in Blaine. My GPS took me right to the house near the Subway sandwich shop where I worked in 1997. There were some kids playing in the yard, and the bike was right there in the middle of the driveway. Grandma was going through some stuff in the garage, and she said I had been emailing with her daughter, but I could take the bike for a spin. 

Now remember, it had been years since I last rode a bike. It felt a little awkward swinging my leg over the bar and getting going, but after just a few seconds it was just like riding a bike. That must be where they get the term. I drove it up and down their block, and it was fun. The bike fit me well, and was in decent condition. I went back and offered grandma $60 for it, and she gladly took it. I got a good deal. A one-time payment of half of one month of the gym membership (for two people). 

Finally tonight after dinner I was able to take it out for a real ride. I went up East River Road and found a park near the Mississippi with walking/biking trails. I rode the trails and wound up  at this Center for the Arts that I pass every day with Ozzie coming home from day care. Sometimes I notice it and think "I should Google that place sometime," and then forget about it as soon as it's out of sight. 

I had a lot of fun on my bike ride. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit and do something different. I don't know what kind of workout I got, and I don't care. It's not about that. Maybe I'll start riding it to burn calories one day, but for now it's something fun to do. Next I can look for a bad-ass helmet. Do you think I'll find one at a garage sale? If I do it should probably be thrown away instead of hawked for even one penny.