Every month we receive the free GT-Info magazine in the mail. It basically informs residents of what's going on in the month ahead. There are random articles, special deals and a reasonable sized Classified section.
And that's where J found the ad for the bicycle. It apparently had been barely used and was in a really good condition. So we made an appointment to see the woman last night.
J's been talking about getting me a bike for some time now. And as i've mentioned before getting to the city by foot takes about 40 minutes. The bus, although it takes less than 10 minutes, the frequency of the buses in this area is every 2 hours. And a one-way trip [equivalent to 6 stops] costs me 2€ which in the long run adds up.
The decision on a bike was much more do-able than getting a car.
I reckon the city council invested a lot of money in making sure the infrastructure was sound. Paying particular attention to the bike paths which in most cases run along side the roads and shares the path with the pedestrians. All in all, the town is very bike friendly and the roads here are pretty much straight forward. And since living here, it's just as common to see a bicycle on the road as it is to see a car.
But i can't remember the last time i owned a bike.
.
.
.
I think it may have been over 20 years ago.
Back when we lived in Paris it made sense to have one. The weather was kinder, there were tonnes of parks and taking the bike out over the weekend was regarded more of a family ordeal than part of an exercise regime. Now i remember, it was that time period when my sister and i used to wear matching pink jogging suits.
Oh dear God. Why?
I was 8. My excuse was i was too young to make rational decisions. Plus it was the 80s.
Anyway, back to my bicycle... the woman was in her late 60s, i'm guessing originally from the UK because after speaking German to us and hearing us speak English she immediately switched to English.
The bike was locked up in the garage for quite some time and when J asked if i could test it out on the roadside she was a bit hesitant. She probably thought we were going to steal it from her. No wonder she blocked the garage exit with her car and left the motor running.
She later went on to tell us a story of how she knew someone who got his bike stolen twice in a row. And insisted on reminding us that thieves run ramped in the city and to get a proper lock.
But apart from the dust and random cobwebs, it's practically brand new. You can tell it's new by its tires, they squeaked on the roadside as i tested it out.
No. I did not fall.
A little shaky at the start but i didn't fall.
20 minutes later we agreed to her selling price of 100€. A damn good deal, apparently, since she bought the bike for more than double that price. She even included a black wire basket that attaches to the front which ordinarily one would have to buy separate. I took it off cause the extra weight distracts me.
A European city bike [with a step through frame], or simply city bike is a bicycle designed for frequent short, moderately paced rides through relatively flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday riding in normal clothes in a variety of weather conditions. [source]
I feel more German already.
And as an extra road safety measure the internal ring where the tires go is bright yellow - i've only seen them in white. This feature makes the bike more visible at night. Hallo Chrissie! Can i be anymore obvious?
The stark blackness of the rubber with the yellow reminds me of a bee, which is why i've decided to call it my Bumble Bee Bicycle.
Don't worry i'm not heading out into the city yet. Are you crazy?
Even though most of the bike paths here are on the side walk it's still damn scary. Getting used to moving cars is one thing but having to signal with one hand and turn with the traffic is a whole different ball game. I still get confused which side i have to look first when crossing a road. In that sense, i'm so happy cyclists share the pedestrian crossing to get to the other side of the road.
As they say, practice makes perfect.
So the road leading up to the area where we live is pretty quiet and the straight road ahead makes it easier to see oncoming traffic. The roads are wide enough which makes it a perfect practicing ground and a place where i'm less likely to get run over.
Examples used to improve my Handling Skills "is to maintain a straight line along a painted line, both looking ahead and to the rear, and to swerve to avoid some colored paper cut-outs prepared ahead of time. Practice almost stopping without putting a foot on the ground and then starting again. Practice mounting and dismounting under different conditions, including on slopes." [source]
Please excuse my fringe, it has a mind of its own sometimes.
And that's where J found the ad for the bicycle. It apparently had been barely used and was in a really good condition. So we made an appointment to see the woman last night.
J's been talking about getting me a bike for some time now. And as i've mentioned before getting to the city by foot takes about 40 minutes. The bus, although it takes less than 10 minutes, the frequency of the buses in this area is every 2 hours. And a one-way trip [equivalent to 6 stops] costs me 2€ which in the long run adds up.
The decision on a bike was much more do-able than getting a car.
I reckon the city council invested a lot of money in making sure the infrastructure was sound. Paying particular attention to the bike paths which in most cases run along side the roads and shares the path with the pedestrians. All in all, the town is very bike friendly and the roads here are pretty much straight forward. And since living here, it's just as common to see a bicycle on the road as it is to see a car.
But i can't remember the last time i owned a bike.
.
.
.
I think it may have been over 20 years ago.
Back when we lived in Paris it made sense to have one. The weather was kinder, there were tonnes of parks and taking the bike out over the weekend was regarded more of a family ordeal than part of an exercise regime. Now i remember, it was that time period when my sister and i used to wear matching pink jogging suits.
Oh dear God. Why?
I was 8. My excuse was i was too young to make rational decisions. Plus it was the 80s.
Anyway, back to my bicycle... the woman was in her late 60s, i'm guessing originally from the UK because after speaking German to us and hearing us speak English she immediately switched to English.
The bike was locked up in the garage for quite some time and when J asked if i could test it out on the roadside she was a bit hesitant. She probably thought we were going to steal it from her. No wonder she blocked the garage exit with her car and left the motor running.
She later went on to tell us a story of how she knew someone who got his bike stolen twice in a row. And insisted on reminding us that thieves run ramped in the city and to get a proper lock.
But apart from the dust and random cobwebs, it's practically brand new. You can tell it's new by its tires, they squeaked on the roadside as i tested it out.
No. I did not fall.
A little shaky at the start but i didn't fall.
20 minutes later we agreed to her selling price of 100€. A damn good deal, apparently, since she bought the bike for more than double that price. She even included a black wire basket that attaches to the front which ordinarily one would have to buy separate. I took it off cause the extra weight distracts me.
A European city bike [with a step through frame], or simply city bike is a bicycle designed for frequent short, moderately paced rides through relatively flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday riding in normal clothes in a variety of weather conditions. [source]
I feel more German already.
And as an extra road safety measure the internal ring where the tires go is bright yellow - i've only seen them in white. This feature makes the bike more visible at night. Hallo Chrissie! Can i be anymore obvious?
The stark blackness of the rubber with the yellow reminds me of a bee, which is why i've decided to call it my Bumble Bee Bicycle.
Don't worry i'm not heading out into the city yet. Are you crazy?
Even though most of the bike paths here are on the side walk it's still damn scary. Getting used to moving cars is one thing but having to signal with one hand and turn with the traffic is a whole different ball game. I still get confused which side i have to look first when crossing a road. In that sense, i'm so happy cyclists share the pedestrian crossing to get to the other side of the road.
As they say, practice makes perfect.
So the road leading up to the area where we live is pretty quiet and the straight road ahead makes it easier to see oncoming traffic. The roads are wide enough which makes it a perfect practicing ground and a place where i'm less likely to get run over.
Examples used to improve my Handling Skills "is to maintain a straight line along a painted line, both looking ahead and to the rear, and to swerve to avoid some colored paper cut-outs prepared ahead of time. Practice almost stopping without putting a foot on the ground and then starting again. Practice mounting and dismounting under different conditions, including on slopes." [source]
Please excuse my fringe, it has a mind of its own sometimes.
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