daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
The clouds were beautiful this evening! A slow bicycle ride while cloudspotting is a wonderful way to spend an hour or two.
This evening I rested the running shoes and hopped on a bike for today’s exercise. But instead of going out with the intention of burning calories, I decided that I wanted to go for a leisurely ride. My friends and I used to “ride bikes” a lot when we were kids, and I wanted to recapture that feeling of not having a destination, and just enjoy the magic of balancing on two wheels.
So with that mindset, I was riding up on the sidewalk, hopping off curbs, and generally acting like a kid. It was so fun! I live in the suburbs and there isn’t much traffic on the neighborhood streets so I don’t have to follow the “rules of the road” so strictly.
That being said, I didn’t go full 10-year-old hooligan and slide out in the gutters or skid down people’s driveways. 😆
I hope you had a nice day! またね～
This evening I went with Rossa (my red Bianchi) to go look for some deer. There’s a nearby neighborhood in which I always see them, so I thought it would be a fun ride.
I also fixed up Rossa with the white Retrospec saddle, new white handlebar grips, and a pair of new tires. Everything was very inexpensive, totaling about $50. Add another $5 for the cabling to get her in safe riding condition and I am very happy!
I like the red and white color scheme. It’s fun and seems very 80s.
And of course we did see plenty of deer on the ride as evidenced by the first photo in the post. If you want to ride along with us virtually, hop on your stationary bike and put the video below on your laptop or tablet. 😁
Look! A new seat for Sophie. This saddle is from Retrospec, and I have a black one on Mango. I find it very comfortable, but unfortunately they don’t make them anymore. So when I stumbled across this white specimen, I ordered it right away. I think it goes well with the white cables, and would pair nicely with white handlebar tape. But I am going to try some black cloth tape and see how it looks. If the mismatch is too much to take, then I can even move my black saddle to Sophie, but I think the white looks fun and very 80s. 🤣
FYI, I am waiting on a new, wider set of handlebars for Sophie. Wider will be more comfy, but I’m worried that she’s becoming less vintage… So I’m having second thoughts and might just keep with the original narrow bars. We’ll see!
As for Rossa, I’ve ordered some new shoes (tires) for her and set her up with the frame bag and Sophie’s old seat. I think the Bianchi is looking good! Hopefully by this weekend she’ll have her new shoes and we can go for a spin.
You know, the white seat might look good on Rossa too since she has white cables and the large white Bianchi graphics. Maybe some cheap white handlebar grips and white pedals would look fun?
So. Many. Possibilities!
