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My Bicycle!
Jan. 14th, 2020 07:06 pmI was going to show you the trees outside our window that I don't recognize, but my card reader is not working so the picture is stuck on my Pentax. Instead, here's my new two-wheeled companion. This is Curiosity.
Danae ordered him for me after I picked him out from a company called Cheapass Bikes' online inventory. I was hesitant to buy without the chance to try it for fit, but there's also a 24-hour return policy and this seemed like the best way to get a reasonably priced bike (about 160 euros) for me soon.
He'll take a little getting used to, but I think we'll have a good relationship. Dutch folks have a cycling style that is different from mine, I think. Slower, shorter distances. Me, I always have the thought of doing some longer rides, 50 or 100 miles, in the back of my mind while riding whereas I suspect the Dutch are more inclined to see them as simply a way to get around.
Curiosity has no hand brakes; just a coaster brake. I worry about it's ability to stop me quickly at speeds of 15-20 miles an hour. The force I could apply to a front wheel would just skid the back wheel. But I don't think I'll be going that fast very often either.
I have a three-speed rear hub. I thought it was a Sturmey-Archer at first, but that's just the shifter which was apparently replaced at some point. The hub is a Torpedo, made by Sachs. I've never heard of them, but they seem decent enough. The gear range is wide and will hopefully be enough for getting around flat ground.
I would really like to have a bike more suited for long-distances at some point. I want to ride west to the North Sea, or southeast to Utrecht, and right now I don't think I'd be very comfortable on a ride like that. But I rode the two and a half kilometers to the hardware store on him and I think he'll be just fine for getting around the local area and into Amsterdam.
I have no tools here at all, so I picked up a bike multi-tool and an adjustable wrench so I could move the saddle. That helped a lot. (Speaking of the saddle, it's a wide, fairly soft one with springs. I've never had a sprung saddle before, but it's pretty standard here.)
I'm not sure how old Curiosity is; I'm going to see if I can figure it out sooner or later. He was made by Union, a German company that's been around for a long time. He has a steel frame with lugged joints and is heavy and solid. I'm going to have to raise the handlebars, or learn to put more weight on my seat; my arms are sore from leaning forward on them today. But I think part of it, too, is that I just haven't ridden in months now. That will change now!
Danae ordered him for me after I picked him out from a company called Cheapass Bikes' online inventory. I was hesitant to buy without the chance to try it for fit, but there's also a 24-hour return policy and this seemed like the best way to get a reasonably priced bike (about 160 euros) for me soon.
He'll take a little getting used to, but I think we'll have a good relationship. Dutch folks have a cycling style that is different from mine, I think. Slower, shorter distances. Me, I always have the thought of doing some longer rides, 50 or 100 miles, in the back of my mind while riding whereas I suspect the Dutch are more inclined to see them as simply a way to get around.
Curiosity has no hand brakes; just a coaster brake. I worry about it's ability to stop me quickly at speeds of 15-20 miles an hour. The force I could apply to a front wheel would just skid the back wheel. But I don't think I'll be going that fast very often either.
I have a three-speed rear hub. I thought it was a Sturmey-Archer at first, but that's just the shifter which was apparently replaced at some point. The hub is a Torpedo, made by Sachs. I've never heard of them, but they seem decent enough. The gear range is wide and will hopefully be enough for getting around flat ground.
I would really like to have a bike more suited for long-distances at some point. I want to ride west to the North Sea, or southeast to Utrecht, and right now I don't think I'd be very comfortable on a ride like that. But I rode the two and a half kilometers to the hardware store on him and I think he'll be just fine for getting around the local area and into Amsterdam.
I have no tools here at all, so I picked up a bike multi-tool and an adjustable wrench so I could move the saddle. That helped a lot. (Speaking of the saddle, it's a wide, fairly soft one with springs. I've never had a sprung saddle before, but it's pretty standard here.)
I'm not sure how old Curiosity is; I'm going to see if I can figure it out sooner or later. He was made by Union, a German company that's been around for a long time. He has a steel frame with lugged joints and is heavy and solid. I'm going to have to raise the handlebars, or learn to put more weight on my seat; my arms are sore from leaning forward on them today. But I think part of it, too, is that I just haven't ridden in months now. That will change now!
