So, with my penchance for injuring my calves – leading to down times of running of several weeks – I have decided I need a bicycle.  So doing the wise thing I posted on Facebook and Craigslist that I was looking for a bike!  Surprisingly I got some great offers of people being willing to lend me a bike.. As long as I traveled to Australia or halfway across the country to pick them up.  It seems my friends are comedians…

I found one I was interested in on Craigslist – but the person hasn’t responded after I have pestered them for several days via phone and email.  As It kind of reminded me of trying to find a date in highschool – I knew to move on.  On a good note, one of my friends let me know he had found a bicycle in his garage when he moved, and if I wanted it he would happily let me have it.

My New (to me) Ralegh Capri bicycle from the 80's!

Talk about old-school!  I am very excited – it’s the sort of bike I wanted as a kid (yes, that was in pre-mountain bike days.. 10/12 speeds were “all that” back in the day..)

Now the bad news.. Tires? Dry rotted.  Cables? Not all are hooked up to where they are supposed to be.  Brakes? Need to “Shoes”  Chain? TBD.

So off to my favorite cheap place – Wal-Mart. 
Tires? $20/each.
Tubes? $5/each.
Brake Shoes?  couldn’t find them.
Cables? $8 for a kit including all of them.

So at least $58 (plus tax!) to get the free bike on the road if I shop at Wally-World.

Hoping this isn't a glimpse into my future. Picture stolen from: http://www.missouriinjurylawblog.com/bicycle-accidents/

Off to Amazon I go! 
– 2 Bicycle tubes for 27 x 1 1/4 tires – $6.01/each. (much better quality than walmart)
– 4 brake shoes – $8
– 2 tires – $6.99/each.
– 2 Rim strips, $1/each.
Subtotal: 28.04
S/H:6.30
Tax: 2.76
Total 37.10

I still need to go over to wally-world to get the cable kit, but knocked 15 bucks of the price!    I love amazon.

As for my calf, it is still a little sore as I walk – I haven’t tried running on it however.  This sunday is the Chris Thater Memorial 5k, which I am registered for.  At this point, I am still planning on running it – though I am not sure if I will do it in my Five Fingers or my Asics.  There is also the chance that the weather from Hurricane Irene will make me decide that I am better off NOT going.  The weather wouldn’t stop me if I was healthy – but it might become a very convenient excuse.  We’ll see.

About Robinson

I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.