I bought a new set of wheels this weekend … something more fuel efficient, of course.
You see, I'vebeen riding the same old Team Fuji bicycle since I bought in new back in 1986, and by now, it's accumulated more than its fair share of road grime, rust, bearings that pop inside the crank, and various squeeks and rattles that don't go away for more than a few miles afer a good session with a can of silicone spray. As soon as I get a chance, it will go to a neighborhood charity that refurbishes old bikes, and some young man will get himself a chance to dream of being in the Tour de France.
My new wheels are mounted to a Bianchi Volpe, a sturdy road bike made for touring. If my memory serves me properly, volpe means fox, so when I'm cruising along the road, I'll imagine a long tail flowing in the wind (maybe my ponytail will do). In the next couple of years, I hope to find my way to retirement, then I'll give that bike a workout like it never imagined. I'll ship it to the Pacific Coast, then see if it will last longer than my legs do on the trip to the Atlantic. It's got the gears to climb every mountain west of the Mississippi (and east), as well as a speed gear to accelerate when I have the prairie winds at my back.
If this one lasts as long as the last one, I'll be looking for another new set of wheels for my 84th birthday. Meanwhile, I've got many a mile to go before evening. I'm just stopping by some woods on a Spring evening, then I'll mount up and see how good the daily commute to the office (25 miles round trip) feels on the new Fox. Meanwhile, I'll let the car gather a bit more rust and dust.