I want to ride my bicycle…

My Bike

Signs of Spring

For the last few days, we’ve been treated to some mighty fine weather in Grey/Bruce! I’m told it got all the way up to 15c yesterday afternoon. Our woodpile is dwindling, and the ice is slowly being overtaken by water on our little scummy pond. Dogs, cats and humans alike have an extra spring in our step, and we’re all breathing in the emerging scents of grass and earth. Around our neck of the woods, one of the greatest signs of spring is my first bike ride of the year.

A Fixer Upper

After a long cold winter, temperatures like this inspire me to throw off the shackles of gasoline and hop on my bike. You guessed it, that’s my old clunker up there. A few years ago, it was given to me by my friend, Ellen at Indira Devi Studio of Yoga. Neither of us thought it would be fit to ride when she pulled it out of the storage room, but since I love fix-up projects, I thought I’d give it a try. I brought the bike to a small shop in Durham (I believe they’ve moved to Owen Sound now), Bikeface Cycling. I had figured that the bike would need a total overhaul, and that only the frame would be salvageable (the most desirable part of course!). When I arrived to pick her up, the owner told me that all he’d had to do was oil the chain, and pump up the tires!

Where to Tune Up

After reading this blog entry, I hope you’ll all haul your bikes out of the garage and take ‘em for a spin! However, you might be needing a tune-up, or perhaps you’ve outgrown your old bike and need a replacement. Here are a few suggestions on where to go in Grey/Bruce:

Bikeface Cycling Owen Sound 519-376-9777

Jolley’s Alternative Wheels Owen Sound 519-371-1812

Wheel Fast the Bicycle Shoppe Scone 519-363-3175

Martin’s Bicycle Shop Southampton 519-797-3645

Please leave a comment and let us know where YOUR favorite bike shop is!

In With the Old

It’s now been about 2 years, and I’ve put a lot of miles on this old bike. It has affirmed what I already knew; we shouldn’t throw away the items of the past in exchange for modern gadgets. Many people might have seen this old bike and sent it to the dumpster without a thought. So here’s your lesson of the day Grey/Bruce: Think twice before you toss that “old piece of junk”, it could definitely turn out to be someone else’s treasure.

Why that looks just like my old bike that I rode when I was a teen! It was my constant traveling companion ~ got me down to Lake Ontario for a swim on hot summer days and I even rode downtown from the Alderwood, out in the ‘burbs, to the Toronto Sound Music Festival back in the sixties. Brings back many fond memories of growing up in Toronto. Those were the days!