I got a bike! My beloved, much-ridden, 1984 Schwinn was deemed unrideable by my bike mechanic back in 2001, so I retired it then and had gone without until now. I had been admiring the cyclists in Golden Gate Park and reading way too much Copenhagen Cycle Chic when I decided it was time to get a new bike.
When the bike salesguy showed me the bikes that fit my specifications, he pointed out a metallic pink one and asked me how I felt about pink. “Absolutely not,” I told him. An hour later, I rode away on that same pink bike. After all, anyone can own a gray or black bike. Only a few can own the most garish bike in the shop.
And, yes, I added the wicker basket. No, Jake cannot fit in it (not that he would stay in the basket even if he did fit). The best part of the basket? It detaches and has a handle, so I can carry it around the grocery store, then latch it back onto the bike when I’m done shopping.
Bikey isn’t all for show, though. So far we’ve gone to the Mission on an ice cream run, run errands around town, and ventured out to Lake Merced for a lunch party.
p.s. I now remember why I loved American Cyclery back when they would fix my old Schwinn. They’re the best, pink bikes and all.
Very cute. We bought cheap mountain bikes at the beginning of summer, but I am wishing I would have gotten myself a cruiser instead!!
that’s a lovely bicycle. congratulations.
the line about ‘your specifications’ is interesting. in copenhagen your specs are “do you have a bottom on which to sit?” and “can you ride a bike?”.
:-)
Ha – no, I should have said the “bike’s specifications!” I didn’t want a racing road bike, I needed a few gears to navigate San Francisco’s hilly streets, and I wanted to sit upright, not lean forward.