The First Week

First things first I have to thank my cousin Jamie for turning me on to this because it was her idea.  Thank you Jamie Jones.  Next order of business, I have been thinking about the direction of this blog, and I've decided that I will keep you updated on the cost and evolution of my bike.  That being said, I am into this bike for $285.  The bike was free, and given its age I would say that I could buy it for around $300.  The $285 got me a chain, rim tape, tubes, tires, derailer cables, bottle cages, a helmet, gloves, a saddle [I found out this is what I am to call the seat], stretchy pants [very important I will discuss later], and a pump.  To finish covering old business the initial repairs also included tightening the spokes to balance the rims [which aren't perfectly balanced], and some brake adjustments [which still need adjusting].  Now back to the overall direction of this thing, I will cover all my rides, the cost and evolution of the bike, and my goal is to lose a little weight and complete the ultimate man test [which is a really long ride along the coast, my own creation] which we will talk more about later.
Since Sunday, there has been a lot of tomfoolery.  When we left off, Lucas' bike was not in good shape. 
MONDAY:
He brought it to the bike shop after work for a quick fix, and then the plan was to ride.  Lucas got home from the bike shop with a new derailer on his bike, only he somehow forgot his front wheel in the parking lot at the bike shop.  He realized this when he got home.  He was not happy.  While he went back to the bike shop to find out that it was closed and the wheel wasn't there, I went for a ride.  Before I went ride, I had to fix a flat tire.  Flat tire fixed, and I am on my way.  I rode a few miles, we can call it 4 miles.  The bike performed well.  The saddle, which is what used to call a seat, still has to go. 
TUESDAY:
 Lucas called the bike shop trying to find his missing wheel, and as it turns out, someone from the bike shop picked it up.  He lucked out, and went to pick it up.  When he came back from picking up his wheel, we went for a ride.  On my way out of the driveway, I blew out my rear tire coming off the curb.  I was out of commission.  Lucas went for a short ride, I'm not sure how long. 
WEDNESDAY:
Back to the bike shop.  I am not believing that I am at this damn bike shop again.  The bike shop was about to close, so I had to make it quick.  I ran in grabbed a saddle and a pair of stretchy pants then I walked over to check out.  Now I will explain the magical powers of stretchy pants.  I used to think that bikers wore these because they were weird, but this is just one more thing that I didn't know about cycling.  The stretchy pants actually have a huge pad that pretty much reflects the shape of the saddle.  So, not only does it keep your skin from getting raw, but there is added padding to keep you happy and on the bike [which is the most important part]  The awesome girl who works at the bike shop also told me that there are different saddles for men and women [she told me this because I walked to the counter with a girls saddle].  This makes perfect sense to me because of the difference in equipment.  I just picked the one that looked the softest, but the bike shop girl cleared it all up for me.  I also bought a bike pump [which is awesome, its the best pump ever], a new tube, and a patch kit.  Once I got home, I changed the tube on my tire, and I was ready to rock.  10 miles, which really isn't much, but it was kind of late.
Thursday:
Lucas and I went for a ride, and I broke a brake cable.  My head is about to explode.  I made the ride with no rear brakes.  Not really a big deal except intersections become problematic, but only if cars are involved.  After the ride, I checked out the brake, and it looks like I will be able to fix it.  Good News.
Friday:
Lucas rode for 40 minutes.  I didn't go.  I'm kind of pissed off that I didn't ride, but I did put my saddle on and fix my brake.  I am all set to go for tomorrow morning. 

So far I am alive, which is good.  No serious falls yet.  I had some soreness during the week, which i guess is a good thing.  Tomorrow is going to be huge.  I hope to get 20 miles in.  We will see though.  I think the stretchy pants and the saddle will enable me to stay on the bike for as long as possible.  I will let you know.