A Potential New Cyclist

I originally posted this in the "Places to Ride - Northeast" forum, but I thought it was a story that others might like to hear as well, its something that I am very excited about. A few weeks ago I asked some NJ TEers for some advice about renting bicycles while I was visiting my family, and this was my update...

So, I didn’t get a chance to put all of your good advice to use on my trip to NJ, but I have a great excuse! I managed to talk my 22 year old, occasionally employed, somewhat aimless cousin into renting some bikes at that shop in Bradley Beach with me. I picked her up at my grandmothers house and we told her where we were going, and she said “why don’t you just ride the old bike in the garage?” Apparently my grandfather had a bike that he would ride around town before he died a few years back, and it has been sitting in the garage just gathering dust. I couldn’t make out who the manufacturer was, knowing my grandfather, he built the entire thing from scrap metal! It has a double crankset, and the chain seemed to be in good condition. I expect that the brake and shifting cables will need to be changed, but they work for now. It needs some new handlebar tape, but that’s a job for a bike shop, I’m not that savvy yet. I was surprised that my cousin was as excited about this find as I was since she hasn’t been on a bicycle since middle school. My grandfather had a ton of bike tools, but no helmets! Bad Grandpa! We lubed the chain and got the bike out in the driveway. My cousin and I went over to Walmart and bought some helmets and spent the day taking turns on the bike around the neighborhood. I taught her about riding in the street and all the rules a cyclist is supposed to follow, and for the first time in a while she seemed happy to have something to do. That was almost a week ago, I’ve talked to her once since then and she has been on the bike almost everyday! I really hope this is something that she grows to love as much as I have. Cycling helped me get through a really rough time in my life (that’s a story for another post), and I hope that she finds the same peace and serenity that I did. Who knows, maybe one day she’ll be on this forum asking for racing advice :-)

That's a great story! I'm really interested in what kind of bike it is, though! Got a picture?

Karen

You did tell her about TE, yes?
I'd like to see that bike.

I'd like to see a photo of the bike. And I'd love to have ANYTHING that belonged to my grandfather. ANYTHING.
you are fortunate to have his bike.

Shame on me…I know better than to post a cool story on TE and not have a picture to go with it :( . I didn’t have my camera with me that day, but I will try to get my cousin to send me a picture that I can post.