New Bike!

Oct 17

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After purchasing my new bike from Eli in Manhattan

Over the weekend I bought a bike in Manhattan.  I believe I mentioned that on Friday we had run across a guy on a touring bike who had ridden from Toronto to Manhattan in two weeks and was selling his bike before catching a bus back to Toronto.  I test-rode it in Central Park on Sunday, and was very happy with the way it felt.  It’s a green and brown steel-framed Opus Largo, with Mavic wheels, Vittoria tires, and Shimano components, made in Canada.  I just have to switch my pedals and saddle and add my aerobars on, and it will be ready to roll on Monday morning.

Of course, I wasn’t thinking when I rode out to see the bike on my own bike, and ended up with two bikes.  I was all alone and ended up wandering around the city for a few hours trying to figure out how to get both bikes back safely.  I ended up leaving one of them at my cousin Jeanne’s apartment while I biked the new one over to where we’re staying in Queens, and then took a subway back to get the other bike.  The doorman at her apartment jokingly told me that he sold my bike while I was gone!  So…now that I have two bikes…anyone want to buy a Fuji?

I absolutely LOVE bicycling in the city.  I find it thrilling, and it just feels great to ride along with the traffic (and beat most of it) in New York City.  It’s probably a dangerous thing to fall in love with, so it’s a good thing we’re heading out of here in the morning.

About Sarah

Sarah grew up in Cranston - just south of Providence, Rhode Island - and developed a love for travel, music, and outdoor sports at an early age. She had started bicycling long distances at age 12, as a participant of the MS150 bike tours to raise money for the MS Society. She didn't use her bike regularly until she built her own while studying in Montreal and found it an excellent way to get around the city. After graduating from McGill and moving back to Providence, Sarah started working at Brown University's office of Environmental Health & Safety as the Biological Safety Specialist. She was living 4 miles away at the time, and for the first few weeks was driving to work. She made the switch from driving to bicycling when she realized that she could get to work faster, avoid parking tickets, and integrate a few miles of training into her day. Bicycling was better for the environment and better for her own health and mood. She found that she had more energy and felt much happier once she started biking to work. When her car broke down several months later, she never bothered replacing it. After 4 years of working in Biosafety (and on her master's in Environmental Studies), Sarah left her job to pursue her passion. She has been working various jobs in the bicycle industry since June of 2011, including pedicab driver, bicycle tour guide, bike mechanic and traveling bicycle advocate. In between seasonal jobs, she has done a few long-distance bike tours, which is the main reason for this blog. Her dream is to eventually ride around the world and sail across the oceans.

Posted on 17 October 2011, in Bicycle Touring, Providence to New Orleans. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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