It's as easy as riding a bike!

My husband bought me a bicycle today!!! He loves to go on bike rides, and I haven't been on a bicycle since brother Rob and I took Mackinaw Island by storm on a tandem back in the mid 90's. He kept asking if I wanted a bike, but I had to be honest and admit that I had a little bike anxiety. It's not that I'm so afraid of riding a bike, but I'm afraid of cars. He assured me that we would kept it to neighborhoods and paved paths in parks. I needed a "leisure bike" if you will.

I still wasn't convinced, but we headed to the bike store and got to shopping. I made a beeline for an aqua blue and chrome Electra bike that matched my sweater. Trinity told me that he wasn't planning on spending $800 on retro bike that needed to be color coordinated with my outfit. The salesman guided us to a Specialize bike and had me climb on that one. This one was black, with a leather seat. I had to be "fitted" to the bike. Big surprise on this one, Betsy had to get a men's bike. Apparently, the women's version came in only small or medium, and I didn't fit into either of those categories according to him. Damn! The good news was that Trinity can also ride my bike without shame.

Prior to making the purchase I had to take it for a spin. Fortunately the bike shop had a little path inside that was very similar to the type of terrain I will be attempting to navigate. I hopped on and headed for the closest display of water bottles and padded underwear. Again, I hadn't been on a bike in like 15 years. Trinity filmed me trying out the bike, after I had taken a few practice laps. Check out the video below. I can't get it to rotate, so turn your computer sideways. Disclaimer: I had just discovered that the bike had a bell. Make sure your volume is on.

We then purchased the bike and a handy helmet. We got T's bike out of storage and headed home to prep for jaunt around the hood.

That's Black Beauty on the left.

This is what a woman who doesn't fit on a woman's bike looks like.

With my noggin protected, I think I cleared about 6'1". I immediately retrieved correct footwear and my helmet. I had read in my bike owner's manual that these were essential to safe rides.

Here's the pro. He is just posing with my bike, but he couldn't be bothered with a helmet or proper shoes. He's kind of a bad ass, or possibly a dumb ass. The manual would have totally disapproved.

The below video was filmed after I removed my training wheels. I was feeling pretty sassy until that little girl came rolling down her driveway, totally trying to outdo me. Step off, little girl, I got this.

Thanks, T for the bike. I love it!