Looking Out To Sea

Getting rid of bikes. Is that even allowed?

Ha! In direct contravention of rule number twelve we just got rid of two bikes. That probably means the number of bikes we need stands at N+2 just to reach parity with where we were yesterday. We do have a lot more space in the hallway now, which is nice!

The decluttering is part one (the easy part) of preparations to move back to Edinburgh. More on that as we get closer to the departure point.

The bikes — Helen’s old bike and my old bike — went to the Glasgow Bike Station. My bike was bought from the Edinburgh Bike Station a few years ago to see if cycling would be a reasonable addition to my commute. Since then there was been no looking back (well, except to check traffic over my shoulder). Helen’s old bike was won by her gran in a raffle and she’s had it over fifteen years! So it was a more important moment to pass her bike on.

Riding down there was really scary, which surprised me. The whole feel of the bike which used to be my daily transport was totally alien because I’d not used it for more than a year. The geometry was odd. The handlebar felt too short, the position of the pedals was different and the circle they made seemed smaller than my current bike. The pedals were simple platforms and I kept trying to adjust my foot position as if there were toe traps. On top of that the brake blocks were pretty close to the nub so I wasn’t in the least confident that I could really pull off an emergency stop if required. Helen nearly fell off before starting, by instinctively reaching for drop bars which didn’t exist and tipping through the bike! But we both made the journey in one piece and walked away for afternoon tea at The Hidden Lane Tea Room.

The Bike Station will be able to refurbish or cannabalise the bikes as necessary and sell on bikes to more people, like me, looking for a cheap bike to get around.

I’ll have to think about what the N+2 might be for another blog post…