Big wheels keep on turnin

I'm not sure how it started, but this afternoon I started thinking about getting a new bike. I've been pondering it because my current bike is a super cheap Target number and it's not that comfy. It's also the bike that has Ian's seat on the front and it's getting crowded for both me and him on it. Since we had no plans this evening, we all decided to head over to Conte's bike shop to look around. When I walked in and saw the price tags on the bikes, I almost walked right back out. When the bikes in there cost TEN TIMES what my cheap Target bike costs, it's hard to handle. Meanwhile, Ian had found the kids bikes. There was a little bike with training wheels but they were too low so the back wheel just spun. The nice sales lady took it back to the service department and they fixed it for him to try out. And while I browsed bikes that were so expensive it made my stomach hurt, my son rode this little bike all over the store.

The sales lady picked out a nice hybrid for me to try. I told her the price tag scared me but she said that I was in for a treat when I rode it. She said, "go ahead and take it around the parking lot." And Rich said, "I've just spent ten minutes telling our son we can't take the bikes out of the store!" She said we could both take them out and we rode all over the lot. We were both impressed. Even Rich was pleased with it.

When we got back in I told Rich I felt like the bike was too expensive but he convinced me to get it. So I bought it really quickly before I could change my mind. Oh, and since our son had mastered his two wheeler (with training wheels) we felt like we had to get his bike too, particularly if Mommy was getting a bike. Thankfully, they have a nice trade-in program for when he outgrows this bike. So an hour later, we were heading home with two new bikes in the back.

We stopped at my parents to show them our new wheels. It's always a gamble to show anything like this to my father because it's a 50/50 chance that he'll love or hate it. He's a man of strong opinions. He was immediately impressed with how smoothly it rode. He was also impressed with the lightness and the brake design. He said, "this is all you'd ever need in a bike" and "there's no substitute for quality!" which I took as compliments. Then he said, "I hate to ask how much it was. Perry's bike was so expensive this has to be at least a $1000 bike." When I told him it was $400 he said, "only $400? Wow!"

Now, remember, this is the price tag that made me queasy. My husband had to nearly force me over to the cashier to buy this bike because I was so overwhelmed by the price. And here was my father, the man who rides bikes he Frankensteins off the trash, telling me that he thought $400 was a great price for my bike. I had to hold onto the handlebars to steady myself from the shock.

Meanwhile, Ian was still riding his bike in circles all over the road and driveway. I convinced him to head home, telling him we could go "the long way" around the block so he could ride his bike longer. I now know this was a mistake. Thankfully, my mother had the wisdom to send Pop after us on his roadside trash bike to see if we needed help. And wow, did we need help.

Ian stopped twice to "fix" his bike, turning it completely over on the sidewalk and inspecting the tires. He then stopped to inspect the lines on the sidewalk. And he stopped to pick me some flowers (weeds). And he stopped to push his bike and look at my bike. I didn't think we would ever get home! I tried to convince him to let Pop carry his bike while I carried him home. He pondered my offer but didn't want to let go of his bike. He wanted me to carry him and it both!

Eventually, I convinced him to get in my arms and he instantly slumped onto my shoulder and started sucking his thumb. He continued to keep an eagle eye on Pop, though, to make sure he didn't lose sight of his bike. He said, "It's dark, Mommy. Don't let the ghosts get my bike." I assured him that Pop would keep it safe. I managed to carry my 38 pound son home on my brand new bike without wrecking it and we headed upstairs to bed. As soon as Rich started reading books, I sneaked off to try another ride.

I took my new bike all over the neighborhood (four miles according to Google) and loved it. Ian has already requested we all ride bikes again tomorrow. We may have found an activity to mix in with all the hockey around here.