Smurfette's New Home & More Tweed Ride 05/05/09

Melissa first met Smurfette, my late ’70′s Bridgestone Kabuki, last month on a rainy thrift store adventure. They got along really well and I decided that it was meant to be. I bought Smurfette on a whim, but had to face the fact that she is too small for me. Melissa bought a Wal-Mart bike last year, but it soon broke down. Now Melissa and Smurfette will be free to explore the roads and paths of suburban Aurora, IL together. Melissa is proving to be a natural city cyclist. We rode five miles to Union Station downtown, and then Melissa took the Metra train back to Aurora with her new old bike.

Saying Goodbye at Union Station

In her own words:

I wandered around by the train station for a bit trying to figure out what I was doing. Finally, I noticed that the path by the river was across the street. So I fumbled a bit by the light and went to take off, then realized I kicked the chain off! Doh! But I remembered from childhood to just put 1-2 links on and then turn the wheel and it’ll pop on. So I did. But I had black hands. I didn’t have anything to wipe my hands with so I rode home w/black hands. Ugh. However, the ride was cool. I just went straight down one road. I EVEN stayed off the sidewalk!

I did ride my bike to the trail and ran 8 miles and then rode her back. I locked Smurfette up to a tree but my whole run I was worried that she’d be stolen. She wasn’t. And the bike ride back was a little brutal but I just took it slow. It’s funny cause I felt like it was taking so long, but it took about 10-15 minutes. Which is close to the same amount of time it would’ve taken to drive, with the silly lights.

Melissa and Smurfette

Melissa is moving to a new apartment closer to work at the end of the month and is going to start bike commuting. So this blog has not seen the last of her and Smurfette! (Hopefully this does not mean that I have to start training for half marathons for reciprocity.)

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On an unrelated note, I’ve decided that I should have been born in the era of floppy hats (of course, becoming a lawyer as a woman may have been a bit of a challenge back then – details, details).

I wish the world were in sepia

Many more great pictures of Chicago’s Tweed Ride can be found:

Here.
Here.
Here.
And here.