Digging out the bikes

As the forecast suggested the weather would hit 60 today, it seemed like a great time to dig out the bikes. With the new house, I can store them on the front 'porch' instead of the back, hopefully that will help me get out more. I found the file on my computer that I use to keep track of my riding, in 2008 I rode 184 miles, in 2009 I only hit 41. Fourty-one miles. The Strawberry Festival ride netted me 31 in '08.

Its a mix of faults that I only got on my bike 5 times last year, oddly the first time was March 7 of last year. Enzo was born in the summer of 08, and since Ruthie was off that summer, I was able to get out a fair bit more. She took a year round teaching job at the end of that summer, coupling that with Enzo being a bit too small for the bike trailer last year, I could only get out after she got home from work or on weekends, and we tended to keep our weekends busy.

Looking at the file I keep, I found that I never used the bike that I have set up for the trailer at all last year. Granted, I only rode 5 times, but I am still surprised I never took out the 'tank' as I like to call it.

The tank was the one I brought up from the basement, I bought it used in '07 from a local bike shop. It's an old Royce Union bike, and it cost me a bit over a hundred, I think. I wish I could remember, not that it matters. It is a heavy beast, and a little to big for me really. I have a base for a removable child seat on the back, but it works well for a rack. It has the wide tires on it, and I have the hitch for the bike trailer on the rear wheel. It really feels like a sturdy bike.

My other bike is a Schwinn from Smitty's Lock Service. Yeah, the local locksmith owns the local Schwinn dealership. I think it is a 'voyageur' or something like that, spelled funny. It was a previous model year, so it saved me a bit. I used part of the income tax refund that year to get it, after adding some bells and whistles, I've got more than $350 in that bike. (Giving me me an average cost per mile of about $2.40/mile)

I know the Schwinn needs a tune up, next year should be the Royce Union bike. I had it done just after I got the Schwinn, but since I didn't ride it last year...

I saw that I needed to replace the battery in the bike computer for the tank. Actually, I saw that when I put the bike in the basement. I looked to change the battery today, and saw it was a smaller button cell than I had thought. I actually expected it to be one like one computer motherboards, a common one, then I saw it was a smaller opening than it would need. Cool, I thought, an AG13. I usually joke that most things using AG13's are cheaper to buy again than to replace the batteries.

Sadly, I was wrong yet again. It was an AG12. I look at it, and I really was completely taken aback. I had never came across an AG12 before, and it sure has hell looked like a damn AG13 to me.

Walmart doesn't sell AG12's. Two types of 13's though. No 12's though. A new computer for the bike would just be $20, but I don't want to buy one and install it all over again. Now I just need to figure out how many mm's the wheel is, the battery change lost that data. phooey.

Oh well, only a few more days until Pokemon Gold/Silver get released. again. Mark is counting down the days, I just wonder what to do with/about the pokewalker. I am not sure he should have it. Guess I will know in a few days.

At least it is warmer out.