Whew, I'm out of shape...

Okay, so about 3 weeks ago, I bought a brand new bike. I had given my old Giant Iguana that I got used around 1989 to my cousin. The bike was in good shape, and I never had any problems. I researched bikes for about a month or so and dragged Dez and the boys to several shops spanning a few hundred miles.

I had narrowed my search down to a Giant or a Specialized. Given my luck with the old Giant I had, I opted for a Giant Rincon. Initially, I was looking at a much cheaper bike, the Boulder. When I visited the shop in CDA, I opted for a Rincon. I tried Craigslist for months, too, and I thought I had one a time or two. Each time, no go.

I contacted the shop in CDA via email after visiting the store. I became aggravated when I didn't hear from them. Dez told me to chill because not everyone checks email like I do. Bah, I say! Anyway, I coaxed Dez into contacting a shop in Spokane. Coincidentally, if you believe in such things, this guy had the bike, the size, and the color I wanted in stock-no special orders, etc.

So, off to Spokane we go. We decide for some crazy reason to take a different route, which turned out to be a scenic route. It ended up taking longer, and did I mention that it was blizzard-like conditions? Um, yeah, it was. We make it and actually locate the shop, Spoke n Sport. Once again, we're not paid advertisers, but I recommend the shop. We couldn't ask for better service and friendliness.

As we are walking into the store, I notice the sign that says "closed" as the gentleman, Rob (I believe) my wife spoke to is walking out the door. He offers to help us; we tell him we were interested in a bike. He recalled speaking to my wife, showed me the bike, sized it up, prepared it for me, and gave me a $40 discount upfront. Coincidence? Nah, I think not.

Today, I finally ride the bike. It's smooth and comfortable, shifts well. The only problem I noticed was the lack of energy from the rider. I pooped out not far from our place on a steep curve. I ended up walking it back to the house on jelly legs. Now, my goal is to make it a little bit further until I'm able to ride it all the way back from the post office.