Meet Lisa

This is Lisa, my new bike. I bought her today from the very helpful Ben at BSC Bikes.

She’s last year’s model and has a few little scratches on her but it saved me a good chunk of cash and I got a better bike out of it. I had already picked a different bike which was cheaper but the test ride was disappointing. It was a pretty crappy ride to be honest. My old bike felt better than that one did which is bad considering my old bike is 17 years old and bike technology has come a long way since then. I got back from my first test ride definitely not sold on the bike and asked to see what else they had. I’d seen the Kona Lisas (2008 and 2009 models) already but felt they were too expensive. But after riding the cheaper one, I thought perhaps something that cost a little more would be better. It’s not like I intend on doing this again any time soon. Better to spend the money and get it right the first time.

I knew within two minutes of riding her that she was the bike for me. I spent most of the test ride with a huge grin on my face. It just felt really good. The seat is still too low and I probably could’ve done with the next frame size up but the seat can be adjusted another few centimeters and maybe the handlebars as well, just to get that extra bit of height.

I also indulged myself and bought my first ever pair of bike shoes. I was originally going to get cage pedals but to get decent looking ones that suited the bike would’ve ended up costing nearly as much as just buying some shoes and clip pedals. It’s an experience that’s for sure. I had a few massive wobbles on the way home and my foot slipped around heaps but I didn’t fall over which I think is a pretty good effort. It’s a totally new way of riding and something I’ll have to adjust to. At least now I’ll stop trashing my sneakers.

New bike. New bike I already love to ride. Think I’m going to be riding more. It’s better than public transport!

And how did I afford this? I have 12 months to pay it off and I’m spending the money from my train ticket which I didn’t renew, a pay rise and a reduction in my tax on it. Money well spent I think.