kevinvc
04-16-2018, 04:21 PM
I got rid of my cross bike this weekend. I had a Mountain Cycles Stumptown that I would race a couple of times a year and occasionally use as a commuter. It was a really fun bike, but I've been getting pressured for a while to reduce the total count but always justified needing each of bikes.
We have a 19 year old neighbor that has spent a lot of time at our house for the last 10 years or so. He hasn't had an easy life, but he's now out of high school, working a crappy job and taking classes at the local community college. A few weeks ago he was helping me with some yardwork and asked for advice on buying a cheap bike to get to work, school, etc. I thought about it and offered him the bike in exchange for 7 full days of work on various house / yard projects. He has been coming by and busting his hump on some non-glamorous work I've had on my list for a while.
Yesterday the two of us went to a local place where you can use the bike shop / tools at an hourly rate and went over some of the basics. I taught him how to change a tire, clean the drivetrain, check the brakepads, etc. When we finished I made sure he had a proper fitting helmet and decent set of lights and handed it over to him along with some extra tubes and tires that he can use and were just lying around.
He dropped by around 10:00 last night, apologized for coming over so late, but said he had been out riding around all evening and couldn't wait to tell me how much he was enjoying it and say thank you again.
I really liked that bike and would have thought I'd miss it, but I don't think that's going to be the case seeing how happy it's making a kid I care about and knowing it's getting a lot more use and appreciation than I gave it. It's just an extra bonus that my wife is also grateful for clearing up a little more clutter. I wouldn't have thought n-1 would feel so good.
We have a 19 year old neighbor that has spent a lot of time at our house for the last 10 years or so. He hasn't had an easy life, but he's now out of high school, working a crappy job and taking classes at the local community college. A few weeks ago he was helping me with some yardwork and asked for advice on buying a cheap bike to get to work, school, etc. I thought about it and offered him the bike in exchange for 7 full days of work on various house / yard projects. He has been coming by and busting his hump on some non-glamorous work I've had on my list for a while.
Yesterday the two of us went to a local place where you can use the bike shop / tools at an hourly rate and went over some of the basics. I taught him how to change a tire, clean the drivetrain, check the brakepads, etc. When we finished I made sure he had a proper fitting helmet and decent set of lights and handed it over to him along with some extra tubes and tires that he can use and were just lying around.
He dropped by around 10:00 last night, apologized for coming over so late, but said he had been out riding around all evening and couldn't wait to tell me how much he was enjoying it and say thank you again.
I really liked that bike and would have thought I'd miss it, but I don't think that's going to be the case seeing how happy it's making a kid I care about and knowing it's getting a lot more use and appreciation than I gave it. It's just an extra bonus that my wife is also grateful for clearing up a little more clutter. I wouldn't have thought n-1 would feel so good.