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| Fall 2006. Please don't be jealous of my jorts. See Grenoble here, here and here. |
I came home on Friday night and decided to check out craigslist before heading to bed. I've been on the lookout for a bike and everyone kept telling me to check them out for the best deals. What did I see after a minute of perusing but the green treasure pictured below. I sent the seller an email and headed to bed.
Saturday morning I awoke to an email - turns out I was the first person to respond! I set up a time to visit the seller, and the bike, later that morning. What mattered to me? Reasonably priced, smooth ride, perfect for commuting and, of course, she's green! It's my American green bean.
I've been feeling pretty nostalgic these days (though this nostalgia is not influencing all of my purchases :). I just moved to DC. Abdoulaye is far away. Life is changing. These are all positive things. I am so thankful to be employed - and in a job I like. Abdoulaye will be close by. Life is changing! Anyways, when I saw this bike I thought of my time in Grenoble, France (above), my bike from Jackie that I had in Fredericksburg, VA, which I painted green (can't find photos!), and so I just knew this craigslist bike was 'the one.'
After meeting with Tony - green bean's former owner and the nicest guy from Silver Spring, MD I've ever met - I was hooked. He was so patient with explaining the features of the bike and adjusting her to fit my needs. After about two hours of learning about the bike, making adjustments and talking about our lives, green bean was graciously passed on to me. Thank you, Tony - she will be loved!
As I wait to move into my new apartment next month, I'm subletting from a colleague who recommended a bike shop to me in case I needed help with anything bike-related.
BicycleSPACE has a shop near the Mt. Vernon metro stop where they sell bike gear, offer bike repair - and classes on fixing your bike - along with some pretty sweet guided rides of the city. I did the Nice and Easy ride on Sunday morning to see how green bean rode. (Does anyone want to do the Cupcake Ramble with me???) I loved rolling through the weekend ghost town streets of DC with tourists in sandals and fanny packs walking around and passing sites like the Capitol, Yards park (anyone interested in a Trapeze class?) and the Nationals stadium all from my the vantage point of my own bike seat. Nice people, nice bikes and bike gear. Nice.
Take home point from all of this for me? I love connecting purchases to people when I can and joining in on community activities, which will turn living in Washington, DC from a place where I have a job to a city I can call a home. (Another take home point that's sort of related? This article. Wowsas. Really hit home!).
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| isn't she pretty?? |
My green bean is a Solé - you can check out their blog here and their website here.
If you're interested (or know about!) bike things - here are the details from the craigslist posting. It's pretty jargon-y to me but may be useful to have posted here one day :)
Extras:
Shimano PO-R540 SPD pedals
Planet Bike 400 psi hand pump
Kryptonite Series2 bike lock
3 LED rear light with dual settings
Frame: Hi Tensile Steel, Fully Tig Welded, Fork End Dropouts
Fork: Hi Tensile Steel, Tig Welded, Threadless
Handle Bars: BMX
Grips: Oury
Bottom Bracket: Sealed Cartridge
Crankset: Lasco 170 MM, Alloy 48T, with 5 Bolt chainring
Gear Ratio: 48:16
Brake: Radius Dual Caliper
Hub: Flip Flop -- Fixed/Single Speed 16T
Chain: KMC Z410 98 Links
Rim: Machine/Double Walled 'Deep Dish' 50MM
Tires: Durable 700 X 23C
Valve: Presta
Saddle: Cionilli Plush Rivet Fixed Gear Seat
Seatpost: 25.4 X 300MM
Total Weight: 26 Pounds
Toe Clips included with Bicycle
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