Meet My Bike

Nobody puts Baby in a corner. -- Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), "Dirty Dancing"

My bike and I are going to be spending a lot of time together over the next seven months.  The bike portion is really the critical portion of a HIM.  My bike's name is Baby.  Not sure how it happened, but back in 2006 when I got her, it just felt right.  And I treat her a little like a baby - when I have her on the bike rack on the back of our car, I drive like a little old lady so nothing happens to Baby.  It's ridiculous.

So, Baby is a Specialized Dolce - not a high end bike, but a good solid woman-specific-design road bike by a good manufacturer.  More importantly, she and I work together.  First of all, she's purple, and who doesn't feel special on a purple bike.  Second of all, I have her tripped out with clip-on aerobars, although I'm still not fully comfortable using them when I'm on the real road.  (Aerobars are those black antennae looking things that hang off the front of my handlebars.  It's supposed to make me faster if I lean forward resting my arms on those, cutting down on wind resistance.)  And third, we've been together for a long time.  I'd miss her if I trade up.  Actually, to be honest, if I ever trade up, I'll get a tri-specific bike and keep Baby for a road bike.  But that's not on this year's agenda.

Much to Johnny Castle's dismay, for most of the winter, Baby is put in a corner.  Here is Baby on the trainer in the family room.  The trainer (the lime green thing) holds the bike up and the back wheel spins against a fluid filled thingy to provide tension so it's like riding on the road, kind of.  A little bit.  Not really.  It's actually a little boring, but as long as Baby has to be in the corner, I can watch really bad TV. Like yesterday, when I watched "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding."