The origin of the Pink Monster

I've recently taken up biking again after many long years. That is, I haven't significantly biked since I was a kid. I attempted to bike in college, but I accidentally got myself into a resistance free lifestyle and was completely out of shape. I bought a $50 bike, rode it twice, and gave up.

This time is different. Last spring I was tromping through my family's garage and discovered 4 bikes: three I used as a kid, and one with a completely unknown origin. This I will call the Green Monster (GM). GM and its garage cohort were taken to the local bike cooperative to be inspected. All but GM were deemed scrap. GM turned out to be some sort of Schwinn from the 70s, and was back on the road after an afternoon of new tires, cables, and a few adjustments. GM and I bonded that spring, and I realized how much I still loved biking--even if I hadn't done it in 7 years.

This spring I broke out GM for a spring inspection and found some rust that I don't trust very much. Plus, it also needed some other overhaul work. That, along with the cruiser handlebars, led me to a search for a new bike.

My priorities for a new bike:

-something newer that I wouldn't have to worry about rust or the frame
-something that had the fittings for racks, fenders, etc.
-something with linear pull brakes since I know how to adjust and fix those
-road tires, or at least not knobby ones
-straight handlebars

I looked at all the nice new bikes at the local bike shops, and gagged at the $400 min for a 'good' bike. If local bike shops are out, then that left Meijer or WalMart. Yuck, and dangerous. So, where does a person of average means go to find a bike that doesn't cost as much as a month's rent? On a mission of last resort, I ended up at the bike coop again. Among all the nice fixed up road bikes and mountain bikes, there was a lovely little hybrid. Pulled it off the rack to find that it was pink and had Disney character stickers all over. Still, it was a newer bike that hit all of my specs. $75 later, it was mine.

I figured, now that I've actually spent a decent chunk of money on a bike, I'd better darn well start riding it.