Thanks all for your kind words about my post a week ago. It was just a hard day.
I got up the courage and called a bike shop to see if they'd tackle my old Schwinn. I am so heartbroken that it is in such sorry shape. The guys threw him in the lower shed and they may as well just left him outside. I am sick over it. But they see no value in this thing I love, this thing that was gifted to me for graduation many moons ago. And yes, a lot of it is sentimentality but hey, I was riding that bike four years ago and have photographs showing it did NOT look this bad!
The guy on the phone says they won't make him pretty but they could get him usable.
So I rolled it in yesterday and the guys face sorta' fell. He said to me "how much do you want to put into it?"
...sigh...
I said ok, tell me if it is even worth it. So he sorta' fuddled with him, mumbled "needs chain", pulled on the gear shift, toyed with the brakes, pushed around on the derailer etc. and said "do you want to put $100 into it?" I said yes, I can't buy a new one for that (have you seen the prices of bikes???? I don't pay that much for my cars!). So he said he'd see what he can do, will call if more comes up. Gads, maybe I should have just left it at home as a relic and be done with it. Before I left I said "well, it has sentimental value too" and that he seemed to understand. But yah, it is hard taking this bike to places who are used to the newest greatest lightest fastest and say please make this useable? The bike has no real value but to my soul.
So I will ride him this year and decide from there whether to keep on riding him or retire him. And of course I still have Lucy, my girly girl bike.
But as sour as that all sounds I have to admit I am a little excited to get on that old bike again! So I am thinking even if I have to put $200 into it I would. I am really excited!
So I am looking online for forums in Wisconsin to chat with folks. There is really not much of anything out there. Bikeforums won't even load for me it is so busy. But I scrolled through the html and see there is a forum for "Clydesdales and Athenas" which is bigger riders like me! Or so I thought. I can't get it to load so I googled it. Get this...Athenas are women 150# or over!!! Talk about a slap in the face! Wow, even at my NORMAL weight I'd be considered FAT!
You know, just when you think the world is seeing fat people as people too something like this comes along. I mean, even Scheels has a tiny plus sized athletic clothing corner! How can fat people participate if they can't even get decent clothes to do so? No, we are to be out there in our giant t-shirts, ugly UGLY sweatpants or Mumus until we finally fit their idea of what an Athena looks like? Give me a BREAK!!! It is frustrating!
Then I am reading how bikes aren't made to hoist around fat folks. Well, why not? Are we just suppose to drive around in our smog muffins until we are light enough to buy that $1000.00 Athena bike? PUHLEEZ! Some of us want to be included NOW, without breaking the bank. Oh well, guess that is the price of being fat. Maybe I'll start a new division label where anyone who is obese (number doesn't matter, just obese for your height) is included. Ok, I need a nice name for it...
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