Saturday, March 07, 2009
Pino Passion
Well, we did it. We got the Hase Pino, the dream tandem bike that is going to take us across the country. We got it from the bicycle shop in Mt. Airy, one of the few American vendors of the German bike. The shop only keeps one in stock and it works as a major draw for them, so we couldn't take it home permanently until the owner brought in its replacement. Instead, we made a downpayment and were allowed to take it home for a weekend, promising to bring it back before their next convention on Capitol Hill.
Before leaving the shop we rode it around the nearby rural loop so that we could have the owners make any needed minor adjustments. Like last time we both took a turn in the captain position, steering from the back. It was much less awkward this time for both of us. I think I only had one false start and one moment of panic - a vast improvement on my first experience with the bike in August - and Kyle seemed completely comfortable and natural back there. After finishing one loop we ventured off the path a bit so that we could out some hills. I definitely yelled "wooohooo" an inordinate amount of times today.
We also stopped to say hello to a curious horse and a couple on adult trikes who were kind enough to take our photo. Aside from a short boom (the frontmost section) that made our knees a bit cramped - and which can be easily fixed by lengthening the chain - the bike felt great. The riding experience is like no other bicycle, and once you settle in that becomes a great thing. No buyer's remorse here!
It's really hard to express how excited we both are. The pino is currently leaning against the couch in the dining room that is also my office (don't think too hard about the decorating scheme in Kyle's apartment; it will just make your head hurt) and I keep sneaking a glance every once and a while, patting the mesh seat to make sure it's real, it's ours, it's what will somehow carry us across the country... It's truly a beautiful thing.
Tomorrow we're going to take it out for a longer ride and I have to say, it feels a lot like Christmas Eve...
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| posted at: 22:06 |
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