Biker Babe

Around August of 2012, I asked my mom if I could use her bike for a while.  I no longer would have access to a car and, with DC being only about ten square miles, a bike would be a terrific way to get around town.  Mami agreed and kindly lent me her bike from the mid-1980s, which probably hadn't been used since the late 1980s.  She's a teal Specialized Hard Rock bike with hot pink accents, including water bottle holder, handle bars, and a metal pink basket on the front. 

I took her to Alina's friend's bike shop, Bikenetic, where they gave her a tune up, a cleaning and a few new accessories so she'd be good to go.

Here she is day 2 of my having her.  

Since August, me and this two wheeler have been all over this town (other states even!).  I've taken her on the metro, on the bus, to friend's houses, to go shopping, to bars, and beyond. I've gotten quite comfortable with her too -  sometimes I can even pull off the "Look Ma, no hands!" move.

Mostly though, this gal just gets me to and fro' work, which literally takes me ten minutes door to door.  Best case scenario on the bus is 25 minutes, but it's usually more like 35.  And it's super crowded?  No thank you; I'll stick with the bike.

So not only was it an awesome surprise, but I think also an amazing marketing campaign when the bike shop on Q Street had a little stand on the corner of 14th that said 'Morning Coffee for Bike Commuters!'  I was not late, but not early either, so I didn't have time to stop for coffee (#WishIHadSeenThisYesterday), but how cool is that?  What a fun thing for two local businesses to do together for the clients they either serve or hope to serve!

Aside: This post made me realize that I should really name this bike.  How have I not done this yet...