A bike, a boy and a sore butt

A few weeks ago, Jean and I got talking about the idea of getting a bike trailer for John. Hanging in our garage is a 2000 Gary Fisher Marlin bike that hasn't seen a mile on it. I won the bike while at AOL and just never found the time to use it. Jean's family took bike trips all the time and she's been looking for a way to get active with John.

I started price out the different trailers and found most were a bit more than what we wanted to spend. The next day as we headed to a friend's garage sale, we noticed our neighbor was also having a sale... with a Kid Kaboose bike trailer with a for sale sign next to it. So for about 1/4 the price of a new trailer, we had a new for us trailer.

A week went by but we hadn't messed with the trailer since John was sick with Hand, Foot and Mouth (nasty chicken pox virus). Our neighbor couldn't find the manual and my attempt to hook it on just left scatches on my frame.

Now today, Jean took a crack at the trailer and in fact found the owner's guide in the back storage area. She threw John in for a test ride and the kid was hooked. The bike however did not respond in kind to its three year layoff, snapping the chain as Jean shifted to climb up our drive way hill.

A quick run to Meijers for a flag and a kids helmet for John, then to Bicycle One in Gahanna to get the chain fixed, have a kick stand put on (to help get the trailer on and off without having to balance the bike) and have the seat adjusted before heading to Patty and Jay's to borrow one of their bikes for the first family ride.

Now I've been working out on stationary bikes for a few weeks now. That's not the same thing as a real bike. Given that the inlaws live in a pretty hilly sub division, we were lovin the down hill coasts while gasping as we cranked up the hills, Jean tugging the trailer since she'll use it during the day more than I will.

After the first ride, my butt hurt from the seat, my legs burning, sweat falling off me like rain, stomach reading the first round of hurl, and I'm still having fun and ready to take John for another spin.

Then another bike problem crops up. Jean had complained that the right peddle felt weak on the up stoke. When it was my turn to tug John, I noticed the same thing but worse, the peddle was coming off the bike. I had to walk the bike back up hill to the inlaws, boy still enjoying the ride in the buggy.

In the end, the fact that he had fun and got to see us active made it all worth it. In fact, we didn't take the bike out of the van.. It gotta go to Bicycle One for a new pedal