I decided to name my bike Lucille. She's blue - what better?
First expedition, made it from Chelsea to the GWB in about 45 min! Thighs a little wobbly when I finally got off the bike. Not surprised.
Some initial mishaps - bike frame not secured when I first got on, and things have changed since I first rode. No more granny bikes (and this one is definitely not a granny bike)! So I literally had to go to Youtube to figure out how to mount and dismount without getting myself in trouble. Easiest to get on and off with the seat low, but then pedaling is much more labor intensive; high seat better, so a new technique needed. In addition, my balance sucked at the beginning, and I really did not feel like I was "getting back on the bike," but as though I'd never ridden before. A little scary in Manhattan. Pretty much walked the bike to the river.
Lucille has small wheels, so it's very "tippy." I don't ever see myself riding around "no hands," the way I did all through Munich in the early 70s. Just letting go of the handle bars long enough for a hand signal is out of the question at this point; felt I'd made real strides when I was able to get a hankie out of my pocket and keep steering(!). Also, you feel everything on the road - much as you would in a sports car (but more of course). Still it's just what I need and the stationary bike prepared me nicely for this ride. I only saw one other foldable on this trip, a Montecchi. Looked very pretty.
En route, the trees were in bloom - lovely - and I finally saw the mountain of salt for snow removal - NOW we have it! - which seems to have been replenished, just in time for Spring... Wanted to stop so many times for photos. Thinking about a cheap helmet camera.
By the time I came back, my confidence and balance were restored, mounting and dismounting mastered. I took bike paths on the street - they're safe - and look forward to lots more biking in NYC.
Radiation at 7pm tonight.
First expedition, made it from Chelsea to the GWB in about 45 min! Thighs a little wobbly when I finally got off the bike. Not surprised.
Some initial mishaps - bike frame not secured when I first got on, and things have changed since I first rode. No more granny bikes (and this one is definitely not a granny bike)! So I literally had to go to Youtube to figure out how to mount and dismount without getting myself in trouble. Easiest to get on and off with the seat low, but then pedaling is much more labor intensive; high seat better, so a new technique needed. In addition, my balance sucked at the beginning, and I really did not feel like I was "getting back on the bike," but as though I'd never ridden before. A little scary in Manhattan. Pretty much walked the bike to the river.
Lucille has small wheels, so it's very "tippy." I don't ever see myself riding around "no hands," the way I did all through Munich in the early 70s. Just letting go of the handle bars long enough for a hand signal is out of the question at this point; felt I'd made real strides when I was able to get a hankie out of my pocket and keep steering(!). Also, you feel everything on the road - much as you would in a sports car (but more of course). Still it's just what I need and the stationary bike prepared me nicely for this ride. I only saw one other foldable on this trip, a Montecchi. Looked very pretty.
En route, the trees were in bloom - lovely - and I finally saw the mountain of salt for snow removal - NOW we have it! - which seems to have been replenished, just in time for Spring... Wanted to stop so many times for photos. Thinking about a cheap helmet camera.
By the time I came back, my confidence and balance were restored, mounting and dismounting mastered. I took bike paths on the street - they're safe - and look forward to lots more biking in NYC.
Radiation at 7pm tonight.
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