My parents' visit was all about the project, of course. I made a (huge) master list of everything that needs to be repaired in my house or vehicles, then narrowed it down to the top ten things I was stuck on. We decided to be official and have people sign off on the completed projects.
I was very pleased with our accomplishments. When we didn't have time to complete things, my father surveyed the situation and gave me his expert advice on how to proceed, so I have about five projects that are underway right now.
The most exciting result of the weekend is my newly-powered bicycle. About a month ago, I decided that I would bite the bullet (and really, I probably need to bite a bullet to stop the pain, as I am so loathe to spend great sums of money) and buy an electric bike kit. After a year of cycling to work on the commute from my new house, I was still walking the bike up a few hills each way. And when I get home from work, I always have to sit and rest a bit before I can walk the dog. The kit I found has an electric motor in the front wheel hub, so you just change out the front wheel on your existing bicycle, wire it up to a battery, and off you go.
My friend S and his wife came over for dinner, but before we let them eat, my father and S installed the kit. Of course, nothing ever goes quite as smoothly as you hope, and my father needed to modify my bike to make it all work.
Filing the forks - proof that I helped a bit.
The motor is designed to give you a boost when you're already pedaling (this its name Hilltopper) and it's just what I need. Roundtrip, I have a ten-mile, somewhat hilly ride, but now it feels like a six-mile, flat ride. I'm hoping the result is that I ride even more often to work, and I will be especially grateful to avoid the strenuous rides as the summer heat and humidity approaches. Stay tuned for updates.
3 comments:
Yes, reminds me of the mopeds we had in France during the 1960's, one in particular, the Solex.
And I can say with great confidence that I have never arrived at a child's house to find a list of projects to be done.
what an excellent invention! Surely if you calculated the ROI of gas or metro costs saved from more bike riding, plus improved health from more exercise, this thing is an absolute bargain. I'm sure the sticker price is always a bit of a shock to the system!
Alexis, I calculated that it costs me roughly $2 roundtrip to commute to work by car, so the savings won't come from that. But I agree it could be worth it for the improved health benefits. Thanks for reminding me!
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