AFTER 32 YEARS, A NEW BICYCLE

I bought my Schwinn Super le Tour 12.2 road bike in 1976. Other than a few new parts (and a lot of new inner tubes) the biked remained the same and was a valued and trusted friend. But 32 years is a long time in bike years and it became more and more difficult to find parts. Sixty-three years is a long time in human years and my neck and back were beginning to balk at the idea of being bent over on a bike for a 30 minute commute.

So I began looking for a replacement bike that gave me an upright posture by reading on the Internet and prowling around our local bike shops in Eugene. So let's cut to the chase: After riding a 20" wheel folding bike from Dahon of Southern California, I was hooked. It felt like riding a combination of bike, unicycle and roller blades.

It gave me the upright position I was needing and provided a fun bike to ride. Actually, the fact that it could fold up was only a secondary consideration; but it will be nice to take it on the bus when I ride the LTD instead of mounting it on the front. It is easier to store at work and can easily and quickly fit into the trunk of the car.

IBecause I bought the bike on November 4, 2008, election day, I named the new bike "The Obamer". I hope this is my last bike. I think I'll be on this one as I ride off into the sunset.