Shopping. It’s the new riding

And not even for me. Thought I’d best clear that up in case you were concerned there was some pink themed hedgehog makeover happening. My riding is already on the wimpy side of cowardly and needs no accessorising with anything sexually ambivalent.

No these shall be wrapped by a member of the family not favouring the “hostage taping” approach to gift hiding and labelled for Jess. With the speeds she is building up, staying in contact with the pedals is becoming increasingly important. As is the bike – rather than squishy bits of her – staying in contact with the ground, but we’ve some work to do there.

There’s a research paper to write on how riding less encourages you to spend more. Out in the Winter filth, the difference between a shiny new part and something scratched but entirely serviceable is approximately nothing. Only on reconnection with the Internet, do doubts creep in.

And riding is something that’s gone from absolutely loads in October to a smidge under bugger-all in the last few weeks. It’s simple enough to calculate how many rides missed by multiplying a feeling of portliness with a full head of grumpy. Lack of motivation has barely made it into the list of top ten excuses what with “buggering, sodding head cold and crappy asthma” filling the first nine slots.

There’s work as well. That’s proving quite busy and not very ‘switchoffable’ unless I’m riding bikes which is another good reason to ignore the weather forecast for this week. Which – if one were tempted to take a sneak peak – looks bloody cataclysmic. If the rain doesn’t drown you, the wind’ll send you through someone’s roof a few hundred feet below. Best make sure I’ve clean shorts on then.

My own virtual retail experience has been centred around all sorts of pointlessness. First I had a hankering for a Cross bike frame very much like the one sold because it was surplus to requirements* then a Carbon hard tail frame from a manufacturer last mentioned in the same sentence as “Never again, not another penny of my hard earned to that bunch of scaffold pole welders“.

Thankfully fiscal restraint has been maintained. Partly because I know it’s just boredom, but mainly because it’s really entirely impossible to justify. Having two working mountain bikes and the same number of perfectly operable road bikes should be more than enough for a man blessed with just the two legs.

That’s rationale thought right there. Impeccable logic. The calm demeaner of a man happy with his lot.

It’s a bit dull tho.

* those requirements being “I want one”

One thought on “Shopping. It’s the new riding

  1. Pingback: I want my life back » Mucky Christmas.

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