I Want To Ride My Tricycle, Tricycle, Tricycle

More beauty

Morning ride beauty

Back in late August I posted the good news, the results from my annual Brain Pit Stop -- instead of refueling and tire changes I get MRIs, audiograms for the deaf (big fun. like taking a calc test when you’re only able to do basic addition) and visits with my brain minders Dr. Plotkin (neurologist) and Dr. McKenna (Neurotologist).

While seeing Dr. Plotkin we talked about the big, hairy need to reduce my robust, zaftig, voluptuous even, stress levels.

As I wrote then, exercise is the key, the big winner. Antidepressants don’t work for me. I’ve tried a wide variety and they all just leave me with sundry levels of enervation. Aerobic activity, a daily drill, getting off my fat arse and moving about brings up my moods/evens them out, clears my nasty ass sinuses and, funny this, gives me MORE energy.

We have a treadmill but, ya know, that’s not exactly fun. It’s like taking a dose of not totally vile but still more brussel sprouty than tiramisu-like, medicine.

Yep, clearly I want everything. Exercise should be fun. Dr. P recommended a recumbent trike. Exercise yes but fun. I was mega psyched and began researching cost and where to buy.

I found the same sad news everywhere I looked -- these wondrous hoopla machines, these implements of stress reduction start, START, in the $800 - $1000 territory and go up into the 5G range. I went by a few local bike shops figuring, if I’m gonna make this kind of major investment, I need to test drive one or three. I got the same answer at every store -- they don’t keep recumbent trikes in stock since they’re so very expensive and not huge sellers to boot. All offered to order me one. All I could do was snort and let them know that, if I can’t test ride, I’m not parting with those big buckos.

I was feeling all sad, blue and bummed when I got the sudden, way brill inspiration (yes, it was like a lightening bolt hitting me) to look for used trikes on Craig’s List and eBay. People are forever buying exercise equipment that they use for a month before it becomes a coat rack or a dirty clothes tree.

I found one, right off, on eBay for $300. I still would have liked to test ride BUT, for $300, I could take the chance. A week later my wheels arrived and, mega sigh, it was a child’s trike.

Much self-berating followed -- ‘of course it was so much less expensive -- it’s a child size! God, I’m an imbecile!’ To be fair to myself (which I do on the stray, odd occasion) the listing was in with a bunch of adult trikes and didn’t say anywhere that it was kid size. Of course, neither did the listing specify ‘adult.’

In any case, Jen calmed me down with this very smart idea -- email the company, see if they make an adult version and will let you exchange. Wow and DUH, TOO easy!

My trike! Clearly I need to fly a pirate flag off this baby.

And it was. I’d never dealt with sellers on eBay before and had just assumed it would be horribly difficult and disappointing. Nope. The folks at Fuhua Sports in Southern Cal were awesome. They responded to my emails quickly, professionally and warmly. My bright orange adult trike was here within two weeks.

Mein Gott, this is a total blast and a half! Except for the fact that my legs are doing a splendid Jello impression after the rides, this doesn’t feel like exercise at all. Seriously, I feel like I’m cheating. Yesterday morning I collapsed on the bed post ride and announced to The Amazing Bob, ‘god, that was MAGNIFICENT!’

Recumbent bikes and trikes are still unusual in these parts so I get loads of grins and waves as I speed down our Hough’s Neck streets. I feel like a one woman happy parade.