back in the saddle again

[sistawendy]

I spent this morning getting my left knee checked out by Dr. Gaydude and getting X-rayed on the off chance I have arthritis. It is not, thank goodness, a damaged ligament or broken bone. He says I most likely have patellofemoral syndrome, a.k.a. runner's knee. I'm not a runner, but cyclists get it too. So it's ace bandages, vitamin I, and physical therapy for me.

On a related note, I tried out FM* Bike this morning twice around Green Lake for the first time. The longer, harder seat will take some getting used to, as will the longer handlebars and less upright posture, but I think it's doable. She's lighter than Goldiebike was, but then again I still need to add a tail light, a basket - I'm thinking a pannier, and at least a front fender. (I won't need a rear fender if I have a pannier, right?) There was a nice blinky on Goldie's front wheel, but given how many EL wire drivers I have lying around now, I don't really need one.



*Fuck Me. She's painted that shade of red.

Comments

[randomdreams]

Rear rack certainly helps a lot but is usually not sufficient for blocking rain spray. (And in Seattle it's generally held that you use a long rear fender with a flap on the bottom more for people behind you than yourself, I'm told.)

I advocate finding a seat you like rather than trying to like one you've got. Chafing sucks.

postscript

[sistawendy]

I didn't have a problem with chafing. The seat itself doesn't bother me at all now. Getting the seat height right seems to be a contest of knees vs. back; I now have it set higher than Goldiebike's seat could ever go.

[sholanda]

I think I have that in my knees! it does not bother me when I run but sitting in one position for a long time (movies, driving, seated concerts) KILLS.

Advil, ice packs, and avoiding any drive longer than 2 hours have been my only solutions.