BELLAMYBUDIMAN

I know that my new Polygon Galleon is only two months old, but somehow I can’t keep my old Polygon Nevada frame out of my mind. Therefore, today, I decided that it’s going for a restoration. Not a restoration to its original look, but a restoration into a functional bike.

I brought the frame to Rizky Motor, a car paint workshop just around the corner in Jalan Cempaka, and told them to strip this bike, leave the frame intact, and have it painted with Super White! We’ll see how it goes in 3-4 days from now. Then, I would be bringing the bike back to DBS Bike and have them recalculate the parts needed for it. Hopefully, I could begin to test the bike by next week.

I almost forgot that cycling is indeed fun, and after today’s ride with Andira, compared to going to the gym, I think this is the way to go for me. Yes, it’s probably dangerous to face traffic on your face with a small vehicle with pedals, but it is more challenging to me than staring to nothingness while exercising in the gym.

Our supposedly schedule today was that Andira goes to my house at 6AM, then we go to his house at Sektor 9, and then I go back home. Of course that is until he overslept and we had to turn the route the other way around :D. In total we rode around 16 kilometers. It’s probably a bit more exhausting for a restarting cyclist like me, but I’m looking forward for my next ride.

On a side note, I had a few slight troubles with my new bike. During the first couple kilos, my front derailleur doesn’t seem to want to shift. So I had to stop and check it out just to find that nothing is wrong with it. Strange, and I better have it rechecked. And I had a bit of trouble with my handlebar. My bad that I didn’t check this out before riding, apparently the bolts aren’t quite fasten, and every time I hit a bump, the bar twisted backward a bit until the point that I can’t see the gear indicators. This was the first thing I fixed when I got back home.

Now… If only I can find that new helmet…

Let’s face it, somebody’s probably put a curse on me this week. I’ve been to six bicycle stores with no luck of bringing home a new helmet. Everything is either overpriced for my budget, doesn’t fit my head comfortably, too loose, too tight, or simply colored like a Mardi Gras party wagon. Being a designer, I have to admit that I’m a bit picky on the last part, and it’s not like I’m gonna spend almost half a million worth of money to something that would make me look like a peacock. I’m currently aiming for Michelin’s Free MX helmet, but no one seems to have the size for my head.

Therefore, for the time being, I decided to resort to this. Yes, it’s an old California Pro helmet back from my rollerblading days, except that mine’s painted in black. Apparently it can still fit on my head, probably my head didn’t grow that much since junior high, or there could be a possibility that way back then, the helmet I bought was one size larger than my actual head.

So, 6 AM it is, Andira. Let’s go cycling! :D

Well, here it is, my new Polygon Galleon. All I need now is the proper apparel set to properly cycle.

I have to admit that except from speeding with my car, I haven’t had much sports since… Years, I think. And with the fact that Mom and Arleen constantly reminding me to actually do some sports, I think it’s about time I do something.

I’ve been going to the gym last month using a Celebrity Fitness’ trial membership I got from Pak Iwan. It’s a nice option, but I wanted to have something more challenging. And being a gearhead, the first option that comes in mind was cycling. Why? Because it involves a vehicle that I can play with and speed :D. I decided to give it a try and make my decision by the end of this month.

Besides that, I used to cycle every Sunday morning with Mom and Dad when I was in elementary. I don’t remember why I stopped cycling, but I remembered that the habit stopped when I was in junior high.

My last bike was this:

It’s a 15-year old (I think) 16″ Polygon Nevada MTB. I know it doesn’t look like much. That’s because except for the frame, every single metal part of this bike is consumed with rust, and the plastic parts are deteriorating. Then again, it’s been dangling at the side of my house for years.

Yesterday, I decided to dismantle the bike, and spent an hour doing so. Who knows I could rebuild and upgrade the bike with newer parts and build my own custom bike. The only things left attached was the fork, the handlebar, the crank, the chain, and the rear derailleur. I simply don’t have the proper tools to dismantle them.

Reality, however, defers from what I expected. I brought this bike to DBS Bike today, to have it inspected on whether it’s fit for restoration or not. And being a 15-year old bike, frames are now different in configuration, parts have evolved, fittings are no longer the same, and the list goes on. And if worse comes to worst, I might end up spending even more than just buying a new bike.

But worry not! I’ve found just the perfect new bike to start with. I’ve been looking for the Polygon Galleon all over the city with no luck, but thanks to Dad, I found one store in BSD that still has a unit. I’ll be going there tomorrow, and hopefully nobody buys it before me. And with luck, with Arleen going for rafting to Sukabumi, I could use this Saturday morning to get used to the new bike.