Did you know that bicycling counters stress and releases feel-good endorphins that help make you happy? Less stress and more happiness? I’m in! This spring I purchased a city bike and ever since I’ve been able to reap the benefits of rhythmic exercise and pure joyous adventure.
In this article, I share my bike and its specs as well as the accessories I bought; some I like and others not so much. Make sure you subscribe to Tea End Blog so that you can be the first to see new and exciting posts about books, tea, and everything me!
Meet Isabelle, my city bike!
I purchased my bike based on what type of riding experience I wanted. I’m not a "BMX-extreme-sports" time of chick (lol) so I wanted a bike that would be easy cruising in Dallas, Texas. When I found the Nadine SE City Bike on Amazon I fell in love. SIDE NOTE: My bike and accessories were all purchased on Amazon because I am addicted to Amazon! Who isn't? The specs are perfect and the details and accessories are what a girl wants (cue Christina Aguilera).
Since I name everything from pets to plants, I decided to also name my bike. I felt like she was beautiful and classic, so I went with Isabelle; a classic name that is in part ‘belle’ which means beautiful in French. Yeah…I thought pretty deeply about it…(lol)
My Bike Accessories:
What I liked and disliked
There are only 3 bike accessory purchases that I regret. The DAWAY Bike Seat Cover was extremely uncomfortable and even hindered my leg movement causing friction and slowing me down. It actually turned out to be 10x more uncomfortable than the bike seat itself, so I returned it. The Sunlite Rear Wire Folding Basket and the JASSINS Bungee Cargo Net seemed to be a good purchase also. SIDE NOTE: I actually like the wire basket, just not for my bike. What I don’t like about this purchase is purely aesthetic; I just simply don’t like how the wire basket looks on the back of the bike. It isn’t the perfect size for the bike rack and I just think it makes my bike look cheap. Instead, I want to go ahead and buckle down and pay the price for another Nantucket Bike Basket, the Nantucket Bicycle Basket Co. Tremont Rear Cargo Basket would be a perfect fit and also matches my current front basket.
The first time I went for an official bike ride I actually got attacked by a pit bull. She was nice enough not to bight me, but she startled me by charging and barking and I actually fell off my bike for the first time. It was funny and I’m glad that I didn’t get bitten but it made me think of safety against stray dogs so I purchased the Sonic Dog Deterrent & Mount. I tried it on Starkie (my non-vicious Pomeranian) and he quickly ran away. I’ve also seen YouTube videos of it in action and I think it’s a pretty safe bet to ward off dog attacks.
I have quite a few cycling adventures planned this Autumn 2018. The weather is already cooling down here in Texas and I can just see myself flying on Isabelle to the local farmers markets, flower shops, and parks. I hope you enjoyed my dream bike reveal and if you have some cool cycling fun facts or adventures be sure to share them with us in the comments below!
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Do you enjoy bike riding?