Pimpin' out my birthday bike like an amateur

I was out and about pretty early today because I needed to take a final exam for English this morning. When I got that all done it was still before 11am so I decided that I needed to be productive with my day since I also did not work this evening. I thought about what I could do and then I remembered that my new bike that I had gotten for my birthday had not had a trial run yet. So I went to the garage and attempted to take it for a spin. After riding for maybe a block I realized that this bike needed some serious work done. The seat made me lose feeling to my balls in about 3 seconds, the steering wheel was loose and didn't line up with the front tire, the break pads were on too tight, the tires felt like mountain bike tires and I felt like I was riding off road the whole time, and the handle bars would twist if you gripped them too tightly. Even as I list all these flaws, I still love that bike because it was a good deal and I am able to call it my own. That it was I felt the need to fix her up today and unlock her full potential.

First on the list was the bike seat that came with the bike. It may look like it can comfort a butt, but do not be fooled, as soon as you sit on this you will lose all feeling to your lower extremities. I went out and bought (along with everything else for the days project.) a memory foam seat. That's right, like the stuff you sleep on. So now my butt feels like it is being pampered instead of plundered when I ride my bike.





These two tires were the original tires on the bike. They aren't terrible tires, so don't think I'm picky. But you need to keep in mind that these tires are made for off-road biking and that is something that I cannot see myself doing. So I took it upon myself to learn how to remove and change bike tires. Let me tell you that this endevour is not easy when you're doing it solo. I had bought a tire thinking that tires came in a 2 pack, little did I know that it was just a single pack. So when I got home and opened the package, there was only one tire inside. Not only that, but it was not what I expected it to look like. Like I said, I had never done this before. I decided I would try and change the first tire and tell people that I only bought one tire because I didn't know if it would fit for sure or not. (That might be even more embarrassing because that would have meant I didn't even check the dimensions before buying them it.) So I was able to take off the front wheel and pop off the tire by prying it off with a screw driver. In hindsight, that was probably the most stupid way to take it off because I could have punctured the tube, but again, I didn't know how bike tires worked at the time. So after I got everything off I spent some time deflating the tube, putting the deflated tube inside the new tire, filling it up a little bit so it kept a shape, then I tried to fit the new tire inside the rim of the wheel. THIS MIGHT BE THE GREATEST FEAT I HAVE EVER ACCOMPLISHED. After wresting that tire around the rim for about 30 minutes I finally decided that if two hands weren't not enough, I would have to use my legs as well. I was able to squeeze the tire between my thighs and hold it long enough for me to be able to put the rest of the tire in the rim. Once I was done all I had to do was pump it back up and screw it back into place. I was sweating harder then if I were to actually ride the bike by that point.
(Katie came over later and we went back and bought another tire and changed the back wheel, you know, the one with all the messy gears, and it went smoother because we had two people to tackle the problem. But it was still a giant hassle. I'm hoping these tires last for a while. )

I thought that since I will now have a street worthy bike, I better think about how  I will ride. I plan on riding to and from work, and sometimes I get off work when it's dark out. I'm Mr. Safety, so I made sure that (along with the original reflectors) I had proper lighting. I bought a pack that had a front light (which doubles as an emergency flashlight. SCORE. ) and a rear flashing light. Not only will people see me from far away but I'll be able to see for some distance in front of me so I don't wreck into anything.

Here is the business section of the bike. I had to tighten the rear and front breaks because they wouldn't even touch the wheels when I pulled them. Not only that, but I also had to tighten the handle bars because when you actually did pull the breaks they would twist completely around on the handle bars. It was one unsafe thing after another. After those were taken care of I added my accessories. My phone case for my Galaxy S3 and my emergency light had to fit for a spot to fit on my handle bar but I was able to make sure everything had a place to sit.

This is the finished product in all her glory. She may not look original, sleek, or like she was put together by a professional, but I don't really mind. I am able to say that I scrapped her together and did all on my own and that is enough for me.  After everything was said and done though, I found it a bit funny that all of my add-ons cost about as much as the original bike did. At least I can ride in style, be safe, and know that this bike is all my own and that there is not another one out there like it.