Tyler Tuesday: Fun in the Texas Sun

Welcome to “Tyler Tuesday,” where instead of my lovely wife sharing our life, you will get to enjoy the man’s perspective on the family. This might include thoughts on what we are going through as a family, things that are happening to me (such as work or awesome motorcycles that I find), or just thoughts and ideas in my head. Who knows? Just starting out and thankful for a new outlet. 

Since moving to Dallas I have re-discovered all of my favorite hobbies, including but not limited to: motorcycles, drag races, kayaking, shooting, running, working out, and the old favorite…cycling on my road bike. Some hobbies that I have yet to do in Dallas are rock concerts, fishing, and golfing. I really wish I was worse at more things because these “hobbies” are getting expensive to keep up. 

For all of you long- time readers, you may remember when I first purchased my road bike in Nashville. My life was forever changed by that bike and the enjoyable miles and miles riding through beautiful Tennessee. Hard hill climbs, sweeping turns, and the perfect blend of countryside and city streets. Then Florida happened, with terrible traffic, hot and sticky weather, and short interrupted trails. I gave it up for quite a few years.

Since I have moved to Dallas, one of the greatest features of our new home has been living next to White Rock Lake Park where there are, much like Nashville, miles and miles of paved cycling trails. 

What makes these trails better than Nashville is I get to ride them with my beautiful cycling partner, Jessie. (Whoo! Team Welsh!)

We have made several evening dates of loading up the bikes and driving about five minutes to the lake and riding in the warm summer nights, with the sun setting behind the city skyline and reflecting over the water. Good times.

So if you haven’t gathered from reading already, I like to do most everything to extreme. Not always a good trait. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it the best. If I’m going to be a mechanic, I want to work on the biggest engines. If I’m going to play music, I am going to play the loudest instrument. If I had ever joined the military, I would have joined the Marines. (Sorry, Chuck). If I’m going to ride a bike, I have to ride it fast. 

I was fine with where I was in Nashville, riding my little Target bike. I was pedaling out and about getting along fine down the trail when all of sudden, a road bike went speeding by effortlessly. I wanted to keep up and ride fast, too, but I couldn’t. The efficiency of that machine was beyond what my bike could ever hope to be.  I thought, “With my wider tires and heavy [bike] frame, perhaps the mountain bike scene is where I need to be.” I went to the nearby mountain bike trails and rode that bike so hard through the dirt and rocks that I twisted the frame and bent both rims while watching other mountain bikes hop along the trail with much less effort. This had to change. I searched Craig’s List and well... that’s how it all started. 

I was loving these new Dallas trails and found myself sprinting up hills and racing through wide streets of long declines, often looking back and forgetting to ride with Jessie and not race her. All was well until one evening my mechanical eyes were looking over my bike and found a large crack in the aluminum head stock part of the frame. Bummer. I wasn’t positive that this was the end of my bike, so I took it to the local hipster bike shop where I get most of my advice; they confirmed it: the bike was finished. If I continued to ride, I would risk the crack splitting at the head stock and the front forks falling out from under me. I was now faced with having to again find a road bike worthy of my reckless ambition.

At the hipster bike shop I received advice to have a new custom frame built and swap over components that I liked from my old bike and buy new components that I wanted to swap out. My mind raced, thinking, “Yeah, custom rebuild! I’m a mechanic and I could make everything work perfectly and look awesome, and I would be the only one with a bike like mine!” But I soon did some math and found that there wasn’t too much about my old bike worth keeping. By the time I had bought a frame and installed everything I wanted, I would have a bike that costs more than a new one and only half as good. Not to mention the assembly required and my desire to open my own used bike store. If I’m going to do something, it has to be all the way. So I moved on.

I went to Bike Mart down the road (yes, it’s really called that) and found that it costs about three grand just to walk in the door. Not the store for me, with high-end European models that were the equivalent of exotic cars in the bike world. I went instead to local, friendly, Dallas cycle shop and talked with the sales associate.

“What can I help you with today?” he asked. 

“I’m looking for a road bike to replace my old one.” I replied sophisticatedly as I could.

He perked up “Great! What were you looking to spend? What is your price range?”

Already in my mind I was thinking, “As little as possible," but to keep the conversation going I replied confidently with some high numbers, “I’m looking to spend around five to eight hundred dollars and get something nice.”

His face cracked a small smile, and I could almost see his mind’s eyes rolling as he said, “Well road bikes start at about nine hundred dollars and go up from there.”

I gulped and continued to drill him with technical questions to equip myself with the information necessary to do what I needed to do the whole time: buy a used bike.

I have been looking online for a week or so now and have had a hard time. If the bike is one I want, it costs too much. If it’s in my price range, it ends up being too small. Isn’t everyone 6’1” and all torso? I know that the right bike is out there, but I hope I don’t miss too many date nights with the Team Welsh Cycling Club before I find it. For now I will make do with my new running shoes and run with Jessie. While running, the tables are turned, and she is the one looking back trying not to make me look too bad.  

Hope this interests you; keep in mind that not all posts will be long, picture-less stories. I will keep the blog camera rolling for y’all. Have you ever starting something that you wish you hadn’t for price alone? It happens to me all the time and keeps me from starting other hobbies… for now. 

Currently enjoying listening to: Empire of the sun, Miike Snow, August Burns Red, and Portugal. The man. 

Currently working on: 2011 Volvo VNL, checking rod and main bearing for excessive wear as possible root cause for piston oil cooling pressure codes.  

Currently pondering: how to cut Brooklyn’s chubs into perfect one pound pieces without touching them. Hmm.