Did We Just Buy A Really Heavy Coatrack...?

 We pulled the trigger on an exercise system. As you can see, it was not the most expensive one available on the used exercise equipment market. That was a huge selling point in our decision. That, and the fact that the seller was located in an obscure little northern Utah town.

Over the weekend, my son and I climbed into the van, drove the half hour to our destination, and loaded it up. Now it's set up in our garage/home gym. The one-hundred thousand dollar question is...

Will it get used?

And if it does, will it get used in the manner for which it was designed?

We've had a home gym set up for a couple of years. We decided to not sell our treadmill when we moved and we brought it along. We found a free stationary bike on the side of the road and we bought an elliptical machine. Part of my daily work routine is to take a break and use the equipment. And, had I not stepped on the power cord of the elliptical machine, I'd continue to use all three.

One thing we didn't have was a weight system. Granted, the elastic system we bought is not optimum, but it's something. Since we moved it into place, I've used it twice, yesterday and today. I only used one of the systems. I'm glad to say it wore me out a little, which is the only reason to have these machines in the first place.

There are days that I don't make it to the gym. Sometimes we have staff meetings during the time I usually work out, and now that summer's inching closer, I can only work out in the mornings because it gets too hot otherwise.

So far, so good. So far, the machines are being used for exercise and not a place to hang clothing. We'll just have to keep it that way.

Maybe It's Time I Dust Of..."The Tank"

I can't remember exactly when I bought my Raleigh Competition G.S. road bike from my good friend and cousin's husband, but I'm sure it was in the late 1980s.

And the bike was already old at that time.

I had it in college. One night my roommate Matt and I were talking to Jay, a friend and bike racer, and the subject of modern bikes came up. Now, I can't be 100% sure if Jay called my bike a tank, or not--it's hard to remember a single conversation that took place thirty years ago. Jay had raced on some of the most advanced bicycles of the day, bikes that weighed almost nothing. They made my old Raleigh look like...well, a tank.

Because I was raised by parents who both lived through the Great Depression, I'm wont to keep things, especially when I'm unable to upgrade.

I kept the bike for the next three decades.

And for most of that time, the bike has sat in a basement or a shed.

Tonight, I hauled it out, pumped up the tires, and rode it around the cul-du-sac. Seeing as how I haven't sat on a road bike since I put the Raleigh into storage, I have no idea what new bikes are like, but I suspect it must be something going from a 1965 VW Beetle to driving a 2021 Porsche.

To me, the old bike still felt good. And the biggest surprise was how light the bike was. Oh, I know it's still heavy compared to both the bikes of today and the bikes of 1990, but it's lighter than I thought it would be. Plus, a quick internet search has similar bikes costing anywhere from $500 to $1k. Those are in better shape, but still...

Once I get a rack to put it on my car, I'm thinking I'll take the Tank out and do some exercising. Since it's been locked away for years, it's the least I could do.