One does not simply bicycle into Lego Mordor*

The husband and I enjoyed a Lego-filled Christmas what with him gifting me two sets from "The Hobbit" series and my gifting him with two sets from "The Lord of the Rings" series and the video game. We've been playing a lot of the cooperative version of the game and I've been cavorting through a Lego Middle Earth as a single player even more. Like obsessively, embarrassingly even more. (Which is yet more confirmation that I was right to never join "World of Warcraft" despite my brothers' pleading and cajoling...)

What does this have to do with bicycling? Hang on, I'm getting there...

So last night, as I drifted off to sleep, I began dreaming that I was riding Beatrix the pretty loop-frame bicycle through the landscape of Lego Middle Earth. It was a pleasant and picturesque trip until my tires skidded on some scree around Mount Doom and I lost control. I awoke with a full body jolt when I crashed. I think my friends summed it up best with both "I think that's about time we have an intervention for you..." and "You can't even ride a dreamcycle without crashing."

Obviously, I should have ridden Lily the hybrid.

*Yet another friend's input. This is my new motto.

Bargaining chip

This is my brain.

Id: I want cookies!

Ego: We don't need cookies.

Id: I WANT COOKIES!

Ego: All right. We can have a cookie if we ride our bike to get it from the grocery store.

Super-ego: You don't need a cookie. You need to do crunches, squats, and eat some celery.

Id: COOKIES!

Ego: Look, I said we could have a cookie if we take the bike instead of the car. Not only will we get a teensy bit of exercise en route, we could also ride around the neighborhood and look at the new Christmas lights that have been put up since the last night ride.

Id: COOKIES AND LIGHTS!

Ego: There. It's settled. Saddle up, body.

Super-ego: I think we should ride to Leesburg and back for that d@mn cookie. It's only twenty miles...

COOKIES! (Not from Leesburg, but I did get in nearly ten miles riding through neighborhoods.)

I'm trendy?

Oh, PUBLIC Bikes... you silly minxes!

Source.

You loved what I did to my Ariel so much that you copied it -- after a fashion -- onto your cute little C7. Bless your hearts. ~MWAH~

Meet Clyde

Clyde will be my bicycle for the zombie apocalypse.

The friend who pointed it out to me said we could even get me a basket to put on the front. She also suggested at least one flame thrower. The husband would definitely approve.

Missing the point

The weather was absolutely gorgeous when I got home from work and I decided to give my darling single speed cruiser Kate a little bit of love. She gets neglected as I choose Lily the hybrid for my commute and Circe the road bike for distance training. Kate is adorable -- there's no denying that -- but I have the tiniest bit of buyer's remorse because she was SUCH an impulse purchase and isn't the most practical bike around.

I cruised up and around the neighborhood, mashing as hard as I could to get up hills and hanging on for dear life while coasting down. I've decided that I really, really don't like coaster brakes because 1) I can't kick the pedals into a good take-off position when I stop, and 2) it's hard to stop quickly without skidding. There are so many downhill sections that end with a stop sign and I'm less than excited about sliding into cross traffic.

That being said, I still enjoyed being out and about on my sweet little bike. We explored some gravel roads along the W&OD and Kate was as sure "footed" on that gravel as a mountain goat in craggy environs. I would have been nervous on Lily and there's no way Circe could have gone through that area. My sturdy Kate surprised the heck out of my by handling the bumps and ruts and loose gravel with ease.

When we got back on the paved trail and I was pedaling with all my might to get uphill, I thought that swapping out the cruiser's pedals for SPDs would help me move the bike more efficiently. And then I realized that I was thinking about a CRUISER. It's practically the antithesis of clipless pedal material!