Wallyworld

click to enlargeJust assembled my brand new mountain bike.
I bought a cheapie off eBay. $170. Brand new. Dual suspension. 1021 gears. And I just went for a fang around the Bay.

I knew I was out of nick. But .... Is that what those muscles do?

Now really. It was just an impromptu thing. My mate turned up on his bike for a cuppa. And I was searching eBay for something or other when I saw these mountain bikes.
I thought "When did I get my first bike? For xmas when I was 8 or 9 I think. I pulled it apart that many times. I even remember losing all the ball bearings out of the wheel once and had to buy some more. No gears. 28 inches I think.
Another time I came down the hill on Pittwater Road near Loquat Valley School. I was going much, much too fast. I left the road and completely demolished a For Sale sign outside the "Purple People Eaters" house. The Bayview ambulance turned up (remember the Bayview Ambulance? A Daimler no less) and then mom, who freaked out at the thought of the Ambulance bill. So I was taken to Morrie Brennans to be Patched up. Lots and lots of stitches. I hobbled around on crutches for weeks. I remember getting some sort of special provision to do my Intermediate Certificate Exams. The other disappointment was I had to miss out on the Sea Scout Jamboree.

I bought another bike in the 70's from KMart. An awful thing. Racing bike with skinny, skinny wheels and derailleurs which always seemed to jam ... or the chain would come off. I finally unloaded it when I kept shearing the crank's cotter pins. Stupid things.

Years later I picked up a very rusty old thing at a garage sale. $5 I think. Another racer which gave my neck hell. It went up to Byron Bay with my brother. He had some idea about using it to get to a job or somesuch.

Ane now to this wonderful mountain bike. 21 gears! Suspension front and rear.

I zoomed down the street and went straight down some steps. Just like my old Moto Cross bike. Except instead of 360cc of raw 2 stoke power, this has two fifty-something legs for power.

Philip Lambe
Sydney