Biking reconsidered

I've been getting exercise the last few days, which hasn't happened a whole lot lately. I rode my bike constantly when I was in college, and I was in good shape throughout that part of my life. When I moved down to Dallas, I put my bike out on the balcony/porch of my apartment and it sat there, unused, for more than five years. Since it was out of the weather, it gathered dust steadily until you couldn't even tell what color it was, and the tires went flat. A few months before I moved down to Austin, I took a broom and brushed the dirt off, but I still didn't use it. I didn't lock it up or anything either, but apparently nobody was interested in a bike that looked so rundown, so it had that going for it.

Shortly after I moved down to Austin, I took a bucket of soapy water and a rag and gave the bike a thorough going-over. It didn't look as good as new - there was rust on both wheels and the plastic plate guarding the gears had shattered - but it did look 100% better. I pumped up the tires and took it out for a spin, and I was amazed at how hard it was to ride. It wore me out in ten minutes, riding on (relatively) level ground. The next day, one of the tires looked flat again, so I didn't ride it anymore for a couple weeks, until my roommate had a flat as well. Then we pulled off the tires and checked them for holes. To my surprise, the tire had already been patched before, but there was no apparent leak. So I put it back on, pumped it up, and it seemed to ride fine. It still goes down over time, but it's not worth buying a new tire to me at this time. Plus, the rim's bent, so I want to replace that when I do replace the tire.

What I've discovered in the weeks since is that it's not so easy remembering how to ride a bike, or at least not a 12-speed. Austin has a large cycling population, and a variety of terrain. This means hills if you ride any distance, and negotiating them effectively on my bike means remembering which gear is good for what conditions. If you're going downhill, for instance, you need a higher gear or you end up pumping your legs too fast and wearing yourself out. Today, I made the trip to UT and back without hopping off to walk for the first time, so I guess I've got it figured out again, at last. I don't seem to remember doing much shifting on Purdue's campus, but then I'm not 21 anymore. Hopefully, it'll get easier all around as I get back in shape.