In which the Reluctant Cyclist gets co-ordinated

As the purple bike of doom had decided to develop chain slippage issues, I was considering whether the time had come to buy a bike I could be proud of. The Primavera cruiser which I had previously fallen for while wandering around The Bike Show, was still the prettiest bike I had seen. On chatting to the owner, Drew, it turned out that they had a demo bike which they could sell to me at a knock-down price due to being a bit second-hand.

I had fallen for the Primavera because of its smooth curves, but in all honesty it was predominantly for its colour. A summery turquoise, accessorised with white handlebar grips and saddle, what wasn’t there to love? The saddle was large and bouncy, which suited me well, as did the upright positioning of the handlebars. Before handing over the cash, I asked for an extended test ride and Lucie (your bike has a name, right, it’s not just me?) arrived, already assembled and ready to roll.

There were a few niggles that quickly became apparent needed sorting: the back brake thing stuck when used hard, and a crank needed replacing. Off Lucie went back to London for things to be sorted out. Another, more serious issues, was that my red summer jacket really didn’t co-ordinate at all with the colour of the bike.

Although I hadn’t yet paid for the bike, so it wasn’t technically mine, this didn’t stop me making a few investments. The first item that caught my eye was Cathy Bussey’s helmet.

It was a great colour match for my bicycle and therefore had to be purchased pronto. Everyone needs a helmet I decided (apart from the people who are anti-helmets), and as I’m the sort of cyclist who can fall off her bike while standing still, a helmet was obviously necessary to protect me from the harsh pavements of Cambridge.

I was also in need of some reflective whatnots to ensure I could ‘be safe’ and ‘be seen’ as the hedgehogs in the children’s adverts proclaim. Shying away from high visibility gear, on the basis that it is high visibility gear and I’m not a builder, I was very pleased to come across a coat where the reflective elements could be shown while out cycling, and hidden when going into the pub (or library).

Wandering round the Urban Bike Show I found this natty number from Water off a Duck’s Back and although it was lightweight and reflective and all sorts of other lovely things, what drew me to it was that the lining was turquoise, which of course would match the not-yet-my bike.

I turned to my chap and asked him if he thought I should buy the coat. Having not been coached in the correct answer (darling, don’t forget you have many coats including a beige trench coat already), he said ‘sure if you like it’ and so I left the bike show with one beige trenchcoat more than I actually needed. But it was a coat I didn’t need which had an all important turquoise lining.

Knowing that having everything matching would make the bike I don’t yet own look a bit like the bride’s mother at a wedding, I splashed out on a lilac-trimmed pannier bag and a polka dot seat and handlebar cover set to bring out the pink on the tyres.

Bearing in mind that I had now spend a total of £247.20 on accessories for a bike which I do not currently own and is not even in the country at the moment (due to being fixed by the Polish manufacturers), I’m wondering if I am becoming whatever the turquoise version of a shopaholic is.

I’m pretty sure I will buy the bike in the end, but for the moment my priority is finding out whether Converse do an adult version of the turquoise All Stars which my eldest daughter bought at the weekend, because, as she remarked upon her arrival home from shopping, ‘Mum, I have shoes that match your bike’, which clearly meant that I must own some too.

P.S. The lovely people at Trek sent me a bike to test this week. It is lovely, but is teal, which matches my living room but not my clothes. Whatever will I wear to ride this new beauty? First world problems!

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