i finally bought myself a new bicycle!

i was finally able to use my groupon deal for local bicycle shop bicycleSPACE today. back in july i stopped in to see about maybe getting my hand-me-down bike fixed up, and the day after i stopped in they had a groupon deal where you could either pay $40 and get $80 towards bike maintenance, or pay $80 and get $200 towards a new bicycle. i did the math and for about $50 more out of pocket than a full tune-up i’d be able to get a whole new bike with some features i wanted included. each time i wanted to stop in and use it, though, something always came up – either i didn’t have the money, or i wasn’t able to stop in, etc.

the other day i saw that they were going to be doing a morning yoga class this morning that was open to all, whether you were a beginner or were advanced. the bonus was that all attendees would get a coupon for 15% off merchandise, or 10% off a new bike. so, i woke up early and headed there to contort myself for discounts, haha.

i woke up around 7:40, showered and had breakfast. i had signed up for uber when i found out they were starting in dc, and i was able to add a promo code to my account for $15 off my first uber ride, so i figured i’d use that to go to the bicycle shop this morning because why would i want to ride my own bike there if i was going to be riding a different bike back home? unfortunately, when i checked to see about having the car pick me up i found out that the closest car was about 25 minutes away, and that’s about how much time i had until the yoga class started, so i just started walking. i ended up walking to the closest capital bikeshare station, paid $7 to rent a bike for 24 hours, and biked the next 3 miles or so to bicycleSPACE.

i got there late (not only did i leave the house later than i expected and didn’t get to the bikeshare station until about 8:50, but i had to keep detouring around construction as i neared the shop) and they were already in the middle of the yoga class. not only was i a beginner, i was the beginner. me, three ladies, and the instructor. i grabbed one of the mats they had and after watching for a few minutes i joined in and i think i did pretty well for monkey-see-monkey-doing my way through the class. i talked with the instructor afterwards about how i heard that yoga would help with core strength and she gave me some tips and recommended a dvd (it’s titled yoga for weight loss, but she said “it’s not really about the weight loss, it just gives a great introduction to all the poses and alignments, so it’s a great video to watch if you’re just starting”).

they do the yoga classes during the week on monday nights at the bike shop, and all of their yoga classes are donation-based with the money going to local bike advocacy groups. i had been meaning to stop in to give it a try earlier, but i never did. they were trying yoga classes on saturday mornings this month to see how popular they might be. they do other classes there as well: there’s a flat-tire repair and maintenance class on tuesday and thursday nights, social rides usually on thursday nights (though that might have just been in the spring and summer, i’m not sure), and rides organized on the weekend to explore the city.

i shopped afterwards and picked out my bike – i had done my homework to see what brands and models they carried, and since i wasn’t looking for anything fancy but wanted something with fenders and a carrier it looked like the jamis commuter 1 would suit me perfectly. there’s a cul-de-sac just down the street from the shop where you can take the bike on a test ride, so i rode it around for a little while and it felt so much nicer than my existing bike. rode it back to the shop and they had the mechanics give it a once-over to make sure it’s in good shape while i checked out the accessories. i didn’t see anything that i wanted i could afford right now. i’d like to get better lights for my bike rather than these tchotchke front and rear lights i got at the capital bikeshare birthday party a few months ago – they’re just good enough to let people know there’s someone out biking in the darkness, but they don’t do much to light up the path in front of me. unfortunately, the light i liked was $60, but wow, was it bright!

i didn’t get the 10% discount off the bike (the coupon they gave us said 5% off, but i didn’t even get that discount… maybe it couldn’t be combined with the groupon, i don’t know), but i don’t really mind considering i was getting an incredible deal anyway – normally the bike was $400, and with my groupon it was only $200. so, 50% off! even if you add in the cost of my groupon it’s still 30% off the price. maintenance is included for the first year, too.

now to figure out how to make a few modifications to my bike: i’d like to add my water bottle carrier and figure out the best way to carry my lock and how to secure my saddle so nobody steals it. it doesn’t even have a kickstand!