Following my crazy work schedule, which means long working hours and non-stop meetings – including after 5pm, commitment to going to the gym becomes impossible. Plus, going to the gym quickly gets pretty boring if you do not have a workout buddy.
Why struggle to keep up when you can have fun with an alternative, uh?!
That is how I got on a bike!
If you read my last post, I talked about all the cool stuff I intend to do this year – if you haven’t read it, here you go!
Getting started with biking in Kampala
I was impatient to get started biking, and obviously naive about this whole biking thing, so I went to Game Stores and bought what I thought was a great bike, a Totem XC330 – Ya, it didn’t work for me. It cost me about 650,000Ugx
Here is why;
- It has an ancient gear system – this made my riding harder. The climbs were a nightmare since the gears wouldn’t shift smoothly
- It felt weak – I was always scared going downhill, that any moment the frame would break and that would be the end of me.
- It had an old braking system – Yeah, I learnt about this when I started riding. You need disc brakes for better safety.
On the other hand, however, It was a green beauty.
Fast forward, I sold it and bought a second-hand Boss Convert, it is an entry-level Mountain bike but it has the bells and whistles one needs to get started. I had to do a few customizations to it, mainly changing the gear system. I wasn’t comfortable with the grip shifter so I replaced them with numbered push shifter. Oh! I also changed the seat. The original Boss seat was too small and too hard on my fragile pelvic bone. I had to replace that with an aftermarket seat that is more comfortable. All this cost me about 440,000Ugx
First thing you should always do after getting a bike is service it – as a matter of fact, service your bike as often as need be. I service mine on a monthly basis because I only take it out four times a month.
This last time, however, the freewheel hub had its own issues. These are some of the things that you need to get fixed to get a smooth ride.
I ride with a group of awesome people every Sunday morning for an exciting 20Kms, which are either around Kampala or the Lake Side along L. Victoria. I shall be posting about the rides including the falls that I have had in the last couple of rides. Nothing to worry about it, nothing was broken only bruised body parts. But where is the fun without a few falls?
Yeah, this was last Sunday where I had a fall that had me all covered in dust.
Till later have a great one.
