After wanting a bicycle for the longest time, I got for myself one yesterday. It’s a B-Twin Elops 3, has a 5 speed gear and it has a dynamo light in front of it which I thought was really functional. At about 200 euro, I thought that it was quite expensive compared to the ones I see sold in Singapore, but I guess it’s the standard here.
It’s been a while since the last time that I’ve been cycling but it’s a skill that you never lose. In no time at all, I was up and around the neighbourhood. It’s really nice being able to reach a place in just a few minutes compared to probably 3 times longer when you’re on foot.
But the thing that I didn’t expect was how my neighbourhood is full of slopes which can be quite tiring when you’re going uphill. You don’t feel it so much when you’re walking leisurely. But I felt it today! My thighs are surely going to be sore tomorrow. At this point of time, I don’t feel too confident of straying too far away from my neighbourhood much less even think of joining a duathlon.
The bicycle that I have is a women’s version – the crossbar is lower so that the woman could cross her legs over daintily and wear a skirt if she fancied. But I noticed that on my bicycle, you need to pedal more compared to a regular bicycle. And considering that it’s a women’s bike, it’s quite heavy at 17 kg. I don’t trust leaving it outside and lifting it up the stairs is a bit of a pain since it doesn’t fit in the elevator. I’ll just think of it as a form of strength exercise.
Nevertheless, I’ve been looking around for panniers which I think would be extremely useful for carrying things, like grocery shopping. Quite by chance, I found these :
Isn’t it absolutely gorgeous? In a sea of industrial looking pannier bags, these look so feminine and charming. It also comes in blue and black, as well as other designs but I find the red one particularly striking.
This bag is from a company in the Netherlands called Basil and they specialise in bicycle assortment from bicycle baskets, bags to accessories.
From the site, I also found side-bags which doubles up as regular shoulder bags. There is a hidden flap in each one which reveals a hook which you attach to your carrier.
I think it’s a genius idea and I wouldn’t mind getting one of that. It looks roomy enough for me to stuff a lot of things inside.
And there is also the milk-basket which gives you the convenience to put which ever bags and items you want in. And it still looks cute.
Which one would you get? At first I wanted the pannier, then I thought the bag would be great, then the basket … I can’t make up my mind!
Nevertheless, anything that is imported from outside Italy, almost always costs a bomb with the additional tax and whatnots so it’ll have to wait for a while …
What cute bags! Now that I’m getting comfortable on my bike, I’m thinking I should start using it for commuting (though that’d be a bit of a long ride, I think almost an hour), or at least for running errands. Having storage like that on my bike just might be enough motivation to make me do so!
Hi Margaret! They are so cute aren’t they? I still can’t choose which one to get … hahaha … Anyway, I think you could get them from the states. I’m sure that there are several retailers there. I was popping in your blog for a bit and wow, I’m so impressed that you’re doing triathlons!