Know Your Giant

The Giant is Loaded and Ready to Go! 

I rewarded myself with a “new to me” bike when my knee was well enough to get back on the trail.  I found it totally by accident in the non-profit community bike shop. I went in to get an air pump, and there she was, calling my name, a red Giant hard tail mountain bike with disc brakes.  I tried her out. If a Vulcan mind meld was possible with a bike, I would have said that I was having one with this Giant.  I knew it was a screaming deal for a bike that I could probably never afford to purchase new, and she was in great shape.

 I am still getting used to the way she handles and shifts gears. Saturday I took her out for spin. About a block away from my favorite coffee shop the left pedal came loose and fell off. Turns out you really can’t ride a one pedaled bike. Trust me, I tried and then, I pushed it home.

I was puzzled about how to repair it at first. I am not so great with tools and usually end up breaking something or hurting myself. I combed through the mess in the garage trying to find the thing that would fix it.  I finally figured out the that I could remove a deceptive plastic cap over the offending nut, and after many tries to find the right socket wrench, alas, she was repaired.

To check the repair, I took her out for a short trail ride. The narrow, gravel trail at Foothills Park in Beaverton is not difficult or particularly long.  I reached an uphill stretch and failed to shift gears fast enough to maintain my speed, had to push about 10-15 yards.  Determined to get the timing down once I completed the loop, I decided to try it again since it wasn’t that long of a ride. This time I got the timing down and remembered which shifter did what and got up the hill without getting off the bike.

There is always something in my world that feels like a giant.  Sometimes, it’s not that the problem is so big, but that I perceive myself to be small. I have to talk myself into being as big as the problem, and constantly remind myself that there is nothing wrong with shifting gears or getting off to push while I find the right tools to remedy the situation. I try again, as there is no shame in a second ride with new knowledge on board.  

People talk about “slaying the giants” in their lives. There is value in knowing your giants before you take them on.  Spend some time considering how they operate, what worth they have in your life, and how they are best managed.  Should this giant be slain, managed, or embraced?  To find the answer, you must first know the giant well.  

Peace! lw