#Does onyer how to

Most roads and cycle tracks may look reasonably level but they hide secret gradients that only become apparent as your peddling becomes less effective. My second important discovery is that the world isn’t flat. Do they work on the same basis as my car? You know, second for going uphill and fourth or fifth when cruising along. Once I got going, things were not too bad until I realised, I had gears. I am sure the neighbours were much amused. Getting on, pushing off and starting to pedal in the required direction involves a level of multitasking that initially deserted me. I can balance and move my legs on the pedals for forward propulsion but I soon discovered that I had forgotten some of the finer details such as getting on and off Sheila with any, well not even grace, but just efficiency.

#Does onyer how to

And time for me to prove that ‘it really is like riding a bike’.Īnd let me tell you that yes, I can remember how to ride a bike.

So, a few weeks ago it was time for Sheila’s virgin voyage. I bought myself a helmet, which apparently goes with Sheila’s old-fashioned vibe but makes me look like a geriatric World War Two German soldier. So, she lives in my office where she makes my heart sing and gets in my way. I love her so much that I cannot bear to store her in the shed, with the lawnmower, old tins of paint and a clatter of spiders. Best of all, she has a big, fat, wide-ass saddle.

She is a soft mint green, is elegant and has a gorgeous, large, old-fashioned bell and a basket. The bike came as part of my granddaughter’s baggage allowance and it was my daughter’s idea to bring it with them from their home in Perth, as my Christmas present.Īs I type, Sheila (well, what else would I call her) is parked behind me. I can hear you mutter about air miles and carbon emissions and all that.

I never anticipated that the bike of my dreams would in fact materialise at Dublin Airport just before Christmas, having made the journey from Western Australia.