Me and My Bike... A Love Story

Last Wednesday I got reality handed to me in the form of a sprained ankle. Apparently running a 5K, biking 8 miles, then trying to play 3 hours of a sport I haven't played in a decade was a bit too much for my ligaments. After 4 days of intense RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) I'm back on my feet (without a limp). Today was the first day I've been back on my bike since Wednesday and MAN it felt good!!! So I figured I'd take a moment to tell you all about me and my bike...

It all began the spring of 2009. I had moved to Charlotte, North Carolina that year and was starting graduate school. I happened to live an awkward distance from school, you know, when you're too far to walk but too close to drive. So i decided to get a bike. I found a decent "hybrid" on Craigslist for $50 but upon examining the bike a week later, was able to haggle the guy down to $35. I occasionally rode the bike but really never used it as much as I had planned. 

Fast forward to 2013. For some reason, one Saturday... I decided to ride my bike to work and it was MISERABLE. I was horribly out of "biking" shape, NYC drivers are MEAN, and it turns out there is a whole neighborhood named Park Slope because it's on a huge, steep slope... but I had never put that all together. Long story short, I hated it! But for some reason... I did it again the next day, and the next. I also started realizing that even though the subway is much cheaper than my car was... riding my bike is FREE!!!! Half of my commute is also through park. Most New Yorkers barely get to see a park once a week and I get to see everything blooming twice a day. These days the only reason I take the subway to work is if I'm forced too because of an after work commitment, OR if I have a sprained ankle (although I think riding my bike would have been better than hobbling the 1/2 mile to the subway). 

My bike is very old, it has shocks that are completely rusted, brakes that function when they feel like it, 6 gears: 4 of which work but you never really know which one you're using, tires that have to be refilled every other day, and handle bars that have rusted into a very odd angle. But... it cost me $35 so getting the $75 tune up that it needs is out of the question. When I heard through the grapevine that I might be getting a new bike for my birthday (June)... I had very mixed feelings. I've come to love my heavy rusted chunk of steel but, at the same time, am very excited about the prospect of an upgrade. 

Apparently a "hard tail 26er" is what the bike shop dudes think will be best... I don't know what this means but apparently it has wheels that can handle trails OR roads (a must) and brakes that work. So I'm sold. Any advice from the bikers out there?