So we went from box to parts to bike…
July 6, 2010, 10:50 PM
So I finally finished the birthday present process. My parents got me an exercise bike for my birthday, and the monthlong process of actually getting it ready for use is finally complete. It wasn’t supposed to take a month, but you know how things happen. But yeah, about a month ago, we ordered the exercise bike from Sears – a ProForm recumbent cycle. A couple of hours later, it was ready for pickup at the Sears in White Oak.
As a side note, by the way, the Sears in White Oak is the biggest Sears store I’ve ever seen, and the only standalone Sears I’ve ever seen. It’s got a footprint the size of a large grocery store, and it’s two stories. If that building used to be something else, I would be surprised, because it looks like your typical mall-based Sears with multiple exterior entrances, but without the mall attached to it.
So I headed over to Sears, and picked the thing up. The gentleman in the store helped me get it in the car (it’s things like this that make me glad I have a station wagon), and I took it home. However, getting this massive thing up the stairs was another issue altogether. But I somehow managed, and ended up with this:
Getting that monster up the stairs was a workout in itself.
Then came the procrastination. That box managed to stay in my living room like that for about three weeks. I generally hate having to look at work that needs to be done, and that thing stuck out like a sore thumb, so to speak. Perhaps the biggest inspiration to get the thing put together, though, was Caitlin from work. She stayed on my case about it until I got it put together. I said I was going to put the thing together on July 4, and so on July 4, I unboxed the bike. I had all the parts out of the box and spread across the living room:
So I sat down amongst the parts with the instructions, and my screwdriver set. Step one: Find magic hat. Step two: Repeat magic words, “Hocus pocus alimagocus!” Success at last!
Oh, if only it were that simple. No, I read that bloody instruction manual, and found out to my dismay that I needed a wrench, which I didn’t have. And the first step required the use of that bloody wrench, too, so there was no way I could fudge it. So that shot that, since it was already late in the day, and places like to close early on the Fourth of July (after all, the beer won’t drink itself).
The next day, I bought an adjustable wrench. And then two hours later, we ended up with this:
Yaaaay!
I also figured out where the thing is going, since it certainly wasn’t staying where it was in that picture, right in the middle of the living room. I put it near the bookshelf, next to the couch, and facing the television. See, I figure that if I’m going to do this, I should be able to watch television while I do, especially since I pay for basic cable and barely watch it, except for the news some mornings. Then I also adjusted the length to fit my legs. Not too far, and not too close, either.
Now I just have to get some “D” batteries for the console, and we’re in business. I expect that I will take it for a spin tomorrow (Wednesday) after work. I had Left of the Dial (a documentary about Air America Radio) going while I put the bike together, so I figure that will be what I watch for the maiden voyage.
And if all goes well, with exercising as well as watching my sugar intake, hopefully you’ll see a slimmer and fitter Schumin over time…
Web site: This is what I got: the ProForm 10.8x Recumbent Exercise Bike from Sears
Song: "Gonna Have A Good Time Tonight" by The Dancing Brothers, in A Folky Tale
Quote: And of course, I love what I said on Facebook about having put it together: "Ben Schumin got the exercise bike together. I think that took like two hours to do. So, to Caitlin: *THBBBBBBT*. I have photographic proof, which I will post later." I know, very mature of me, but it felt good. But Caitlin, in her own way, got me to get off my can and actually assemble the blasted thing, so that's a win there.
Categories: Furniture