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All's well that ends well

Well as it turns out, I got the new bike after all. It seems the owner(s) finally resolved enough of their legal issues to at least sell off their remaining inventory of show bikes, and I was fortunate enough to be offered one.

I even got a better deal than originally expected, as this bike included handle bars, stem and saddle (which the original deal did not), saving me an additional $200+. I did have to buy two water bottle cages, a new seat bag (for spare tube, CO2 cartridges and a tire iron), and a new mount for my Garmin GPS, but those were cheap in comparison.

And on top of that I should be able to get at least $500 for the race wheels that came with the bike, bringing my net cost down to under $2,500. I did buy a set of training wheels for about $200 as a replacement.

The only issues being, the bike is sold as is, i.e. no warranty or liability protection, but hey, what fun is life, if you can't live it on the edge. :) Plus the color scheme wasn't my first choice, but I am growing fonder of it by the hour, and it does color coordinate better with most of my riding apparel.

So I spent all day yesterday installing the miscellaneous stuff, and making the necessary adjustments for this mornings shake down cruise. Things were looking good, but as I've come to expect, nothing is ever perfect.

The fog this morning was intense, and the roads were extremely wet, so there was no way I was going to take my new bike out in that kind of weather. Instead I went to the gym, and waited for the sun to come out, after which I was able to get in about 11 miles, including a short hill and a few overpasses.

I didn't get the amount of miles I was hoping for, but it was enough to get a feel for the bike, and make sure everything was working properly. And I have to say I was impressed. It was stiff, yet comfortable and handled the rough roads better than the Specialized.

I can't wait for tomorrow's ride.

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Larry Henry said…
My brother was diagnosed with MCL three years ago and initially was totally distressed. He found a natural health program, Dr. Day's, and has had a great life since then, three years since diagnosis and counting.
Marc, is there a way my brother or I can contact you? He and you have a lot in common.
Larry
3:30 AM
Linda B said…
I just found your blog while searching info on MCL. This is all new to me, my first oncology appt is Monday. Two reasons for commenting to you: (1) my husband is Big into cycling, President of a local road race team, been riding/racing since he was 15 (long time) (2) I've been on disability for workers comp injury/ chronic pain for 10 years now. Not to scare you, but it took 6 years for me to get SSDI. Just so you know, they always deny the first application - standard procedure unless you're a quadrapelegic or something. However, with medical evidence and an oncologist behind you, you may do better than I did. Get a Lawyer to file the appeal, it's really the only way to get through to a judge who can approve your disability claim.

Now, the company disability is a completely different animal. Depending on the insurance contract, your claim and verification from your doctor should put your disability pay through after your waiting period (mine was 6 months). So for 2 years from then you should receive your money without any huge problems. However, after two years they might stop payments - it depends... Did you contribute to the disability insurance premiums at work? If yes, then you are in a much better position to receive continued payments for as long as is deemed necessary by your doctors. If the insurance was provided 100% as a benefit, you don't have as many rights. I can tell you more, since I went through this from 2004-2006. I hope this info, and any I can provide in the future, will help see you through this frustration with less stress.

I hope I don't have MCL, I'm suspicious of the diagnosis without other evidence to point to that, but if I do, it's good to know I can check in with you now and then on the journey....
Best Wishes,
Linda
7:49 AM
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