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Bicycle wives

Old 12-11-07, 09:44 AM
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Bicycle wives

I feel compelled to start this thread, as an ode to all bicycle wives (or partners of any description) who put up with this hobby. Having told my wife that I just spent $300 on my ebay Legnano that we didn't have, right before Christmas, what she should have done was throw shoes at me. Instead she was supportive as always and just laughed about it. She has put up with my newly acquired Italian accent with the same patience as she did my fake French accent that came with my Gitane. She puts up with late night drunken bicycle mechanics in the kitchen, and boring explanations about why I had to spend so much on the saddle. She never asks why she has to move bicycles to get into the cupboard to get the salt.

Please raise a glass to all of the patient bicycle wives!
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Old 12-11-07, 10:09 AM
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She's gotta be cheating on you.

JK!!
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Old 12-11-07, 10:09 AM
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At least she knows where the money is going and where you are.
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Old 12-11-07, 10:24 AM
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Your wife's smart...she probably figures sharing you with an Italian or French bike is less complicated than sharing you with an Italian or French woman! My wife has the same attitude.
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Old 12-11-07, 10:29 AM
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lol! I admit, my wife is pretty good about it, as well....at least to some extent....

However, ....I can't open a closet door or knee-wall opening without getting avalanched by Longaberger baskets or those fancy Lladro figurines......that stuff adds up as well haha! ;^)

...on the other hand, I can't hardly walk through my garage without banging my head on a frame or a bike hanging from the ceiling....it's a good thing my wife is only 5'2"
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Old 12-11-07, 11:20 AM
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Seems like you should reward that woman with a "new" bike this Festivus. Nothing says "I love you" like giving her something that you would have bought anyway for yourself.

My lucky gal might be getting a new 23" cyclocross bike this year.

jim
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Old 12-11-07, 11:38 AM
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my wife is somewhat supported, she is always telling me I sell or give away to many bikes to cheap or for nothing.
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Old 12-11-07, 12:20 PM
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Mine occasionally rides with me on her Paramount! Happily, she is into fitness and knows I will NEVER go to a gym. Occasionally flipping parts or parting bikes on ebay allows her to see that it is not just money poured down a rathole, but something that offers both exercise and long term appreciation!

And she is glad I am not restoring cars. Bikes are so much less expensive to work on.....
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Old 12-11-07, 12:29 PM
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Unfortunately for my wife I work on restoring both bikes AND cars!
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Old 12-11-07, 12:32 PM
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Originally Posted by ronzorini
Your wife's smart...she probably figures sharing you with an Italian or French bike is less complicated than sharing you with an Italian or French woman! My wife has the same attitude.
Good point! I remember a few months ago we were walking in the beaches and I did a double-take as a cinelli super-corsa went past. She just rolled her eyes and said "At least it's not other women!"
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Old 12-11-07, 12:32 PM
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Originally Posted by devinfan
I feel compelled to start this thread, as an ode to all bicycle wives (or partners of any description) who put up with this hobby. Having told my wife that I just spent $300 on my ebay Legnano that we didn't have, right before Christmas, what she should have done was throw shoes at me. Instead she was supportive as always and just laughed about it. She has put up with my newly acquired Italian accent with the same patience as she did my fake French accent that came with my Gitane. She puts up with late night drunken bicycle mechanics in the kitchen, and boring explanations about why I had to spend so much on the saddle. She never asks why she has to move bicycles to get into the cupboard to get the salt.

Please raise a glass to all of the patient bicycle wives!
My wife is much the same. I just bought a new (modern so not linked here) bike right before Christmas as well. In my defense I had not planned to aquire the frameset till after the holidays, but the individual whom I was buying it from wanted it out of his house and thus shipped it early. She's allowed me to take over an entire bathroom in the apartment (of only 2) for bicycle work and doesn't mind how dirty it gets as long as she can get to the linen closet. I think in the long run she likes the fact that cycling keeps me in shape, and she likes that.
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Old 12-11-07, 12:39 PM
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We just bought a house! For all you Chicagoans out there, we'll be moving from a small apt. in Wicker Park to a house in Rogers Park. Basement work shop!

After squeezing five bikes into the small apt. (two hers), she has now given me the blessing to have as many as I like! Of course, my new problem will be lack of discretionary funds, as I'm now officially house poor.
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Old 12-11-07, 12:43 PM
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my wife (god bless her) puts up with my being a vintage bikeaholic with a wry smile and
the knowledge that a) Bicycles are cheaper than maintaining a 1956 Ford F150 and b) makes me happy
(she actually said she notices how much I like working on bikes).
However she has expressed concern that one of our spare bedrooms is 90% inaccessible. One can
open the door, and walk in exactly 1 foot before having to navigate between
bikes, parts, tools and the odd piece of Dive gear covering most horizontal surfaces.

Cuda, if Mrs Cuda is that accepting I've got a lead on a nice Gazelle Baanfiets (Pista frame)

marty
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Old 12-11-07, 01:04 PM
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My wife and I talked about this fairly early in the obsession, right after I went for a long ride with my sons (20 and 17) over McKenzie Pass in the Cascades last June. As an aside, the three of us are all six feet or over, so we were all on beasts from my herd of 60-63 cm vintage steel. She told me that any hobby that makes me happy, gets me together with my boys, keeps my resting heart rate under 50 - and, costs way the hell less than golf - is fine with her.
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Old 12-11-07, 01:18 PM
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Mine supports and encourages my bike habit, too. But then, I support and encourage her Stephen Colbert and tarantula (we're up to 7 now) habits, so it kinda works out.
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Old 12-11-07, 01:32 PM
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I think mine just puts up with my bike habit. She sure doesn't understand it!
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Old 12-11-07, 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by lotek

Cuda, if Mrs Cuda is that accepting I've got a lead on a nice Gazelle Baanfiets (Pista frame)

marty
and if cuda ain't interested i may be

also, cuda...are you into mopars?
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Old 12-11-07, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by piwonka
and if cuda ain't interested i may be

also, cuda...are you into mopars?
1) Wish I could be intrested, but am interested in knowing the price regardless.

2) I'm more of a 67 Chevelle fan, but wouldn't toss a 70's 'Cuda out of my garage!
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Old 12-11-07, 02:14 PM
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My wife is very much the same, except when she's really angry at me she goes after the Colnago. With a hammer. Two sides of the same coin.....
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Old 12-11-07, 02:16 PM
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While Mrs. Stringbreaker isn't a bikeophobe she is a lover of fine sewing machines and anything to do with quilting and such. She induldges in her hobby and I in mine I don't ask how much her embroidery machine costs or the serger or the quilting machine she is saving for. Nice to have our own checking accounts and one for the household remodeling projects that way there are no arguments. I pay the house payment and the car insurance and she takes care of the utilities and groceries. Its worked that way for us for 12 years now. Oh yeah and she really likes to bike we usually ride together at least once a week for anywhere from12 to 30 miles
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Old 12-11-07, 02:46 PM
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Well, I'd better hustle in here and talk about that fine Mr. East Hill, who not only doesn't mind my bikes, but figures he'd rather have me getting an old bike every once in a while than him having to go out and spend a lot of money on jewelry or shoes and whatnot.

In return, he has a nice room set up so that he can do hand re-loading.

Oh, and when he asked whether or not I thought snakes were cool, I told him that yes, snakes were cool, and if he wanted to get one, no problem . So we have three.

Stringbreaker, tell your wife that I have an Elna from waaaay back. I love that Elna .

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Old 12-11-07, 02:55 PM
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Ms. PB not only puts up with all the bikes from the dump that then get redistributed to fellow C&Vers, she also puts up with the church. Need I say more?
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Old 12-11-07, 06:22 PM
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I had this habit, and cycling habits in general, long before I met my bethrothed. She was already a rider, and still is. One of my best training partners. She doesn't really like all of the bikes in the garage, and I have agreed to start reducing the herd. I think I'm gonna tear down about one of hers for three of mine...
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Old 12-11-07, 06:27 PM
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We have a tacit understanding.

I'm a bike nut. Mrs. Caloso is an oenophile. I don't say anything when the big brown truck arrives with a case from Sonoma or Paso Robles. She doesn't say anything when it arrives with a box from Nashbar/Harris/Velo-Orange or some town in Holland.
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Old 12-11-07, 06:27 PM
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East Hill: The Mrs. is strictly into the new computer controlled stuff. She can take a picture and digitize it into a pattern and then program what colors she needs then it downloads to the machine and away it goes. Pretty cool. She can do all this really neat stuff but when I need a pair of pants hemmed or a buttons sewn on it takes forever. I'm not complaining though she puts up with me and thats a good thing
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