Rats!
 

I'm off work all next week. My plan was to build up my new recumbent frameset and take it on it's maiden group ride next Friday. Unfortunately, Jessie at the Hostel Shoppe just informed me that it hasn't even left the Rans factory yet. It still has to go to Stevens Point, Wisconsin and then back to me. Riding that bike next Friday isn't going to happen. RATS!

I was hopeing that some single recumbent experience wpul;d make me a more confident tandem captain. Now it's looking to me like the tandem may be ready to ride first.

Things don't always work out the way we would like, does it.
That's especially true in politics.

Does your local Wal-Mart have any of these in stock? Run out and get one to practice on.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10983235
Give it to Goodwill for a tax deduction when you have the real deal up and running.

With all the recent purchases, could a short-term ownership of a used 'bent be out of the question? Buy it for a good price, ride it until you get your red one built up and then flip it for even money. With a week off coming up, it must at least be tempting....huh? :innocent:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/bik/1638345864.html

That wally mart looks good:innocent:

You might have to change a few items- change the wheels so they would last a 10 mile ride- drivetrain could be bettered but for a short term you could replace as it breaks- suspension unit is probably terrible but as you would only have it for a month or so- just set it to give minimal bounce and it would be ridable for short distances. But just look at the colour of it.

So you have a choice- Wait a bit longer for the bike to arrive or Get a wally mart. I'd wait.

Just plan out the space for assembling it when your new one does arrive. Might even require that you clear out the shed for storage of it- and clearing the shed or garage would take me a week- and that would only be sorting the stuff to save.

Cleaning out the bike cave/ workshop is a possibility. As you mentioned, that can eat up any amount of time. It just comes down to how much sorting of all my old bits and pieces I decide to do.

Another likely project is designing and building a workstand for recumbent bikes. I have a general idea in my mind, I need to refine it a little and figure how to store it so it won't be in the way when I'm not using it. Unfortunately, I'm thinking that I really need the bikes to look at and measure before I can finalize the design.

Finally I have a group of 50+ friends who do a 30 to 40 mile ride every Friday morning that the weather's fit. Since the long range forecast for next Friday is excellent, I'd really like to do that ride with them while I'm off. I may test my elbow early next week with a couple of my remaining conventional bikes and see how much riding I think that I can tolerate. Maybe one of them won't feel too bad.

Acquiring a "temporary" bike is thinking outside of the box. I like that. Unfortunately I can't bring myself to embracing that Wally World thing and spending $1,500 for a temporary bike doesn't really feel right to me either. I'll wait - it'll probably only be another week or two.