Dexter's Bike Love

Dexter has a new bike!  It seems so recent that we bought him his first bike last year but he has completely out grown it...and we can't have that now can we?  He is so thrilled with his new bike.  We picked it up from the bike shop today after the l o n g e s t  3 week wait EVER for this 6 year old.  He jumped straight on it. 

Even gave me a big ole toothless grin outside the store (he's been a little self conscious about his gap since losing both top middle teeth a week apart).

We chose a front basket and waited while Adam attached it to his bike.  Then after a few minutes practice in the lane behind Cheeky Transport Dex rode his shiny new bike all the way home without a hitch!

Once home, Dex asked me to carry it up the stairs onto the deck so he could admire it and fill his new basket bag with all the necessary things.  Which appear to be:  drink bottle, bike lock, an old hooter bell, a reflective ankle band he got free from City of Sydney council sometime, his visibility vest and cycling gloves and some loose change!  This child likes to cover all his bases that's for sure.

After a couple of hours of this he proceeded to ask me every 2 minutes if we could go out for another ride.  Actually ask is a nice way of putting it.  He whined and moaned and begged and drove me up the wall.  I however have done something to my ankle - a paddock-stomping injury I sustained the other day that has suddenly become rather painful several days after the fact.  Our Xtracycle ride to Newtown to collect Dexter's bike was all my ankle could handle today so we did the only thing one can do in such a situation.   I grabbed a beer and my camera and plonked myself down on our front door step while the boys zoomed back and forth on the footpath out the front.  Really quite a pleasant way to spent the afternoon actually!
 

Dexter practiced his handle bar braking and worked hard to get out of the habit of back peddle braking which his old bike had and this one does not.  He also practiced changing gears.  Yes, his new wheels have gears.  How sophisticated is that?!

Tonight he actually sat on his stationary bike in the living room while listening to an audio story before bed.  Seriously.  It's a wonder he didn't try to take the thing to bed with him.  I'm so tickled to witness this love affair.  May your bike love only grow stronger little one. (And may my ankle feel better tomorrow so we can head out for a spin together and share the cycling love).