Today I started a new chapter on what I hope to be a healthier lifestyle.
Since I got married for the second time in 2000, and shortly after gave up smoking, that I started to put on weight, eventually I stopped “enlarging” around 2003, but now that my kids are growing, I don’t want them to see me as a fat blob and think it’s ok, so I decided to get on a routine, more healthy eating habits and to bike the 1.7 miles to work and back every day.
Now, of course this is England, so it means .. I got a short window of time of when I can do it, but hopefully I can make the most of it.
Amazingly enough, it took me just 13 minutes this morning to bike the distance to work, I arrived with my legs feeling like bricks and my lungs were feeling as if I had smoke a pack of cigarettes one one go, but still, it was quite easier than I tough.
The bike I bought is called a “Skedaddle Montana Cruiser” .. funny story there also, I had seen a bike like this for sale used on ebay, but was missing the rear rack, so I decided to look who the manufacturer was and try to get a new one, after searching for a week and calling every major bike shop in the UK I finally found out the manufacturer of these bikes was called “Cycle Citi” and their warehouse and offices went up in flames last year.
yeah, it’s funky looking, thats why I love it
Decided to dig a bit more and eventually I was able to find their new site and phone, after a bit of sweet talking on the phone, I managed to convince them to sell me one of the bikes they had salvage from the fire (they put some of their stock that didn’t burn on a warehouse in Wales).
I drove tot he warehouse and was quite shocked, allot of the boxes were pitch black from the ashes of the fire, but luckily the bike I wanted was on a separate section that was undamaged.
So long story short, I now no longer need to drive 45-60 minutes to Manchester every day, I can just take a leisurely stroll on a fairly flat route to work, and try t get a little bit in shape in the process .. I dont know what I will do in the winter, I will try a raincoat .. see how it works 🙂
Thanks for posting up the legend of the Skedaddle Montana Cruiser and a snap shot. I’m looking to soup up my Skedaddler (looks extactly like yours..same color..no rack though:( And now I know where to search for parts. LOVE IT!!! So does half of London,it seems. Always getting hot comments on it from everybody walking by,to drive bys. Keep on cruising!! I bet you look (and Feel) fab from it!!! I certainly do. Once I hit that saddle, I Can’t go back to tubing it to work, like a rat in a tunnel.
It is an amazing bike, you simply cannot find anything that looks and rides as nice.
A few days back, I left it at the office, and while at home, I took my wife’s bike on a quick trip to the corner store and I could not believe how horrible it was, I am so used to the big wide handlebars and the tick tires, that stepping into a Hybrid just made me miss my Skeedaddle so much.
Love it, it’s a great bike.
i have a skeedaddle green and white its brill loven it only thing is finding parts ,mudgaurds are missing is there anybody there now were i can find dealer please help thanks graham. grahamvannes@hotmail.com i have been seaching for months.
I also have a green and white Skedaddle, a hand-me-down from friend. I have so fallen on love with it after 3000 miles of daily use around London last year that I’m taking it on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim route, 750 kms over the Pyrenees this year. If anyone hears of any other Skeddadles for sale or how to get hold of the company that made them, perhaps you’d be kind enough to let me know (My research skills are evidently not as good as NullMind’s!) paulblezard(at)mac.com
I’ve had mine since just after the fire, it was still sooty when I bought it from a shop in Algate but otherwise perfect.
Had to get the mudguards from a warehouse store in SW London the rack didn’t have the correct fittings though.
It’s been in a head on crash with a moving car, had to have replacement forks (chunky mountain bike ones) but did more damage to the car than me or itself.
I ride around East London on it everyday as a community nurse, constantly get comments from people who love it and they laugh at the mix of old (bike) and modern magnetic dynamos.
I just laugh at how they all think it’s so old when I know it’s less than 10.