Back to the bike…

Whew…my life has almost, but not quite, returned to normal. I’ll have a few further hip updates, but hopefully I won’t have much more to say about it.
This is the third day I’ve ridden my bike and I’ve had only one small problem. Okay, two. As I mentioned in my last hip update I was doing my laundry on Tuesday and hoping to take a ride once I was done and before the sun went down.
I did. It was great.
I did my favorite ‘easy ride.’ That is, down to Ala Moana Beach Park from Makiki where I live. Then I follow the shore as I head west through the park, through Kakaako Waterfront Park, and on to Chinatown. Then I head back through downtown along Hotel St, through the capitol district, and on home. It’s about 10 miles all in all and takes about an hour as it’s a city ride and I obey traffic stops and such, not to mention all the stops to see the sites. Like this one at the shore:

I didn’t have any trouble during the ride with my hip. In fact I only noticed that I needed to take care with my other leg as I felt a bit of a twinge in my right knee. This is nothing new and generally isn’t a problem as I ride more and more often.
The next day, Wednesday, I rode my first commute to work and…first problem! I ride on Brooks B-17 saddles which I find wonderful for all around riding. I use them for commuting, long rides, and touring. they are on all my bikes. They aren’t ‘cushy’ by any means, but do support me very well when I need support.
After six weeks off the bike, and and big plush saddles when I did my stationary riding, I could definitely tell that my own saddle was not quite up to par. Yeah, that’ll take a few days of riding before I’m completely comfortable again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really not bad…just noticeable.
The other problem I had was a front tire flat. When I left work yesterday I discovered that my front tire was completely flat. The only thing I can figure is that I left the presta valva open when I pumped up the tire on Tuesday. Luckily I had everything I need to swap tubes and get home. I haven’t looked into it more, but things were fine this morning on my third day of riding.
The best thing I’ve noticed so far? Even before surgery I could ride my bike, right up till the week before surgery when it became just too painful to get on and off the bike. I could still ride, but I simply couldn’t mount or dismount.
Today? I can get on and off with no trouble at all. Swinging my leg up causes no pain at all in my hip. That’s a biggie for me. A real biggie.
I know this sounds manini, after all I’m only riding to and from work for the most part so far, but darn it, to me it’s huge! Yes!
Aloha