Gearing up for summer

Summer's coming! Summer's coming!

Last summer, I stocked up majorly on bikinis and sort of wasted the summer away by the pool. This summer, I'm on a concerted effort to take more advantage of LA and be more active. This includes the following activities that I've been wanting to do for a really long time but being lazy kind of interfered:

• Skating along Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu
• Hiking with Romeo
• Bicycling at Griffith Park, the Rose Bowl, and along the Pacific Coast

The first two I've always wanted to do but hadn't gotten around to doing. The third idea came from wanting to eventually bicycle through various parts of Europe, like bicycling through Tuscany or the French countryside or along the Danube.

All this, of course, means buying new gear. I have really cheap rollerblades (in-line skates, whatever) - the bearings are crap and the wheels are pretty small so there was never going any faster than 5 mph even with all the effort in the world. A better set of bearings would have cost more than the skates themselves. I gave my old bicycle away awhile ago because it was a heavy mountain bike and I hadn't used it in three or four years. So after thorough research and trying stuff on and everything, K2 seems to be the company of choice for my new blades and bicycle.

Here's what I'm planning to get:

K2 Athena 6.1

So the company also gives a portion of the proceeds to a breast cancer charity, which is nice, but the main reasons I've chosen to get this skate are:

• Soft boot construction and high breathability will keep my feet more comfortable
• There's a quick lace system which I really liked in the store
• High quality bearings and larger wheels make for a faster ride
• It's cute but not too strangely flashy

It's a lot pricier than what I was hoping to spend, but sometimes, you really do just get what you pay for. I was considering the Athena 2.1, but it doesn't have the quick lace system, the bearings aren't as good, and it wasn't as cute. Other brand ones didn't have all the features that drew me to this skate, so I guess this is it!

K2 T:Nine Whirlwind

Well, I decided that I wanted a road bicycle since I have never gone trail riding in my life and I don't think I want to start. I'm probably giving in to the hype a little about the K2 T:Nine line of bicycles being designed specifically for women by women, but I went to REI with Joel to check this bicycle out. I sat on another bicycle next to this one - a Novara Carema, which Joel said was a nicer bicycle. It was - better shifters and better seat were the two things I noticed, though Joel said it had better tires and rims as well. But the K2 Whirlwind just felt like it fit better. In particular, the handlebars on the K2 were smaller, and I could reach the brakes more easily (a definite plus!). The difference in shifters and seat and tires and whatever were probably worth the $300 difference in the two bicycles, but I'm not at the level where an upgrade in shifters is going to affect me much and changing out the handlebars would have been a big hassle and expense for a beginner like me. Plus the K2 Whirlwind has cute hibiscus flowers on it.

I've already started on hiking with Romeo. Hopefully I'll get started on the other two once I get the gear. The goal: a less lazy Tina!