So I had a custom bike built just for me by a master frame builder. A bike that isn’t just a piece of steel, it is an extension of my body. In that bike are the years of experience from a man who has built a thousand bikes. Its form and function are flawless, no detail was overlooked. And I have to say…I love her. She is the most beautiful bike I have ever seen.

I had the privilege of learning about colors and components, and lots about accessories like bottle cages  from the builder and my imaginary internet friends both here and on Facebook. And I want to thank you all for your expertise and patience with explaining things to me. You are the best. Yesterday, I got my finished bike. And again, I got to sit down with this incredible human being that is Bill Davidson. He put my bike on the trainer and I started riding. It fit me perfectly. The only thing that needed adjusting was the handlebars. Bill (yes he fit my bike himself) had me grab for the brakes like I needed to make a very quick stop. Then he adjusted the handlebars so that there was no wasted efficiency of motion for that maneuver.

In a few weeks, I will go back in to learn how to disassemble and pack it and reassemble it when I get to my destination. For right now though, I am just going to ride it for a few weeks. Today I take my first ride, my 20 mile commute to work for a meeting and then I get to ride back home. Fortunately, it is going to be one of those rare “not rainy” Seattle winter days.

In June I will start a 15 month long sabbatical. I am giving up everything I own including my apartment. I will be homeless by choice. My bike and I are going to travel. I am going to do a system reboot of my whole life. One chapter, the chapter of the married, suburban housewife raising kids is over. Gone is the last 6 years of divorce and struggle to pay off debt. My bike is a symbol of freedom and the start to the last third of my life. I will be 50 years old in September and hopefully cycling around Europe. For me, right now, I am undefined.

I travel a lot for business as well as pleasure. And there have been many times I have wished for a bike to travel with me but can’t justify the $100 charge one way for the airline fees to bring a bike with me. So, I am chatting with VaughnA and he mentions that because I have a steel bike, I could retrofit it with S&S couplers. After researching, several people had told me the best place for that in Seattle was at Elliott Bay Cycles.

So yesterday I went in there with one main question: was it better to retrofit my frame or was there any way possible to get a frame with them already built in? I knew I couldn’t afford a custom Davidson bike but was hoping to find one in the shop that I could get reasonably discounted.

I walked into Elliott Bay Bicycles and there was only one gentleman in there. I asked him about S&S couplers. He spent an hour talking to me about frames and components, asking me about what I wanted to accomplish with the bike, what kind of budget I could spend, and many more questions. He also gave me great feedback on what he thought about putting couplers on my bike or just building new.

At the end of the conversation, he said…”I make these bikes and sign my name to them, I don’t usually sell them…give me a couple of days to come up with an idea for you and we will go from there”. Wow, just freaking wow. I was talking to Bill Davidson himself. What an absolute honor and privilege to get an hour of his knowledge and insight into frame building. This guy owns a shop that sells bikes that can cost as much as $15,000 and he didn’t even chuckle at what I said my top budget was. What a fantastic human being. I left there happy for the experience but I still didn’t believe he could make a bike for me at the price I could afford.

So today, he quotes me a price that is completely within my budget. After about an hour of disbelief, I took the plunge…I went to the shop with my old bike, he took measurements, he talked to me and listened to my dreams and goals for cycling, he watched me ride, he didn’t make fun of my inexperience or belittle my goals. He understood my love of cycling and my belief that bikes have souls.

And then he made me pick out a color. And now, in a few weeks, I will have a custom built Davidson bike. I am still in shock. I keep wanting to pinch myself for fear I have woken up in someone else’s life. This kind of thing doesn’t ever happen to me.

The experience of a custom bike is different from anything else I have ever done in my life. It is totally worth every dime of the money you will spend. And I am saying that without even having the bike yet.