Hey! If you're taking time to read this blog, I hope you're having a fantastic day!
I totally enjoyed my week at Scott's Bike Centre in Cleveland, TN!
Being in my hometown has been great since I worked with a local business and I could zip home from work for dinner with my family.
A couple nights ago, I went on the Thursday night road ride. The "road ride" takes place on the road as you might have guessed.
There are four different groups of riders, with the groups being divided by pace and number of miles they ride.
I'm not new to cycling, but I've always ridden on a paved path or on a street with no cars. The thought of riding my bicycle on a busy street was a bit unnerving, but I wasn't about to chicken out.
For my first night of riding, I rode with the "D" group. This group rides 15-20 miles and at a comfortable pace. Don't let "comfortable pace" mislead you though; I was still huffing and puffing at times and I even endured some hills!
My fellow "D-group" riders were so welcoming and helped me figure out the gears on my bike and get used to road riding. I felt so cool to finally be in a cycling group riding through a major intersection. I've always admired cyclists from afar and Thursday night, I was one of them.
Here are some highlights of my week with Scott's Bike Centre:
- Learning how to build a bike with Scottie and trying to build a bike myself
- Mountain Biking at Brush Creek
- Talking business with David Coulter, co-owner of Scott's
- Meeting Stan, a local shirt printer who made me a custom Boise St. jersey
- Thursday night road ride on Frontage Road (Cleveland, TN)
- Doing a tune-up on my friend's mountain bike
- Wearing spandex
- Putting clipless pedals on my bike (increases pedal efficiency)
- Getting some used cycling shoes to use with my new clipless pedals
So, what did I think of working at a bike shop?
I was surprised by how interesting it is to work at a bike shop! There is a lot of variety between helping customers pick out bikes and gear, building and repairing bicycles, and keeping up with the business aspect of it. I liked how I could wear casual clothes everyday and not worry about getting dirty!
Favorite Part of the week?
I definitely enjoyed both the mountain bike ride and the road ride. The group rides are seriously amazing and there is so much comraderie between all the cyclists. I loved meeting new people from my hometown and telling them about the One-Week Job Program.
Least Favorite Part of the week?
It was frustrating at times to watch the mechanics work on bikes and not be able to contribute. Since I was only there for a week, I could only learn so much about repairing bikes.
Good Experience?
This week was phenomenal and I learned a ton! I would definitely consider a job in the cycling industry!
To cap off the week...
I just returned from a 9-mile bike ride with my dad! I was dying to try my new pedals and shoes to see if I could feel the difference. I definitely felt more fast and it was nice to not have my feet flying all over the place. My dad was pedaling HARD and still had trouble keeping up. To clarify, "clipless pedals" are pedals that a rider "clips into." I know the name doesn't make sense, but trust me on this one. Scottie gave me an explanation earlier this week that got lost in the bicycle files in my mind!
The most valuable things I will take away from this week are not material; what I will treasure the most are the friendships I built
with David, Scottie, Stan, Mike, and the other people I met this week. Each person was so hospitable and taught me something I needed to learn.
It's been nice to be home for a week, but now it's time to venture out in a huge way. I'm flying out early Sunday morning to Spokane, Washington for my next job.
Until Next Time,
Kieley Best
Email me here: bestweekjob@gmail.com