GEAR DOWN... is a unicycle Gearing Down enough?

my older son Dean is turning 9 this week
WOW!

all those things people say are true... it does move fast
this long tall drink of water was once so small I could cradle him in my arms
no look at him...
finishing third grade and starting fourth!

with birthdays come birthday presents
when asked what Dean wanted we got a list
on that list were a number of things
a unicycle was on this list

this list was not a first draft... this was something that had taken some consideration
the unicycle was a item that appeared an multiple drafts and the subject of a few conversations
so... Lisa and I respected his list and decided that a unicycle was a solid option for his birthday present

are you sure... a unicycle?

what parent would not have their doubts of this being a sensible purchase

but... alas... I must respect his desires instead of putting a rational parental spin on things
after all... I was proven wrong that the pogo stick for Christmas was in fact just a novelty or a toy that would be played with once
the pogo sticks come out and get solid use when we go out back into the alley with the neighbors
kids go between the bikes and the pogo sticks
the kids line up and take their turns

who would have thunk it?
pogo sticks?

so... it was agreed that we would get Dean a unicycle for his birthday
usually Lisa handles anything with deadlines
but... when it comes to bikes or bike related purchases... that is my domain
which meant I had to take action before the birth date rather than at my leisure


ah... planning ahead

there was some preliminary email correspondence with Sarah and Jonathan at
The Family Bike Shop to see if they could order the unicycles
as it turns out... The Family Bike Shop has some unicycles in stock

there was some online research... well... two paragraphs from three web sites on unicycles pointed me what size wheel to select for my tall for his age son who is about to turn nine
Jonathan at The Family Bike Shop was not in disagreement with the wheel size selection... but thinking back I am not sure if he would have thought the smaller size would make more sense for learning

http://familybikeshop.com/


I went with the 20" wheel rather than the smaller size... hopefully it is not too big to learn on
so often I get bothered by parents buying bicycles so large that their kids can grow into them
I wondered if I was buying flipper size shoes for my son when I should just buy the shoe in his exact size

in addition to my online research I consulted a WABA Staff member on the correct sizing
in mixing and mingling at various cycling related functions I learned that
as it turns out Greg of WABA has a uni-cycling background
which has me thinking it would be nice to have him come by and assist in our efforts to figure this stuff out
I approached Greg the other day and got confirmation that he would be willing to share his knowledge
when I saw him I ended up getting interviewed by Local Fox News on the topic of Fenty's Stolen Bike
sorry if I stole your sound byte

so... it was decided
I would be buying two unicycles from The Family Bike Shop in Crofton
the timing was perfect
I would grab the unicycles and get some stuff for the John Eaton Bike Swap that same day

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/2010/06/bike-swap-success.html

at The Family Bike Shop I got some tubes, tires, safety flags, bells, and UNICYCLES
it was very exciting
so exciting that I had a hard time keeping the secret from my son that I had bought him the unicycle
on top of that.... I had a hard time helping my boys keep the secret from me

I tried to make things fun for the boy
I got Lisa in on the game
young Grant hinted about a gift while we were on the topic of unicycles
he thought he was being vague
which he was... but then Dean tried to bust him on that while risking busting the surprise

I hid the adult unicycle in the closet and had lisa show it to the boys to build the excitement
apparently the kids were pretty psyched to see it
which had Dean even more excited about his birthday present

AWESOME!
A UNICYCLE FOR DEAN
A UNICYCLE FOR DAD

the birthday party is today... the unicycle will come out then
and then... father's day is sunday... which will bring out the unicycle for dad

this is awesome!
Thanks Jonathan and Sarah at The Family Bike Shop for helping me out with The Bike Swap and the Unicycles!
AWESOME!
APPRECIATE IT!
we are stoked!

GWADZILLA and UNICYCLE