Our New Mountain Bikes

At the end of November 2000, with the weather already feeling like summer, Artie and I were looking for a more enjoyable way to exercise. For us it was very boring riding the stationary bikes at the club, so we decided to shop for some real bicycles.

First we looked at bikes in some of the department stores at the mall, and then we looked on the Internet to see what features we should be looking for. It had been nearly 30 years since we had last bought bicycles, and they have certainly changed! Mónica took us to the street in the central part of Santiago where bicycles are sold. It is an amazing neighborhood, with shops on both sides of the street filled with bikes and accessories.

In the 4th shop we tried, we found our new Lahsen bikes. We chose 21 speed mountain bikes with all aluminum frame and wheels, dual suspensions, and 20 year warrantees (good in Chile). We added carrying racks, safety lights and comfortable seats. Our bikes will help us to see another dimension of our area.

Proud new bike owners leaving the store!

Our first ride was a short one that evening to a nearby park. It was a good start for rusty riders.

We do much of our riding in parks, since Santiago is full of them. The park above runs for several kilometers between the lanes of Amerigo Vespuci, a major boulevard circling through the city.

These two shots were taken in the sculpture garden in a park that runs along the banks of the Mapocho River. There is also a park along the other side of the river. Artie's office is on the 10th floor in the tall building with horizontal stripes behind him.

							To return to our home page