As you can see, it is a pretty nice bike. It is from a German manufacturer, Kettler. Magda actually won this bike while she was in the USA. But she is not much of a bike rider, so I've sort of taken it over.
No this is not a ladies bike. It is a city bike. The lack of a crossbar is a "feature" to allow the rider to easily get on an off the bike (although I still tend to swing my leg over the back of the bike by force of habit). All the moving parts a covered to prevent damage to clothing. There are big tires to handle the occasional rough roads in the city. Fenders to reduce road spray in wet weather. The shifter is integrated into the right grip. It only has 8 gears because in most cities there aren't that many steep climbs. For me, the only hill is getting up the bridge over the Moselle. Breaks can be operated from the handlebar or by reversing the pedals (just like the old days). Front and rear lights are powered by a generator integrated in the rear hub. Frame is all aluminum, so it is lighter than it might look, but I would not call it a light weight bike.
As to why I cannot drive. I was able to drive on my Ohio license for 6 months. That ended earlier this month. One of the nice things coming from Ohio is that there is an agreement between Ohio and Germany so that I can trade my Ohio license for a Germany one within those 6 months and not have to take the German driving test which I hear is pretty stiff. So we started that process about 5 weeks ago. What we didn't know is that before they can issue the German license, they need to contact Ohio authorities to seen if I'm wanted for any thing. That will take 2 months. So for the next 3 weeks, Magda is stuck driving me around.
Still, I am actually enjoying riding the bike to school. So far I've been lucky and not gotten too wet. Although I did have to delay a ride home until a storm passed one day. It is a bout 20 minutes each way with bike. Frankly that is faster than with the bus. And it is about the same as with the car if you add the time to find parking, feed the meter and walk to the school. Plus, you feel that you got in a little exercise.
Biking here is more prevalent than in Columbus. Koblenz has bike lanes planned into most of the city streets. And there is a bike trail along the Rhine. Legally, bikes have right-of-way over cars, and pedestrians over bikes. So if there is an accident, there is no question that the car driver is at fault. I would like to tell you that eliminates all the problems, but there are still some crazies that you have to watch out for. Still I think it is easier to get around the streets here on a bike than back in Columbus.
I just need to keep reminding myself that it is a city bike, not a girl's bike.
My neighbor Kurt and his wife have left for Germany to show Christopher (4 months) to her parents in Münster. In directing him to your blog (German Integration post) due to his interest in spousal residency (his citizenship is U.S., hers German), I also pointed him to the "What is It" post. He said they have one in their kitchen in Columbus. Baxter has gone to Cincinnati during their absence. My only duty is keeping the flyers, Boosters, etc. off the porch. I can handle that...
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