Gear

My bike arrived on April 15th, but it took me a few days to unpack it and put it together in the middle of classes. Bookoo Bikes ships bikes to Bike & Build riders with the wheel, handle bars, saddle, and pedals. It took me about 45 minutes to unpack it and another 45 minutes to assemble it with all of my bags and water bottle cages. 

I just ordered my bike. Thanks to a generous graduation gift from Mindy Nitkin, my bike and Ben's bike have been upgraded to the Avail 1 and Defy 1. The Avail 1 has higher quality components that should last longer and also has more gears so it will be easier to climb hills and mountains. I know I will be thanking her as we ride over Independence Pass in Colorado. Plus, it's purple, my favorite color. 

Thank you, Mindy!

To bike across the country, there are some essentials that you need, and there are some things that make your life significantly easier. Bike and Build requires participants to have bike shoes that clip onto the pedals. These help the rider get energy from both the down stroke and the upstroke, and they help the rider use more muscles while biking.

For Christmas, my Grampa and my Grama Pat bought me these shoes (with purple shoelaces from my mom) and the clipped pedals to match them, which I will be wearing every mile of the journey. Thank you! 

It's the beginning of December, so I decided it was about time for me to throw in my two cents (or rather $600) for Bike and Build. Giant Bicycles sponsors Bike and Build by selling bicycles to Bike and Build at a discounted rate. I don't feel that it is fair for me ask donors to donate money for anything that I am keeping at the end of my trip, so I have donated the $600 from my own money to pay for my bike.