Cycling anyone?

When in my early teens I used to cycle a lot - didn't we all? Well it was a cheap mode of transport and in Singapore - where I lived at the time - the weather was more suited to two wheels. When I married I moved to Devon - well that put paid to cycling - Devon hills are not something I am equipped to deal with, so the cycling went on hold - for a while - until my son reached the age of wanting to cycle. Then it was going to be a family thing, mountain bikes had just become really popular and more and more cycle routes were being created in Devon at least. My husband was the first to cave in and decide that we couldn't have a dog and do cycling. Not sure why they were mutally exclusive, but there you go. My son kept it up and I did my best to follow - occasionally! But I was no match for a 14 year old, so eventually the bike was sold, and that was that until I moved to Hertfordshire on the borders of Cambridgeshire. Flat roads! Wonderful. So when my partner suggested we give it go, apart from some reservations about my dodgey knees, I thought why not.
Now we have had the best early May for years they say, so it was a great time to try out the knees and see what future there was in cycling for a pastime. What fun - the knees were not as bad as I had feared and indeed I think this may be the saving of them, as the exercise is strengthening the muscles around the knees and actually makes them less painful. There was a pain barrier to go through first! But now I seem to be past the worst and have rediscovered a pleasurable form of exercise that doesn't involve expensive gyms and could be the answer to drink driving! There's a thought!
So having decided that this form of exercise is likely to be here to stay, the next step was to buy a better bike - hand me downs were all very well while I sorted out whether this would be a permanent thing, but since this particular hand me down is about 15 years old, rusty and rattlely as well as only having 5 gears, I have decided I deserve something better. Even the relatives are showing sympathy for the ancient lump of metal that should be put down. The brakes announce themselves to the world every time I use them and the whole bike shakes itself to bits every time I go over a bump - of which there seem to be quite a few!
A new bike is on order from the local cycle shop and will be here by the weekend - what fun. Front suspension, 24 gears (I'm not sure they will necessarily be an advantage!) and quiet brakes! I am assured it will be considerably lighter than the present heap. Still mustn't complain - it allowed me to try out the knees and decide that this was something I could do. And my partner has landed himself a real bargain on eBay. I'm not sure whether he quite expected to win his first ever auction, such is the power of eBay! But his new bike arrives next week - then there really will be no stopping us. Watch this space . . .