My son attends Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex and has finally given up on keeping his old Dodge RAM pickup running. For many months now I have been gently guiding him toward the bicycle as a form of transportation in a town not known for elevation changes.

Of the three bikes hanging in the garage, I gave him the choice of the three. He is built to be a road cyclist with the metabolism of a hummingbird and the lithe frame of an endurance athlete, and while he did choose my favorite road bike, he is not yet comfortable with drop bars.

This morning’s task was moving parts around all three bikes to make him one helluva lean flat bar road bike. Unlike other ‘hybrids’, this one truly is a road bike, with the geometry and road calipers vs. V-brakes (my preference). I don’t know why I didn’t do this before. The good news is that not only will he be saving a load of cash and staying healthier, but the 9 speed group that was on this bike are now on my other bike. No need to go buy stuff!

Wait, it gets better.

My LBS is a mail-order/online house mostly, but has a small showroom with the best peeps on the local scene. As it turns out, while down there picking up the FD for the bike build, the guy who helped me spent four years at TTU and grew up in southeastern New Mexico, making Lubbock a larger city nearby. I am not concerned with my son’s ability to ride a bike, but I am interested in the commuting climate, security on campus, and the bike shops in the area.

He knows the shop owners, the clubs, and the environment. Talk about a sign. I’ll be driving the bike down to Buddy Holly’s hometown in a few weeks and will take an extra bike for a ride down there myself. Lots of pictures to come and hopefully continuing good news of bicycle adventures in north Texas.