If you don't mind me sharing my bicycle with you.. I've had a custom-made randonneuring bicycle since 1997 and must have covered nearly 50 000 miles on it. Yet, since 2004 .. barely anything. Zilch, nada, because of a bacterial infection I got in my lower spine and the psoas muscle. Result was : I no longer fitted on that 'perfectly fitting' bicycle and would cramp up.
Heck it was so bad I'd not even be able to get out of bed normally and had to roll side ways. I still can't do a normal crunch even if it'd save my life, but flexibility has returned. I'm most fortunate to have very looooooong hamstrings as I can still touch the floor easily with my finger tips. Used to be able to put my palms on the floor even as far back as the heels.
The bicycle is by now in a truly sorry state.. especially since I moved late 2004 to a damp house with an even damper bicycle shed. It'd been kept in a tiny but very dry student apartment for 8 years and then, in just 4 damp years turned to rust. I've been thinking to get it patched up for years, but now I'm having a car (used to cover everything by bicycle), I'm dreading the costs. I'm sure it might cost close to 1000 USD to get it all back to a mint condition.
Your story made me all feel stupid for not having it done 2 years before, as really flexiblity shouldn't be an issue anymore. No thrilling mountains here, but still enough reasons to have it patched up.
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