Monday morning we opened the box. They packed a lot of stuff in that box and the way it was packed was precise. We started at 11:00 and finished about 1:45. We took a lot of pictures as we unpacked it with hopes that if something didn't work we would be able to pack it all back in the box for a return. Doubtful that we could get it back together right but the pictures would help if we had to try. That in itself took some time so let's knock off about half an hour for picture taking. I also had to take a couple "I need to walk away from this" breaks, maybe another 15 to 30 minutes. That being said our assembly probably took a couple hours. Not bad.
Step 1, adding the leg supports, gave us trouble with the screws not lining up right - count on step 1 to go bad. Once we got beyond step 1 it went really well . . .
. . . until we reached hooking up the tension wires. That's one step that we had to walk away from. The instructions up to that point were great, but when we reached the trickiest part, the area that could make the bike work or not work, they got a bit skimpy. The drawing that was supposed to show us what to do was small even with a magnifying glass. I finally found instructions on the computer and was able to enlarge the tiny detail, providing us with the info that we needed.
As it turns out I had tried to do exactly what I was supposed to do, but didn't have the brute strength to make it happen. Before we went back to our assembly we prayed about it. Our prayer kindly suggested that maybe God himself, or a couple a His angels, would like to add a helping hand and a bit of strength. I tried again and while explaining to Clarence what I was trying to do suddenly the thing slipped together!!! Definitely answered prayer.
It looks really nice but it isn't gym quality. The computer is . . . well, more like a cheap watch, and it isn't a "smooth" ride if you increase the tension beyond 2 or 3, but the bike is going to work for a couple older people who just want some exercise without having to go to the gym. We knew up front the fact that it came from a country other than USA, combined with the price we paid, meant it wasn't going to be perfect, but we don't need the "computer" to ride it and tension 1-3 are enough to get a fairly good workout. We're hoping it will last at least a few years.
Have you ever prayed asking God to step in to help you with something like hooking up the tension wires? We often think God doesn't care about stuff like that, but remember He's more than God, He's our Father and He delights in our coming to Him no matter the reason. I have the feeling that He smiled when we stopped to ask for His help, and when we said thank you maybe He added a gentle laugh. We encourage you to go Him with your challenges - big or small. Share your joys and sorrows. Stop once in awhile just to say "God, I Love You!". Go ahead and give it a try, make Him smile.
