OK. This is gonna work...X/O from Street to Mountain Bike

[bvar22]

Home on the Hill


I have recently returned to riding after a 2 year lay off.
Its raining today, so I though I would write about riding instead of actually riding.


In Oct 2006, we moved from bike friendly Minneapolis/St Paul to the Ouachita Mountains of rural Arkansas.

I went from this:






To This:


During the first couple of weeks at the new place, I tried to ride my hardtail hybrid....that wasn't happening. It was just too dangerous, and too much work. The hills are steep, the ground too uneven with baby powder clay/sand at the bottoms, and gravel (pea to baseball) on the inclines with protruding ridges of bed rock to keep things exciting.

I realized that it would take a different bike to make riding possible here....a Mountain Bike, wide tires, disc brakes, full suspension. Since my wife rides, we would need two, but there were other things that were of a higher financial priority (like finishing the house).

The hybrid leaned up against the house for a couple of months, then moved into the shed and collected dust. We worked on the House and Veggie Garden. I grew softer and heavier. We talked about buying Mountain Bikes, but we had other things to do that were more important....and they were so damned expensive. Two years passed.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x5729




In June, Starkraven complained about being out of shape, and stated that she needed to get back on a bike. It was a priority. We shopped online, but couldn't see a way to make the money end work.

A week later, we were picking up our weekly supplies from the Big Box in the nearest town. In a section of the store for Close-Outs were a matched pair of 26" Mountain Bikes. They were a namebrand (I am too embarrassed to say which).
They had disc brakes, Shimano shifters, RST front forks, and a very stout aluminum frame. Best of all, the pair cost under $300....for both.

I bounced up and down on one of them to see whether the frame and suspension would accommodate my weight (220). It did.
We bought them both, put them in the back of the truck, and took them home.



We immediately upgraded the :
seats
handlebars
grips
bar ends
pedals

The brakes and shifters needed adjustment, but that didn't take long.

The end result is a bike I can ride comfortably and safely. It isn't World Class, but it has turned out to be sure footed and safe (so far). I am 58 years old, and won't be pushing the envelop of Mountain Biking. Currently, this bike more than suits my needs.

I miss the smooth asphalt and easy grades of Minnesota, but am beginning to appreciate the challenges and beauty of Mountain Biking. It requires a different Mind Set.

There were always crowds riding in Minneapolis...even in Winter. If something happened, there would be someone there to help. I never felt like I was ALONE.
Not here.
Just me.
No one else rides bikes out here.
I have a regular 10 mile route that passes a cow pasture.
The cows all stop eating and stare at me when I ride by with a "WTF is THAT" look on their faces.
Makes me laugh every time.
Sometimes (rare), I even get passed by a car. The people in the car look at me with the same expression as the cows.
On most days, I do the 10 miles without ever seeing a car or another human being.

My conditioning is getting better, and I'm gaining more confidence in the bike. I'm pulling higher gears up the hills, and the rides are getting faster. I'm mapping out a new circuit that will add about 10 miles to the course, some of it on asphalt.
I'm also starting to lose a little weight.


It is good to be riding again.

[bhikkhu]

1. That looks like a great bike for the job

I have seen them around, and the engineering that goes into the frame is amazing! I ride something much simpler (and lighter), but then I never really go off pavement.

I think it has the same Cheng Shin tires I started out with, though. I replaced mine - after a bad run of flats from goathead thorns - with some kevlar reinforced ones, and haven't had a flat since.

Also handy is a computer to keep the miles and speed - they are really inexpensive these days (compared to even a few years ago), and at least for me it makes things much more enjoyable to keep track.

[bvar22]

2. I have kevlars on my hybrid.

Love them. Never had a flat.

A flat on this bike wouldn't be a disaster. So far, I'm never more than 5 miles from home, and I could leave my bike with absolute confidence that no one would touch it. People don't lock their doors here, or mess with other people's stuff. I also carry a cell phone, and Starkraven knows my route and when I'm due back home.
As my conditioning improves and the temps drop, I'll be ranging further from home, and kevlar tires sound like a good idea.

This bike is heavier, but bike weight isn't a real concern yet.
I'm now 220 pounds.
When I'm 175, I'll worry about a few pounds on the frame.
Until then, I appreciate the extra beefiness supporting MY weight over the broken and rocky stretches.

I was surprised that my weight doesn't bottom out the suspension.
That (and the quality of the frame welds) was my main concern before buying.

The speedo/computer will be added shortly.


I would still prefer to be on the pavement. The bike paths in Minneapolis made riding relaxing, meditative at times. It was much easier to hit a mantra pace on some of the crosstown paths built on old railway beds and let the miles roll by.