First Rides

Got in a couple of solid "first rides" this weekend - on road and off!

Friday night took the single-speed mt. bike out for it's first trail ride. My sister had mentioned Olson Park on the north side of town as a great place to start. Close to home, so off I go. Great place to start with the new bike! And I couldn't be happier with it's performance. Handles great, disc brakes are excellent, and big 29er wheels roll over everything in their path. No crashes, either! I'll definitely head back to that location as I only rode one of several trails. Now that I've had it off-road, I decided that 31-16 gearing is just a little tall. So I've ordered 18th freewheel and should be all set now. When you only have one gear, getting it right is critical!

Saturday morning I headed out with my neighbor for a quick ride to Dexter. I was a little apprehensive -- my first road bike ride of the year, and Mike's been out a lot this year. Our little Saturday ride was a triathalon warm-up for him! But I held my own. Hills were rough, but it felt SO good to get back out. Bike rode really well and everything worked flawlessly. I'm glad I he nudged me to get out. As a sidenote, Mike's riding a new Cervelo tri bike. What an amazing piece of gear. Not super-fast, but you can tell it was designed for one thing -- efficiency.

Enjoy!

-Sean-