gmcunni
Active member
Finally got to take out the new bike for a ride on some trails. As I packed up this morning i realized besides my bike i had two more MTB purchases also making their maiden voyage.
Padded bike shorts (via chainlove). - WOW, how did i ever live without these before!! Felt very awkward walking around the house but once i got on the bike it was wonderful.
Hydration pack (via chainlove). I hadn't used one before. When trying it on at home without water it felt light. full of water it was tight and i had to readjust but after 2 minutes i didn't even notice i had the thing on.
Trek 4500 - overall love the bike. when i bought it i tried both the 16 and 18 inch bikes. on the 16 i felt squeezed,like the handlebar was way too close. 18 seemed to fit me better, at least in the parking lot of the LBS. Once i got it home i realized how much higher the crossbar was than my old schwinn. i had a little room to spare so i didn't think too much of it.
Took a solo ride today, started around noon in the commuter parking lot off rt 25, http://www.crankfire.com/trails/waypoint.php?wpid=64. WOW, 3x as many cars with bike racks as i remember from several years ago. I guess the place is popular. i planned on taking same route i'd done before, i didn't recall it being too difficult but there were a couple of hills to climb. i had no map or gps but the place isn't too big so i knew i'd be OK.
My plan was to ride north to the playground and then back again. going out i followed the route i used to take which seemed to be a mix of the white and blue trails. On the return leg i stuck mostly to the blue train which hugged the river.
Not too much excitement to report. I managed NO OTB which was a goal since my Dr. said no mtb for 1 more week. I was reminded that I'm old and out of shape, there were several hills i remember being able to climb on my schwinn which i could not on the trek.. i need to re-learn some skills i think. One thing i noticed about the trek vs. schwinn, I never had a problem on the schwinn with the chain popping off, ever! today, 4-5 times it came off. easy enough to fix but very annoying. had several occasions to test the clearance on the crossbar. on the schwinn i could walk easily with the bike underneath me when i had to take a step or two after stopping on a hill. i can manage on the trek but there is less room for error ;-)
Overall, fun first ride back after surgery. Looking forward to many more and meeting up with AZ'ers @ Nass soon.
Padded bike shorts (via chainlove). - WOW, how did i ever live without these before!! Felt very awkward walking around the house but once i got on the bike it was wonderful.
Hydration pack (via chainlove). I hadn't used one before. When trying it on at home without water it felt light. full of water it was tight and i had to readjust but after 2 minutes i didn't even notice i had the thing on.
Trek 4500 - overall love the bike. when i bought it i tried both the 16 and 18 inch bikes. on the 16 i felt squeezed,like the handlebar was way too close. 18 seemed to fit me better, at least in the parking lot of the LBS. Once i got it home i realized how much higher the crossbar was than my old schwinn. i had a little room to spare so i didn't think too much of it.
Took a solo ride today, started around noon in the commuter parking lot off rt 25, http://www.crankfire.com/trails/waypoint.php?wpid=64. WOW, 3x as many cars with bike racks as i remember from several years ago. I guess the place is popular. i planned on taking same route i'd done before, i didn't recall it being too difficult but there were a couple of hills to climb. i had no map or gps but the place isn't too big so i knew i'd be OK.
My plan was to ride north to the playground and then back again. going out i followed the route i used to take which seemed to be a mix of the white and blue trails. On the return leg i stuck mostly to the blue train which hugged the river.
Not too much excitement to report. I managed NO OTB which was a goal since my Dr. said no mtb for 1 more week. I was reminded that I'm old and out of shape, there were several hills i remember being able to climb on my schwinn which i could not on the trek.. i need to re-learn some skills i think. One thing i noticed about the trek vs. schwinn, I never had a problem on the schwinn with the chain popping off, ever! today, 4-5 times it came off. easy enough to fix but very annoying. had several occasions to test the clearance on the crossbar. on the schwinn i could walk easily with the bike underneath me when i had to take a step or two after stopping on a hill. i can manage on the trek but there is less room for error ;-)
Overall, fun first ride back after surgery. Looking forward to many more and meeting up with AZ'ers @ Nass soon.