mtn bike comeback

finally got my mountain bike tuned up and took it out as soon as i got it back from the shop. rode out with alice, who not too long ago benefited from her sister's fear of gaining tree-trunk thighs by taking up ownership of her sis' specialized dolce.

mountain bikes are fun because you can jump around on them and ride over terrain and rough spots you'd never take on with a road bike. when i'm on my road bike, i feel like i can fly; on my mountain bike, i feel invincible. the tradeoff is that you're heavier and end up going much slower. bouncing around makes up for it, but climbing on dirt can be enormously discouraging when you first start out since it requires a certain level of skill... stuff i haven't worked on in about three years.

alice wanted an easy ride, which wasn't a problem since i have to work harder on a mtn bike. when we were on fruitvale, she rode on the shoulder while i got to plow through the dirt between the road and the sidewalk.

we road through the golden triangle and had to make a detour to my house for a bike tool to adjust alice's seat. she could barely get her feet into the baskets of her pedals. once she did get herself secured in the straps, she had a really hard time getting out. dangerous! i pumped up her tires too since they were really soft. ALSO no good.

btw i got leg warmers a few days ago and they're the best new addition to my spandex collection. goodbye forever, cold knees.


the seat should be high enough for your knees to be slightly bent, but not so high that it interferes with normal riding, stopping and starting. correctly inflated tires improves overall riding comfort and makes your bike less susceptible to rolling resistance and pinch flats. being able to get off your bike (when you couldn't before) makes riding a more orgasmic experience.

i was hoping to be able to do more off-roading while at home, but my time's running out. right now i'm torn between shipping either my road or mtn bike back to dc. i'm tempted to go with the mtn bike since i can do road riding with my commuter, but it's not as good for longer rides and the dirt around the immediate dc metropolitan area is incredibly lacking. we'll see.

ride total: ~18 mi
amount with alice: ~8 mi