I got a new bike a little more than a week ago, and I’ve been having such an awesome time on it. There is this “rail trail” in my town that is basically a flat gravel walking area that goes through the woods. Pretty boring. I had been running there before, and I recalled seeing some mountain biking trails that came off of the rail trail, so I decided this would be a perfect place to go try out my new bike. The trails that I went on would probably be considered beginner trails to most of you, but because it was my first ride on a new bike, and my first time riding with clipless pedals, it was a different story. I tried out the clipless pedals in my yard for a little bit before I left and found it to be fairly easy to clip in and out, but on the trail it proved a lot harder. I fell a few times…ok, I fell A LOT of times, but I got right back up and kept after it. Most of the times I fell were when I was stopping, because I forgot to clip out well in advance, so I kind of just slowly tipped over. Didn’t really hurt much, but it could have been a bitch had I fallen into poison ivy or something.
Probably the funniest thing that happened on my first ride was when I was climbing this steep hill and I kind of wanted to stop because I was so out of breath, but I couldn’t clip out. I knew if I stopped pedaling I would fall over onto some rocks, so my only choice was to keep pedaling like mad until I got to the top of the hill. Needless to say I felt pretty stupid, and I was completely exhausted, but it proved to me (even though I didn’t want to believe it) that I still needed more practice unclipping.
It’s been a week since I got the bike, and even though I’ve been really busy with work and school, I’ve managed to log some good trail time, and some time in my backyard. I have a bunch of roots and a few stumps in my yard and I’ve been practicing on those. I think I’m making good progress too. The stumps I thought were hard last week are now mere bumps in the path. I’ve also had my eye on this big stump (when I say big stump I mean like a foot or two tall…I have a pic but I’d be too embarrassed to post it) ever since I started looking at bikes, and after much trepidation I “sacked up” and “hit it” Friday afternoon. I don’t think I could have been more stoked after I cleared the thing, even though it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. :D
So far I am loving this mountain bike thing. I’m having such a great time learning how it all works, even though I’m falling on my ass a lot. It’s also pretty cool to explore all these trails that I’ve never been on before, definitely a unique experience.
So far the bike itself is doing good, though I could use some better tires, and I think a riser bar is in my future. Here is a pic, I thought it would look tougher if I leaned it against some propane tanks :rolleyes: oh and don't rag me for those reflectors, I already pulled 'em off.
http://biglines.com/photos/blpic22337.jpg
