Saturday I managed to go over to the dark side in a couple of big ways. Went to Cycles de Oro to buy a chain, started talking about equipment, and came home with a bike. A mountain bike. A carbon fiber mountain bike.
My only real mountain biking in the past ten years ended with stitches, but I still have good memories of when I spent a lot of time off road. Plus, the VeloSon has taken a keen interest in mountain biking and I want to spend more time riding with him. So, replacing my 15 year old S-Works seemed like a good idea.
I actually started out thinking “basic mountain bike.” But after getting tempted with Something Better, and riding Something Better around for a while, I succumbed. Yeah, I’ve been adamant about riding steel, but this thing is light! And shiny!
Okay, I’m a sucker for cool toys.
The VeloSon and I headed over to Northeast Park this afternoon for a loop around the trails. My off road skills? As eroded as a steep, straight trail after a month-long deluge. On the brakes too much, not so smooth, etc. But I had a blast, and by the end of the ride it was starting to come back to me. Best of all, no trip to the hospital was involved.
The bike: Giant XTC with a mix of nice parts. Properly dirty. It seems to work real well, but the rider’s gonna have to get a lot better before he’s sure.
The VeloSon hydrating after our ride.