I was discussing the mountain bike idea with a co-worker a few weeks ago. I was bemoaning the fact that I spent my bike money on new car tires, and fretting that it was probably frivolous and irresponsible to buy a bike in the middle of the kitchen renovation. She was quite supportive of the new bike, though, and dismissed my fiduciary concerns. Then she said “I’m rather surprised that you don’t have a bike, actually.”
“Have a bike?” I repeated. “I do have a bike. I have two, a hybrid and a road bike. But I don’t have a mountain bike with suspension.”
She reversed her support after that.
I don’t need a mountain bike. The hybrid…a ’96 Raleigh…is tough enough for the canal and the basic trails, and I’m not going to go ride in Moab or anything like that. Hell, I can’t even hop a curb. And I feel very sentimental towards the Raleigh, too. The summer I bought it, my grandfather was dying of cancer, my husband and I were separating emotionally (the actual legal separation came later, after a painful working out of finances), and it was clear that my job was dwindling down toward layoff. Going out on that bike was a merciful respite. I had to concentrate so hard on balance, steering, and shifting that I could think of nothing else as I rode, and I needed that. It also got changed my Friday night dinners from one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer to grilled chicken, rice, and broccoli (riding hung over is no fun), and along the way I dropped from size 16 to 6. I joined a gym to ride better. The Raleigh didn’t change my life, but it was a catalyst.
I don’t love the Raleigh less, but I’ve been craving suspension. I rented a hardtail...in the old-school sense of hardtail; no suspension at all…at the beach once, and I loved those big fat tires. I figured with some suspension thrown in, I’d be as comfortable as I am in a Barcalounger. I’ve been looking for a couple of years…replacing the Raleigh with another Raleigh seemed less disloyal, and I looked at the M80. (This year’s Raleigh catalog really irked me, though…I’ll rant about that another day.) I looked at Cannondales and Novaras and Specialized and…well, I looked at everything they sell in this part of town. I looked at, but really didn’t consider, a Trek because I’ve ridden Treks before and never felt right on them.
But when the rider is ready, the bike will appear. A new bike store opened in the neighborhood, mostly dealing Treks. I looked again at the 4500 and finally decided to do more than look on Sunday. Even though we didn’t get much riding in downtown, how good the Raleigh feels was fresh in my mind to compare. If I was going to dump the old reliable hybrid, it was going to have to be for a sweet, sweet ride.
All I adjusted was the seat height on the 4500, yet never have I felt so instantly comfortable on a bicycle. The suspension was oh-so gentle, and it fit like it was built for me. I wasn’t really intending to buy it yesterday, but after the test ride…let me take just one more circle around the parking lot…I didn’t want to give it up.
I should be out riding it right now.
Cool. Good luck getting the new bike and, other than the fact that I ain't seen my baby since the night before last, I enjoyed the post very much. How am I going to get that song out of my head, I wonder.
Posted by: RP at April 12, 2005 12:27 PM