Me, Myself and Bicycles (part one)

Another wasted day. Sitting in the store this morn, watching the rain. Its dark and quiet back in the office area and just thought it would be a good time to think about stuff while I wait for the rain to end. I guess I could take a minute and pick up these bikes.


Lets talk about a dude like me. I guy who loves bikes and everything about them. I love high end bikes but still have a good time on a old beat up single speed. I love riding bikes solo with tunes ( a practice I now use off road only). But love a good group ride and all the social aspects that come from cycling. Very rarely do I meet another cyclist that I do not like. If its ever happened I cant remember it.


Im not sure why I like it. Its fun but so is a lot of things. Its good for your fitness but so is a lot of things. It gets you outside and even out in the woods but so does a lot of things.
 So what is it about a bike?


First off its all of the above for me. Plus.....
I think its a speed thing. I like going fast. I like the constant changing scenery while on a bike as opposed to say.... running. You see more on a bike. You can travel much greater distances than running or hiking or something like that.
Then, there's the cool toy factor. Shiny bells and whistles. Flashy colors and dual suspension. I love cool looking stuff. Weather its a bike, car, scooter or washing machine. If I had a choice to race a boring looking 14 pound bike or a cool looking 18 pound bike I would take that latter. I just feel better on a sharp machine.


Then you have the solo rides. The stress relievers. Thats huge for me. My best ride is a nice jaunt into the woods on a beautiful fall day. Maybe somewhere in northern Wisco. When all the elements hit for a ride like that its pretty much a religious experience for me. By myself, in the woods, its quiet, its sunny and I ride and do not see any signs of other humans. Ive had several of these rides that I have actually teared up a bit.


I would love to go out west and hook a Bob trailer to my MTB and head into the mountains for a few days. I dream of that. I'm afraid I might not want to come out......


I'm glad I have this hobby. A hobby that I would call an obsession ( but I would not use that word out loud). Its actually incredible how deep I'm in considering I have only been riding consistently for about 8 years now. And how late in life I was when I started (42).


But as in everything, theres a price to pay when you get in too deep.
 I'll talk about that next.....


DLD