New bike - first ride!

[KitEKats4Eva!]

WOW! I am feeling so exhilerated right now!

A couple of weeks ago I finally bought a new bicycle. I have been wanting to for many years as I used to enjoy cycling when I was a teenager, but since I've been with Max things have changed. He used to be a state cyclist for Western Australia, and it his real, true passion. He adores it. It was Max that first introduced me to Le Tour de France (something I used to think would be mind-numbingly boring) but when he explained it all to me I realised how thrilling and fascinating it is. I watched last year for the first time, during Lance Armstrong's epic seventh win, and this year we have been glued as well, although its been a very different race.

So, for months we've been looking at bikes for me, and of course, with Max around, there's no getting a $100 bargain from K-Mart.

I ended up buying a Specialized Sirrus Elite flat-bar road bike, and also about $600 worth of gear too (you know - its an aesthetic sport - you have to LOOK right

). Well I've had the bike for a couple of weeks but today we went for our first ride together. Our new house is only about 1km from the river, so we went for an hour around the river, had a great time, went and had Devonshire Tea at Tranby house, a beautiful farmstead right on the river near our house, and then I raced him all the way home!

It was thrilling - I did have to endure a 30 minute tutorial on how to sit, pedal, where to put my hands, how to hold my head etc, before we left, but it was actually very beneficial and made the ride heaps of fun. Max is dismayed to learn that I love sprinting ("Oh no! I'm marrying a sprinter!") but we had a ball.

Anyone else on here into cycling???

 

[sarahp]

Looks like a nice bike! I love cycling. I did heaps in Australia - living in Canberra there was so many great open roads with wide shoulders for group cycling, and there was so much to see around Canberra - I loved it. I was in a really friendly triathlon club, and we did heaps of road riding, and some mountain biking as well.

Since I've moved to the US I've barely touched my road bike or my mtb! Partly because of a heart condition I've recently been diagnosed, partly because I don't know of any good open roads (I hate riding through traffic), and partly because I'm too worried about joining a new club and being the slowest by a mile! I'm incredibly unfit now...

But cycling is fun isn't it?? It's so relaxing, and you feel so good when you've done a good ride!

 

[fwan]

I hated riding in melbourne!
Too many hills!

 

[kittylover4ever]

I used to like bike riding, but one hill now a days and I'd keel over!

 

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

I used to like bike riding, but one hill now a days and I'd keel over!

Oh Susie!...

 

[trouts mom]

Maybe if I had the right bike...I always get so sore when I ride for too long

 

[phenomsmom]

As a matter of fact I went on a bike ride yesterday and weather permitting I am going today as well. My bike is nowhere near as nice as yours!!

I got mine for $10 at a yard sale!! I have to adjust the handle bars today before I go though! And I bought a $10 gel seat for it too cause my hiney hurts!!

 

[marie-p]

One of my friends had a good bike he wasn't using anymore so he sent it to me. I'll go to the bike shop soon and get it set up properly. It's really light and nice.
I have an older bike too, which is comfortable but heavy... I like riding it but I HATE carrying up and down the stairs to my apartment. So the new bike will be nice!

I've only gone biking once this summer so far (and biked 48 km

)
I can't wait to go again with the new bike!

 

[yosemite]

I like cycling but my husband wants to do a marathon first time out. Our first outing (couple years ago now) we went about 30 kms and then back to the car another 30. My thinking is that one should work one's body up to do that much cycling the first time out in the season.

So now I avoid cycling with him like the plague. One night, just for fun I climbed into the house on my hands and knees after a ride and our daughter said, "Oh, I see you've been cycling with dad".

 

[pushylady]

Cycling's great in the summertime! We lucky around here there are tons of good trails to gon on, and DH and I both love to get out for a ride. We don't have fancy bikes, but they're nice with super comfy gel seats - I got the squishiest one I could find.

 

[KitEKats4Eva!]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I like cycling but my husband wants to do a marathon first time out. Our first outing (couple years ago now) we went about 30 kms and then back to the car another 30. My thinking is that one should work one's body up to do that much cycling the first time out in the season.

So now I avoid cycling with him like the plague. One night, just for fun I climbed into the house on my hands and knees after a ride and our daughter said, "Oh, I see you've been cycling with dad".

I love it! I LOVE it!! That's what its like for Max - a quick jaunt on the bike is like, 50km!

 

[tigerontheprowl]

I LOVE biking. I got a bike a couple years ago for about $1900 (I got custom brakes, suspension, and distributer for my gears). In the summer, I take it out and go on off road trails every day. It's soooo much fun. If you have never tried off road biking, you should. It's one of my favorite things to do.

 

[leto86]

My bike and I go everywhere together.

It's my only way to get places.
It's just a junky bike.

You can see the bike behind Cappuccino

And yes, it's a dude's bike.. but it was free, so it's not like I'm compaining

and it's got shock absorbers