I have been in the hunt for a bike for what feels like an eternity!!! Sticker shock has kept me from buying for a while, the husband just couldn’t understand why a (good) bike costs so much. Then he decided he wanted a bike too, which took a huge chuck out of my budget. Then I agonized over the research and learning phase. Being a total bike novice, I had ZERO clue what I was shopping for, but I wanted to make an informed decision. I had no idea the difference between aluminum and carbon frames, what size bike I needed, what type of pedals I should get, on and on and on, SOOOO much to learn and know about a bike. I still know very little about bikes, probably enough to be dangerous. But I know now what makes a great bike expensive and what I can really truly get away with for a while getting started in this sport.

I have looked at lots of different brands, I still don’t really have a brand preference. I test rode a couple bikes. The bike shops kept putting me on men’s bikes because I am so tall and most shops don’t carry women’s bikes in my size…….and all of the men’s bikes were super uncomfortable. But I just assumed that is what a bike was supposed to feel like, I had nothing else to compare it to. I was having lots of (for lack of a better description) crotch pain. Not so much in the butt or “sit bones” area….all up front. HORRIFIC!!!! I was scared to death that this is how a bike was meant to feel and how was I supposed to get used to this???!!!!

We stopped at yet another bike shop in Asheville, NC yesterday just for kicks. It was a horrible day to bike shop, pouring rain, impossible to test ride a bike. I had just looked at a BEAUTIFUL Gary Fisher bike at another shop that I was in LOVE with. I had my heart set on this bike, but it too was a super uncomfortable crotch killer! But at this shop the bike guy immediately said “you need a ladies bike, with your proportions, you will NOT be comfortable on ANY men’s bike”. So he pulled out a Trek 1.5, and it too was BEAUTIFUL. It looked very similar to the Gary Fisher I had just seen, and I quickly forgot about the other one. Since it was a sloppy day out, he threw the bike up on the trainer, I hopped on and angels began to sing (in my head anyway)…..NO crotch discomfort….NO discomfort anywhere. I wasn’t reaching too far forward like I had been on the other bikes I had tried. I also noticed how much easier this bike was to get on. I wish I had video of my previous test rides. It was an absolute struggle to even get up on the saddle and my feet on the pedals.

I was, however, a little worried how it would feel out on the road since I was unable to test ride it. But after sitting on it in the trainer, I was sold. Then the bike guy went to work on finding my husband a bike. Two hours later, and just couple extra dollars than we had intended to spend later my husband and I had brand spanking new bikes…..me a Trek 1.5 and him a Trek 1.2. I wanted to get clipless pedals from the get go, but the bike guy suggested that I just get used to riding in general then move up to clipless pedals. Besides, we had already spent enough for one day! After riding today, I think that was probably a wise move, learning too many thing at one time would be too overwhelming.

We rode around the 1 mile neighborhood loop a couple times Saturday night when we got the bikes home and it was soooo fun, but we were running out of daylight. Sunday we dropped the baby off with my parents and set out with a plan to ride about an hour……a little ambitious looking back on it now! We rode around a little greenway park for a couple miles to get used to changing gears and get a feel for the bike, then we headed out on the road.

We rode a pretty good mix of long stretches of semi busy country roads and also quiet neighborhood roads. I wouldn’t normally think of these as overly hilly roads, but on a bike its a whole new story. I don’t entirely know how to read the Garmin graphs, but this shows how hilly our ride was.

Apparently, I still have some learning with gear changing technique. As I was trying to shift gears the whole chain skipped off that gear thingy (and there is also a learning curve to knowing your bike anatomy!) But I quickly dismounted the bike and almost instinctually knew how to put it back on. Minor glitch for today’s ride

My heart was pounding, my quads screaming, and my lungs burning. I looked down at my Garmin and we were about 30 minutes into the ride…..wait, we had planned on a hour and I was already running out of gas. Biking takes a whole different set of muscles than running does, and a stationary recumbent bike has NOTHING on riding on the road on a real bike! But I was pleasantly surprised that I was not at all bothered by any of my annoying running injuries…yippers!!!! It will take some getting used to developing these under used muscles, but I am already itching to get back out there.

I am embarrassed that I haven’t taken pictures of our new babies yet. We were so busy this weekend I just didn’t get around to it. Promise to post some debut pictures of the beauties…..maybe later today! But in the meantime……here is a sneak peek!

Mine

Hubby’s