Biking: Hazardous to your wealth.

Posted on by lindsay
When I first got into mountain biking, I did so on a new $500 bike that I thought was a pretty sweet ride. It seemed like $500 was a lot to spend on a bike; up until that point, the most I'd ever spent was $200 and that included pink streamers on the handlebars. After a month of intense riding, however, I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to nicer bike with a full suspension system. This investment came at the breathtaking price of $2200, which seemed absolutely ridiculous at the time. After a few rides on the bike, I decided it was money well spent, but also that I was exceptionally content on my bike and would remain so for years to come.Until last week, when a drunk driver hit Bobby's car while both bikes were on the trunk rack. As we waited at a traffic light to ...continue reading.

This Post Is In Poor Taste

Posted on by lindsay
I took my bike in for its initial tuneup last night, part of the standard procedure after buying and breaking in a new bike. The mechanic took it into the shop at the back of the store while I browsed through the bike merchandise, and rolled it back out to me ten minutes later. "Everything looks good," he said, "except your chain was very dry and definitely needed some lubricant." I voiced my surprise, as I thoroughly wash and lubricate my chain every couple of rides. "Well," he replied, "I lube mine up before every ride, but I'm also just very anal."And it was very difficult to take him seriously after that.

Weekly Update: Wait, you wanted DAILY posts?

Posted on by lindsay
I've been very lazy busy this week, which is why I haven't posted anything. However, because I lead quite possibly the most exciting existence ever, a lot has happened in the past seven days, all of which I will share with you, my lucky readers, now. Lay back! Open a cold one! Both of which I've already been doing since 9:30 this morning.Victory (Sort Of) at the Mountain Bike RacesThis past Wednesday marked my participation in my second mountain bike race in a series sponsored by several local bicycle clubs and stores. These bike races are very exciting, filled with winding trails, thrilling hills, and great big piles of stretchy spandex. At my first race ever several weeks ago, I came in third in my class, a feat made possible only by the mid-race death of all but two of the other participants. My prize? A bronze medal, a plastic ...continue reading.

Things With Which I Have Become Intimately Familiar Since Becoming A Mountain Biker

Posted on by lindsay
Dirt: Somebody once said "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt." That person, while probably cursed with three teeth, a shotgun, and a mullet, was completely correct. Dirt doesn't hurt, not even when you slam yourself into it at a high speed. It does, however, work its way into every part your skin, hair, and nails, so that when you strip down after a long ride, it looks as if you're still wearing white shorts, a white tee shirt, and white socks. Although I did discover the other day that if you fall hard and fast enough, the dirt actually goes inside your clothing and even ends up stuck to your bare butt and ground into your teeth. YES, I'm certain it was dirt and NO, those things were in no way related.Humiliation: Does this even require an explanation? I ride in heavily traversed areas where other, more experience bikers ...continue reading.

It’s Just Like Riding A Bicycle

Posted on by lindsay
My friend Bobby is a certified personal trainer, and has been the one guiding me through my workouts over the past few months, helping me maximize my benefits while minimizing injury. Truthfully, it's more like he just repeatedly answers questions like, "Is this going to keep me from getting fat? Is this making up for the buffalo I ate earlier?" Being my personal trainer must be his version of personal hell. Anyway, several weeks ago I started getting really sick of the constant running, stair-climbing, and calisthenics, and I suggested we look into buying bicycles. I used to ride my bike all the time as a kid and I figured it would be a great way to combine exercising with adventure.We've now owned our bikes for about three weeks, and it has turned out the be one of the best investments I've ever made, maybe with the exception of the ...continue reading.