w00t, for the first time since 1978 I again own a bicycle! There were a couple of used bikes in the classifieds lately, both were tall enough for me but were absolute junk; I made the fatal mistake of buying a couple bike magazines and then hitting a couple bike shops and touching the hardware!! :spank: 
I bought a brand-new Specialized Rockhopper. It's a road bike/mountain bike cross, what they call a "hardtail" (suspension in the front but not the rear) and can be used for commuting and light trail work (I live just a few hours north of trailbike Mecca: Moab, UT but I'm sneaking up on 50 years old) It won't be quite as fast as a pure road bike, but the tires are more durable, and I'm looking to lose that last 15 pounds and my diet/current exercise routine won't get me there.
You know that old saying, "It's like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget"? That's a bunch of Horse Hockey!!! :Flip: Damn, I couldn't believe how unstable I was! Remember, my last bike was a single-speed, with brakes that activated by pedaling backwards; I could also come to a stop and just put my foot on the ground.
This thing, it feels like my butt is 7' up in the air, my hands are somewhere down by the front wheel (I swear I don't bend over this much to tie my shoes) and that thing they call a "seat" ain't much bigger than a cellphone When I stop I have to remember to get off the seat, as I can't reach the ground at all otherwise (and I'm 6'5"). Oh, and learning to shift, with four different levers, and having your front-wheel brakes under your left hand, are quite disorienting too.
I imagine I'll get used to it all, and even riding the few blocks to the local church parking lot (where I learned to ride my FZ two years ago), around the lot experimenting with shifting, and back this afternoon left me pretty winded and tired, this will be a good workout machine for me. Moab? Mebbe next year...
I bought a brand-new Specialized Rockhopper. It's a road bike/mountain bike cross, what they call a "hardtail" (suspension in the front but not the rear) and can be used for commuting and light trail work (I live just a few hours north of trailbike Mecca: Moab, UT but I'm sneaking up on 50 years old) It won't be quite as fast as a pure road bike, but the tires are more durable, and I'm looking to lose that last 15 pounds and my diet/current exercise routine won't get me there.
You know that old saying, "It's like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget"? That's a bunch of Horse Hockey!!! :Flip: Damn, I couldn't believe how unstable I was! Remember, my last bike was a single-speed, with brakes that activated by pedaling backwards; I could also come to a stop and just put my foot on the ground.
This thing, it feels like my butt is 7' up in the air, my hands are somewhere down by the front wheel (I swear I don't bend over this much to tie my shoes) and that thing they call a "seat" ain't much bigger than a cellphone
When I stop I have to remember to get off the seat, as I can't reach the ground at all otherwise (and I'm 6'5"). Oh, and learning to shift, with four different levers, and having your front-wheel brakes under your left hand, are quite disorienting too.I imagine I'll get used to it all, and even riding the few blocks to the local church parking lot (where I learned to ride my FZ two years ago), around the lot experimenting with shifting, and back this afternoon left me pretty winded and tired, this will be a good workout machine for me. Moab? Mebbe next year...
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