29 - 3 = what I got

I followed my buddy, Eric, on a mountain bike ride on the river trails the other day. People who know me know that I used to be obsessed with biking. I biked around France, biked across Kansas more than a few times. Did North Dakota. I also used to take long rides every weekend. Then one day I stopped. I remember coming home one day after a road ride with some buddies. We had had a pretty close call with a jerk-off driving a pickup pulling a huge, rusty old trailer. When I got home, I decided that it just wasn't worth it anymore. Road cycling was just too dangerous.

So for the past few years, I only take my road bike out on paved trails and backstreets. I mainly ride an older mountain bike around town (sometimes a folding bike I own as well). But I steer clear of main arteries and 2-lane highways.

I love to run the river trails. And, sometimes when I'm done with the run, I'll pull out my Cannondale MB 400 and ride the reverse of what I just ran. On my weekly day off of running, I also have a tendency to hit the trails par velo.

My old Cannondale has 26" rims. The other day when Eric joined me, his new 2-wheeled whip had 29" rims. I am going to sound a bit like a rapper, but where rims are concerned, bigger is better. Every time Eric barely accelerated, I immediately fell behind and could not catch up. And he wasn't even trying to lose me. He kept stopping and waiting for me - which was slightly humiliating.

Well, Eric (who some of you know as Banjo Hawk) headed to Scottsdale for the rest of the week and left his new Specialized bike with me. I took it out yesterday afternoon (I ran in the a.m.) and knocked over a minute a mile off of my best time. And that included stopping twice: once to watch a flock of wild turkeys, and once to talk to the tame deer that I always see out there.

I may have to drop some green on a new 2-wheeled trail machine. I own 4 bikes at the moment (down from 5). I want to encourage sustainability. But I needs me some 29s. What a world one problem!?!

So, here's the plan: If I do get a new ride, I will donate one of my other bikes to someone who really needs one. Last week I gave a super nice camera to a high school class that needed one. I hadn't been using it enough, and thought why not? I felt better for having done it, and have not missed the camera at all. Actually, maybe I'll just donate a bike whether or not I go blow cash on a new one. Well, I'm going to end this blog right here - no more speculation, no more blathering.