Miscellaneous ramblings...

[Biking Chick]

Everyone who kept telling me I'd like it was right. It's a different kind of ride from my mountain biking, but wow, I actually looked around and saw the river without stopping. With mountain biking I'm so focused on the trail that most other thoughts are pushed out of my head. There is a relaxation with the road bike that is quite soothing. <snip> Mention of my new bike went right over her head. Oh well. She doesn't get dogs either.

Dog + bikes = Life is Good!

Congratulations DG - I hope you'll entertain the thought of participating in an organized ride sometime during the year. While you are sure to see some of the diehard roadies who use the organized rides to practice their drafting, passing and energy sucking skills you'll meet a lot of great people who, like me, have discovered that there is a real zen in road biking.

Being a Dog Mom I can relate to the not getting the dog thing ... I realize not everyone likes dogs and even more don't love dogs enough to make them one of their passions in life :::standing up raising my hand::: and there are a few of my friends who I love dearly but have to watch for the telltale deer in the headlights look when I start sharing the latest antics of our dogs.

I hope you find a saddle that you are comfortable with - I hope you'll let us know when you find it!

[Biking Chick]

I agree! My friends who don't ride (in fact they are totally sedentary) think my husband and I are crazy. I could easily stop calling them, but it seems rather immature of me to do this, at age 51. We have become friends with another couple who rides and have many other similiar interests.

I can relate! There are friends of ours who don't understand our passion for cycling and quickly change the subject if we share either an new route we've ridden or our newest cycling purchase. Especially the friends who don't understand biking AT ALL - they really think we're nuts and cannot fathom the 'need' for owning more than one bike! For the most part the people that we love to spend time with have come to really embrace our passion for cycling and being outdoors.

This thread brought to mind a couple of my favorites 'quotes' from friends ....

So you and Al are still into biking?

You actually LIKE getting all sweaty?

I couldn't do that (bike) - I would never be able to figure out that shifting bit.

Aren't you afraid you'll get lost?

I thought you said you took your cell phone with you on your bike rides. I tried to call you but all I got was your voice mail - don't you leave your phone on when you ride?

I'd love to ride with you if you promise to only go for a couple of miles or How long will it take us to bike two miles?

Don't those biking shorts make your butt look bigger?

A message on my answering machine: Hi Cindy - I just looked at my outside thermometer and see that it's above 35 degrees. You are probably out on your bike. Give me a call when you get home and thaw out.

[alison_in_oh]

Emily, my BF and I are looking at some houses on dirt roads - but we're thinking that we need to rule them out because we can't ride our bikes. I never really thought about it, but is it insane to rule out ideal houses because we want to ride out from our front door? Does anyone else have any ideas on dirt roads and long driveways?

I've never had a problem riding my road bike on dirt or gravel. You have to go pretty slow and watch out for really bad obstacles/huge rocks, but otherwise no sweat. We lived on a gravel road for two years and my in-laws live at the back of a long dirt road with a long dirt driveway...hasn't yet stopped my DH from taking daily rides when we visit them, and even I have taken a little spin or two while there.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, my BF and I are looking at some houses on dirt roads - but we're thinking that we need to rule them out because we can't ride our bikes. I never really thought about it, but is it insane to rule out ideal houses because we want to ride out from our front door? Does anyone else have any ideas on dirt roads and long driveways?

I don't think it's insane AT ALL. In fact, if we had been riding a lot when we built our current house (we weren't - I had a hybrid and hadn't ridden in ages), we would never have built it where we did. Our property is gorgeous (woods, very secluded), we have nice neighbors, it's quiet, so it's certainly not worth moving now (especially since we have the single track on our property now!) ~ but....if I were to look for a new house today, I would insist on it being on a paved road (and pave my driveway too, if it wasn't.) In exchange for putting up with gravel, we have a gorgeous rural area to ride our road bikes in; it's just getting to it that's an issue! We either walk our bikes down to the main road or drive and park down there if time is very short.

The shed idea is interesting, but I couldn't build one at the end of the road since I don't own property there. At the end of my driveway, maybe, but I too would be worried about security, and since the road isn't paved either, it wouldn't buy me anything. Good luck!

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

WOW! Your very own singletrack. Lucky you!! We have a 6-mile loop with the trailhead one mile up the road from us, but it's not something I want to do all the time. It's tons of climbing and very technical in some sections. I've never done the entire loop alone as the consequences of getting hurt are too great. The views are awesome, though. (See pic.) I'd love to see pictures of your singletrack if you have some.

Hi Dirt Girl ~ Yep, I feel very lucky! However, pictures would not be very impressive, I don't think (especially now, before the leaves are on the trees here in NC) - just lots of brown tree trunks and brown leaves on the ground and a little trail running along. It's nothing like that gorgeous view you posted. It's all hardwood forest, tons of trees, no real views at all. It's going to look very different once the leaves are out and there is green everywhere!

Emily

[Dirt Girl]

Hi Dirt Girl ~ Yep, I feel very lucky! However, pictures would not be very impressive, I don't think (especially now, before the leaves are on the trees here in NC) - just lots of brown tree trunks and brown leaves on the ground and a little trail running along. It's nothing like that gorgeous view you posted. It's all hardwood forest, tons of trees, no real views at all. It's going to look very different once the leaves are out and there is green everywhere!

Emily,I used to think "just lots of brown tree trunks and brown leaves on the ground" wasn't very impressive either. A long-ago art class instructor opened my eyes to the beauty and design in all seasons. Instead of thinking "plain old branches" try to see the design Mother Nature has created with them before they get covered up with leaves! Ummmm, hardwood forest and tons of trees. Sounds like heaven to me. I grew up in Cincinnati and miss the deciduous trees and forests. Especially in the autumn. Not enough to trade it in for my current low humidity, few mosquitoes and mountains, though. Brown or green, I'd love to see it both ways. Singletrack is good no matter how you slice it!

[LBTC]

Good one, dirt girl! I was thinking the same thing....both nature's design....and the design of the singletrack winding through those brown trunks and branches - both sound stunning to me!! please take a picture for us Emily?? please!!


Namaste,
~T~

[CorsairMac]

Just my .03 worth - read a journal someone wrote after following Lance Armstrong on a training ride and the two things that stuck the most with me were: Lance spends time every ride riding with no hands (is that the right term), and he rides on every type of surface including dirt/gravel. When he was asked about both quirks his answer was - anything he could do to improve his bike handling skills and his balance made him a better rider when in a race situation. (think Lance riding across the plowed field during that horrible crash in the TdF few years back)
While not a racer - it made me realize that that was an excellent premise to ride by, that way a clutch situation becomes "just another type of ride". So why not ride your road bike on the dirt road.......it could just improve your handling skills if your road bike ever ends up in dirt during a "situation".
As for buying a house to suit your riding?.....why not - it's as much an important part of your life as anything else you're using for your house buying criteria!

[emily_in_nc]

So why not ride your road bike on the dirt road.......it could just improve your handling skills if your road bike ever ends up in dirt during a "situation".

Actually, I do ride my touring bike (1.35" tires) on the gravel road, but I can't bear to ride my carbon-fiber Aegis on it with 23c tires. It's too easy to flat with all that stone, and I hear rocks hitting and pinging on my pretty frame - just can't go there!

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

I'll try to take a photo when it's light and sunny, gals - will post it when I take it. I do think it's very pretty in the woods whatever the season (am partial to spring leaves and fall color, myself; we'll have the beginnings of spring green very soon here....)

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Okay, here they are - I took a quick ride tonight after work and snapped a few. Hope you can see the trail - I reduced the photos so they wouldn't be so huge. It will look very different in a month or so when there are green leaves everywhere! The second picture shows one of the entrances to the trail by the daffodils - our gravel road is off to the right.









Emily

[SadieKate]

Nice! I love the skeletons of the trees and the daffodils together. This looks like one of those places you want to ride every few days just to watch it change.

[Jo-n-NY]

Emily,

Your land is just lovely. Thanks so much for sharing.

~ JoAnn

[Veronica]

I'm envious - single track right outside your door! I like riding through the trees.

V.

[nuthatch]

Absolutely beautiful! I'm ready to move!