May rides, may they all be wonderful

[north woods gal]

Neat article, Sheila. Thanks. Jives with everything I've been told, locally. Also matches up, nicely, with all my ss experimenting, this week. Managed just short of 50 miles of combined trail and road work, this week, all in one gear! Oh, yeah, I am ready to take a break and do a little shifting, for now, but what a great learning experience it's been. My legs know it, too, but am so pleased to discover that I can manage it and, more importantly, I can do the single speed thing with a reasonable amount of comfort/challenge. That was my biggest concern. Worried that I was biting off more than I could chew.

Be sure to double check those specs on the Ruffian. You have to goo to the 29er version at the bottom of the list and check in the 19" (medium size). The frame stack on the 19" Gunnar is actually slightly higher than on my medium Krampus. The frame reach is similar, too, but the actual handlebar reach on the Gunnar with the way the owner had it setup is, as usual, too long for me. He had a 90mm stem on the bike. I'll be going with a shorter stem, right away, when I pick up the bike from the shop, first of the week. Same old, same old for my short reach.

Crankin, enjoyed the story. You're so right about how we riders sometimes overlook just how fit we are compared to all those people out there that don't exercise, regularly. As for me being stronger, well, thanks, but I doubt that. About the only thing I'll say is that I'm a strong rider for my age, but I really have to work at it. I'll be 68 in a month. Most 68 year old women stopped riding bicycles, long, ago. I'm determined to never stop riding, no matter how old I get.

Hope the allergy thing doesn't get you and our other riders, down, too much. Been a tough allergy week for me, too. Any wind at all and my eyes start to puff up and itch. That time of year.