After the Hybrid ...

[Geonz]

Yesterday my friedn and I were the last ones in on a long ride... which ended in a "wonderful" downhill. We'd gotten lost, and he had gotten lost twice - so he'd done a good 15 extra miles.
This route had some downhills that were not just steep, but horribly bumpy... I mean stuff-could-fly-off-your-bike-that-had-been-attached bumpy, and definitely loosen-your-kidneys-while-you're-at-it bumpy. So *everybody* took those slowly... and a couple people including my buddy were feeling a bit beaten about the head and shoulders (or back and backside, as the case may be - his problem was shoulders).
We were so late that two friends got in their car to come after us, and they went by and we said "whew!" and agreed wholeheartedly that that "wonderful" downhill just wasn't that much fun anyway (he might have enjoyed it earlier... I just don't get thrills from hills - they're simply a challenge to my fears, which is noble and I don't mind doing it... but I don't do it for fun... any more than say jumping off the 10 meter diving board).
Alas, though... our extended hitchhiking thumbs were interpreted by the driver as "thumbs up!" - and he assumed that of course we wanted the joy of that hill! (Our other friend tried unsuccessfully to convince him that we were trying to thumb a ride... andt his was one case where my "default grimace grin" looked too much like a smile...)
But for me, at least, the road bike posture kicks in twice as many "CAN WE SLOW DOWN NOW???" reflexes as the hybrid. I like being able to lean in and pedal hard **when I want to** ... and to sit back like a little old lady and push the bike forward when I'm more in my "need time to react to everything, thank you" mode.
ON the other hand... I sometimes muse that like other things, yoga and what have you, it might simply take a little time to learn to be comfortable in the more "always proactive" position.

And Regina... was your friend... from *lower* MoCo? P.G.? [ fondly remembering childhood and crossing class & culture lines...]