I feel guilty that I'm posting my story without having read the 4 pages of everyone else's stories!

We went to my parents' in Kansas this weekend. My dad said "We'll bike the Flint Hills Nature Trail, south of Topeka. We've got plenty of bikes around here, you don't even need to bring a bike." Ha ha. I brought my bike anyway. But my daughter Nell decided to leave hers at home, and I unwisely went with that. Here's the thing. My dad is 6 feet tall. My mom is 5 feet tall. They each have two bikes. My brother and his girlfriend also have at least 2 bikes each-- they are both super tall too. Nell and I are lots taller than Mom, lots shorter than everyone else, and pretty close to the same height.

The day before our ride, I looked at the options for Nell and realized we might have trouble. I've ridden Dad's commuter bike before, and it's not lovely but it's not horrible. I was able to lower the seat enough that it seemed to fit, at least in the basement not actually going anywhere. I said "We should take it for a test ride before tomorrow" but we didn't end up having time to do that.

So off we went to Vassar, Kansas. The trail conditions were not good, at least, not as good as the Katy Trail that we are used to. There was some almost sandy stuff that grabbed at our tires, and it was dumped in the middle and sloped out toward the sides. After a couple miles, Nell was walking her bike more than anything else. She said her arms hurt. I looked at her on the bike and saw how much she had to stretch to reach the handlebar. It looked horribly uncomfortable.

Then Dad started this game of musical bikes, trying her out on every single bike. The logical thing would be for me to switch bikes with her, because I know my bike would fit her--if we could lower the seat. Neither Dad nor I had brought a multitool. That's probably the first time in ages I've been caught without a multitool. I always have one! I don't know why I left it at home this time. We got the seat on Mom's bike high enough for Nell, but she had to stoop so much to reach the handlebar on Mom's little 13" bike! Nell and I were ready to give up, when a couple rode past. "Do you have a multitool?" we asked. They did, and we adjusted my bike for her.

After that we had a good ride-- though it wasn't long before I was remembering why I don't like to ride Dad's commuter. It's just so uncomfortable. But the wind was neither a headwind nor a tailwind, just a reasonable crosswind, and the temperature was PERFECT, and the sun shone but didn't burn me.

Here are the lessons from this ride. Some of them I already knew, but they were reinforced.
1) Bike fit is the most important factor to an enjoyable ride. Well, bike fit, and appropriate clothes. Well, bike fit, appropriate clothes, and a bike in good repair...
2) Bike fit is about so much more than seat height.
3) Always carry a multitool (in addition to a flat kit). And know how to use it.
4) When planning to use a bike you haven't ridden lately, try it out before the ride.

Dad on his big bike


Mom on her little bike


Resting in the shade