...unless you count the Wal-Mart Murray mountain bike I had when I was 13. It saw a number of gravel pits and dirt mounds in its day.

Anywho, here I am nearly 25 (two days away!) and recently picked up my first road bike. I found this forum while looking up tips and gear suggestions for new riders. I've already gotten a good list gathered from this site, and figured I might as well stick around and see what else I can learn.

So a little info about me. I'm finishing up school at the local university and wanted to find a good way to keep in shape other than hoofing it across campus. A bike for commuting looked even more ideal when I moved closer to campus earlier this year. No messing with parking permits for work or class was a bonus. I originally was looking into a small motorcycle for future use, but decided I had better learn to balance and maneuver on a manually powered bike first. I can always get a motorcycle down the road. I'm also into the outdoors: I enjoy kayaking, camping, hiking, etc. I also have a passion toward cars and motorsports. If I can get a mountain bike before February, I might take it to the next rally in Missouri.

A few details about my bike... it's a 2011 Giant Avail 3. Obviously not a top notch road bike, but perfect for a learning beginner like me. My boyfriend picked it out for me at a local bike shop, which is currently part of the outfitter store I work at now. It had been incorrectly identified as a 2010 model, so I got a special closeout deal for it on top of my employee discount ($500 out the door!). The downside is my fit is somewhat between an XS/Small on road bikes, leaning more toward a Small, but a 10mm longer stem and adjusting the seat post made the XS size feel just right. Smaller means lighter too, right? My favorite part about it is that it's white with black/blue accents (and some slightly girly patterns), but isn't a pale pastel color like every other women's bike around here.

Here's a quick picture from when I picked it up:



We removed all the reflectors and the toe cages to give it a more "race-y" feel... at least until I've gotten more practice in and am ready to hit the streets. Those pieces alone took off 1lb of weight from the bike.

The goal is to hit the Katy Trail in Missouri this next spring. I ended up with a pair of slightly wider Schwalbe CX Pro Light tires (700x28) that I'm hoping will fit. If not we might have to do a bit of light shaving around my composite fork, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can avoid doing that. If not, I've already got my eye on a 2013 Kona Tika for some offroad fun.