April Rides

[Owlie]

So...I just went on my first bike ride since Thanksgiving. (Combination of time, headspace and BF being a stick-in-the-mud.) My right hip and upper thigh are distinctly unhappy, and I've lost the cardiovascular fitness* and calf muscles that I had when I moved out here. (And the less said about my core, the better.) Still, I did pretty well for having a headwind on the way out and not much of a tailwind on the way back (WHY?!) and not having done much in the way of exercise for 5 months. 25 miles, give or take a bit, followed by a nice bubble bath and a smoothie.

*Cannot tell if it's an issue of cardiovascular fitness or just very dry, dusty air. Probably both.

[Crankin]

Jolt, the short and shallow bars help with reach (shorter) to the levers and shallow relates to the shape of the curve. If the shape is shallower, it's much easier to get your hands around the levers in the drops. Picture the letter C with less space in the middle. One thing to be aware of is that different brands of bars that are called short and shallow have different specs. I researched like crazy until I found the ones with the shortest reach and drop. Here is a link to the ones I have:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...bend-handlebar
And here's another one:
http://www.qbike.com/product/s/Salsa...andlebar.shtml
Hope this helps.