Kerry, I'm new too, and have been enjoying your threads. Congratulations on going back to college -- enjoy!

Your seat -- being new, I'm not an expert in anything and I'm still doing a lot of playing with mine, but I have to hop off the bike too, when it's time to put a foot down. If I don't have the seat up that high, I don't seem to get as much power from my pedaling, and besides, my knees grumble at me if I don't stretch 'em out enough. Maybe because that also means they get scrunched tighter on the other end of the circle?

I've peeked at your bike online -- you have bigger wheels, but many of the features of yours look very similar to mine. Do you have that comfort saddle on yours? I had to get rid of the "comfort saddle" that came with my bike, it just wasn't comfortable! (hubbie has one too, and he seems to like the seat, at least for the first 23 miles!) I think that the first 10+ mile ride was the point where my butt decided it hated that seat and I couldn't make ANY sort of adjustment that would make my bottom happy, so the seat went.

I read about "spinning" here -- riding in lower gears -- too, and I agree, I feel like I get a better work out from that too! I get going, and once my body warms up, I feel a lot like I could go on forever, at least until I come to a hill!

Congratulations on your first "long" ride too! We did 26+ today, our longest of the season so far, and even though my body would likely complain a lot, I'm feeling like I wouldn't mind another ride this evening, just a leisurely tootle around the neighborhood. Suppose that's how we know when we're hooked?

Karen in Boise