Pooks - you an' me, we're beginners together this year, both graduated from our couches to hybrids, and riding upright. I've gotten so it's not hard at all to ride ten miles in an evening -- granted, an hour passes, but it's a very pleasant hour! I try to do this a few times a week, and then on the weekends, I'm finding that a 25 - 35 mile ride isn't outrageous! (Earl and I both kind of prefer to keep riding: when we stop, the sweat catches up to us!)

Keep the gears easy, do that spin thing instead of that mashing thing, and you'll find that miles add up surprisingly fast!

I've been hearing about the slicks too, and thinking they'd be a good idea. Earl's response was you're going to train hard, get strong and learn to like dirt. That's why you've got knobby tires. I told him that "my ladies in the forum" say that they make you go faster, so I want 'em. I think that flats may indeed be more problem, though! Specialized makes a nice armadillo (that's their tough, flat resistant tire line) slick for us fat tire people -- I think it's a bit narrower, but not like those wee things the roadies run!

When is your 40 mile ride? I'm nowhere near you, but I could ride it with you from here!

Karen in Boise