As a kid I loved riding my BMX bike and at one point, me and some of the kids in the neighborhood built a modest BMX park. There were a couple jumps, burms and one drop-in; nothing serious. The most lasting impression of that early foray into "cycling" was the fun we had. Fun building the park. Fun riding in the dirt. Fun talking about bikes. Fun being kids. The simple, uncomplicated sensation of just riding my bike...on dirt, jumping stuff, bunny hopping, was unbridled in its simplicity. And now, it's how I remember the feeling of being a kid.
Anyway, a few years ago, the road bike bug bit me really hard and this year I had a solid race season that started in January and ended in late August. Road riding and racing for me has been a great experience and I'm happy to have the ability to ride my bike and race my bike. But at times, the excitement of just going for a ride gets lost in intervals, heart rate, hill repeats, and sticking to a training plan six days a week.
Over the last few weeks, this feeling was heavier than its been and I knew that I needed to mix up my riding and training to maintain my focus...in come the mountain bikes. Last month, my friend let me borrow his Yeti ARC and a little while later, the Sports Arena store got a demo 2011 Stumpjumper HT 29er that I rode for a while. Both bikes immediately rekindled that feeling I had as a kid riding my bike... it was fun.
This morning, Leo showed me Sycamore Canyon and I rode our EPIC 29er full-suspension rental bike and it was the first real ride that I've done on a mountain bike and I'm still having a hard time putting how much fun I had into words. I was out there, jumping over "stuff", rolling over rocks and tree roots and just riding for the sake of riding a bike for fun.
I won't be giving up my road bike any time soon (or letting my leg hair grow back) but ever since we got back from the ride today, the only thing I can think about is which 29er mountain bike to buy. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Epic Expert EVO R 29er or the Epic Expert Carbon 29er (any input from the readers is more than welcomed). Either way, I can't wait to go back and play in the dirt.
Some times, change can be good. Or, in this case, great.
Thanks for reading!
Ride safe,
Hubert (B+L Bikes Sports Arena)
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