Mike Rosania asked:


I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to cut down on partying. I don’t want to officially hang up my “cutting loose” habits, but I can only take so many yawn-filled mornings of bloodshot eyes and crooked smiles. I am ready to put those nights of loud clubs and expensive bar tabs behind me. Why the sudden lifestyle change you might ask? The answer—mountain biking. I think taking up this sport will jump start my active, healthy lifestyle.

Growing up, I have always been into bikes. It all started when I was six. My parents tried teaching me to ride a bike in a big field near our house—not the best idea. Have you ever tried riding through a field, let alone on a child’s bike with small wheels? It’s nearly impossible. Every bump, rock, and stick bounced me off the bike and landed my **** on the ground. My parents’ rationale was that falling in a field would be better than hitting the unforgiving pavement, which makes sense. But it is also nearly impossible to ride on this terrain, especially when first learning.

So one afternoon, I took off my training wheels and brought my bike into the driveway. I sat down on the seat, put my one foot on a pedal, pushed off and started riding. And as they say, the rest is history. I got older and picked up BMX; bunny hopping curbs and cruising around on pegs. When I hit college, I was over my dirt jumping phase, and got a road bike—pedaling for miles at a time. So it’s no surprise that mountain biking caught my eye– which is a sort of hybrid amalgamation of extreme maneuvers from BMX and long rides of road biking.

Back to my life story, I graduated college, picked up and moved to California. This state is absolutely beautiful. Last weekend, my girlfriend and I drove out of the city and spent a few hours exploring and admiring the west coast’s landscape. We hiked through a state park, which was awesome—but I’m not much of a hiker. I need something to get my heart pumping. We did discover a ton of mountain bike trails that the state park offered. And that’s when it hit me. Mountain biking looks like a blast! These guys flew past us on these gnarly mountain bikes, equipped with full suspension and rugged tires. The east coast didn’t offer trails like the west coast, which is probably why I never got into the sport. Now that I have all this terrain, I want to take full advantage.

So I started looking into bikes and am dieing to get one, but I ran into two problems. The bikes are very expensive and I drive a small Subaru whose seats don’t fold down. Plus, I wouldn’t want dirty, muddy tires all over my interior. I talked with a coworker who mountain bikes and he offered to lend me his old bike until I get my own. Great! But I need to get to the trails. My car doesn’t have a roof rack, so I looked for bike racks that mount to your trunk on the internet. If I can find a rack that mounts easily, I’m sure I will have no problem getting to the trails a few days a week and getting some exercise.



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Alastair Hamilton asked:


This is one person’s essay on why she enjoys biking, and more in particular, mountain biking.

When I got my first mountain bike about four years ago, it wasn’t to ride down mountains at all. I simply liked the idea of fat tires and being able to go up and down curbs or other road impedimenta with impunity. So, of course, I didn’t get a top of the line bike, but one that cost about $300 – and that included a padded gel seat, a kick stand, and a biking computer.

And frankly I love that bike. For all that I’m thinking of getting a new one…

I have lived in a bike-friendly city for most of my life – over 20 years. It’s a major city – over 100,000 people, but it was designed with plenty of bike trails around and through the many parks and lakes. And even the streets are for the most part wide, with shoulders on which cyclists can ride. This is because it’s a major city in the midwest, where there was plenty of room to build and spread out, unlike the New England states where space was at a premium.

Anyway, I bike everywhere that I can- to the library, to my local grocery store (if I’m only buying a few things. I use a detachable handlebar basket), to work and for general pleasure riding – during spring, summer and fall, anyway,

Every spring, it takes me a few weeks of serious biking in order to get back into shape (I’m a warm weather woman, I huddle indoors in the winter time, storing up fat, and then as soon as spring hits I’m out on the bike until next winter.)

The first year I had the bike, I used it solely for road biking, and for off-trail riding. As I said, I love the bike – it’s much more comfortable than a road bike with its typical tiny saddles and drop handlebars. And I liked the freedom it gave me – if I saw something off in a grassy field somewhere I could turn off the trail or road without hesitation and go investigate without hesitation – something you can’t do with those narrow wheeled road bikes.

Was I able to go as fast as a road bike? Well…not really, but then, I’m never in a hurry to get anywhere.

When the second spring came around, I decided it was time to actually tried a little mountain biking. I wasn’t going to seek out any actual mountains – but there were plenty of hills around the city that had “mountain biking” trails on them. I did my few weeks of “getting into shape” and then set off for the nearest “official” trail.

And let me tell you – mountain biking is a gas. I don’t enjoy the climbing portion of it – I’m not a masochist, but once you get to the top and head on down, the wind against your face and the sheer concentration needed to negotiate all obstacles is exhilarating.

So if you live anywhere near a mountain biking trail, go check it out. You’ll be glad you did.



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