Returning to my blog after not reading it for quite some time gives me cold chills - this blog is full of stories of experiences made possible by my bike. The people I've met, the fun times I've experienced, what would my life be like without my bike? It's a thought I don't like to think.
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| Photo taken at the beginning of the Maneha Rappel ride from this past weekend. I started riding a little after 8am and finished after 8:30pm. My riding companions and I had so much fun. Very cute pigs were in the background. Photo by Rob Vandermark, Overland Base Camp. |
Someone recently told me that he doesn't think he deserves a nice bike. Of course, this person was being fairly clear with me. Far too often, I hear people make excuses for not getting a bike that boil right down to this same feeling.
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| One weekend this fall I ended up on a rare solo ride. I took more time taking photos than riding, though I still got 77 miles of amazing leaf peeping on my legs...soooo much better than driving to leaf peep! |
I am committing my life to offering people great riding experiences because I know how rich a life spent on a bike is. I really enjoy the flexibility of being able to work when I want to (which is almost always because I love what I do). When I get an email or photo from someone telling me that he or she just had an amazing ride, experience, or accomplished a goal on the bike, I feel good--very, very good. I get a lot of these kinds of emails, letters, and hear a lot in-person. It makes me feel great. Call me selfish.
What is a great bike? What is this elusive thing that so many people feel they aren't fast enough, young enough, pro-enough, whatever-enough to deserve?
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| Working with people who are 65 years old and quite a bit older who ride consistently has proven to me that youth is granted to anyone who insists upon staying young. Having a bike with comfortable contact points and one that absorbs the shock of the road helps a lot, too. |
- It fits the rider perfectly
- Comfortable for any length ride from 10 miles to 100+.
- Allows for pain-free riding
- Fast - sure, race-fast if that's your thing. Otherwise, fast as in if you go fast, you'll get further on your ride, see more stuff, and spend less energy going there.
- Shifting is effortless, chain is quiet
- Rides smoothly
- Durable
- Dependable
- Pleasing to look at
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| This inspired bike is made for a rider who rides before dawn, he wants to fly over the dirt roads and up the paved climbs. The person this bike was built for is the perfect example of someone who values his time on the bike and wants each ride to make his life better. |
An old bike rolls more slowly with worn-down bearings. A heavier bike makes each pedal stroke harder and less fun. A bike that isn't properly fit or one with the wrong geometry will leave the rider without the desired feel of stability, and it often translates to unnecessary aches and pains. A lesser bike won't have a quiet drivetrain, it'll be quick to interrupt the peace of pretty scenery. The chain might bounce off of the gears too easily. A lesser bike will be too stiff - it will transmit the roughness of the road right through the rider's body. Or, the bike will be too soft, not allowing the power from the pedals to transmit to the rear wheel. Far too often, we've also found the lesser bikes to be safety concerns. There is a lot on a bike that if it isn't properly installed or maintained, can cause an accident. It amazes me how lightly people take bike maintenance and how many near-misses we've seen.
How bad would it be to invest in a nice bike, ride with friends or go solo, and understand why we have riders regularly logging 100+ miles every week? It's not unusual for me to see someone who gets a nice bike to go from a casual rider to a serious enthusiast...just because it's fun and the bike encourages such behavior.
Too many people want to suffer it out on their current bike or a lesser bike in order to "earn" the nice bike. But what's the motivation to get to the nicer bike if the current ride isn't much fun and it's painful to achieve the goal? Is it so terrible to have a lot of fun while being out there getting healthier, getting fitter, and going faster?
Everyone who simply wants to go new places, experience the fresh air, and do it quickly, without the bike interrupting the experience or the conversation with a friend should have a nice bike. According to the late Robin Williams, a Seven owner, he said that riding is the closest thing to flying. A nice bike offers this experience. If you haven't felt it, you haven't been on the right bike yet.
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| There's the feeling of "flying" on smooth pavement. A ride like this is like that, too, where you only see things accessible by the trail - or by a helicopter entry. I like having my feet on the ground *and* getting the amazing experiences all at once. |
Take a moment to read how a Seven Cycles bike Ruined Lovely Bicycle's Blog. As the blogger learned through an extended demo ride, there's something to riding a bike with the qualities I've described here. In her words:
"I started to ride more frequently, more aggressively, more confidently, and in a more determined and less meandering manner. I lost fat and gained thigh and arm muscle. I got generally stronger and more cardiovascularly fit."
She didn't go in expecting that, nor was that her aim. And this happened over a fairly short period of time. She continues in the article:
"...as you're reading this, you are probably thinking "Well, she would have had the same experience with any light, fast modern roadbike." Except I don't necessarily agree. In order for a person to have an experience like that, a bike has to make them want to ride that way. It has to feel pain-free, safe and comfortable - while going at speeds faster than what they are used to."Why do you deserve a great bike? Because you deserve to enjoy your free time, you deserve to have a healthy lifestyle - one that is easily shared with friends.
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| Bikes bring people together. Add some food to the mix and it's even better. |
I justified buying a nice, light, semi-custom steel road bike to myself when I had absolutely no fitness, no need for a bike, no particular incentive to get into it aside from someone telling me that when I did get a nice bike, it would be all I'd want to do once I started pedaling it. He said that it'd be a waste to go for a lesser bike because then I wouldn't enjoy it as much and wouldn't ride. I know enough about myself to know he was right. I'd only ride it if it would treat me to a good ride, one that has an addictive quality to it.
That was the single best bit of advice I've ever been given, as it changed my life.
With any luck, you'll take that advice, too.
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