Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Pedaling a Solution

One of the cars urgently needs service. Fortunately, the weather has turned mild and the daylight is just long enough for me to give up my car so the other one can go into surgery.

Today I have to drive the ailing car to the mechanic, 40 miles away (he's that good), and then ride 25 of those miles to meet my wife and hitch home the rest of the way with her.

When the days are longer and I have more long rides on me I will knock off the whole 40 on these errands. It's just a little early, especially since we already grabbed a quick 12 going to the town offices on some other official business this morning.

The biggest question is which bike to use. I've been putting in most of my time on the fixed gear. It gives me the best control in the frost heaves, because I have pressure on the pedals whether accelerating or decelerating. That makes it easier to unweight to let the bike rock through the lumps and bumps like the kayak riding over waves. But the Gilford run is hilly and I'm doing it in the uphill direction.

The Surly is a tad heavy for a speed run, but it's set up for the lights if I decide to be that prudent.

The road bike is light and fast, but I haven't looked at it since last fall. After the Surly it feels downright flimsy, even though I know it isn't. The direct drive of the fixed gear makes it feel more solid.

Whichever bike I choose, I like riding with a mission.

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