| My days of running for pleasure and exercise
ended when I moved to the beautiful
Columbia River Gorge. I had been
living in the relatively flat
Willamette River Valley where
there were miles of level bark
running trails. Now in the Gorge,
I encountered rocky, steep trails
that were torture to my hips and
knees. It was time to find a replacement
for running. The Gorge of the
Columbia River is a recreation
mecca that's especially attractive
to mountain bike riders and windsurfers.
Swimming doesn't appeal to me,
so I decided to check out mountain
biking. In the end, that was among
the best decisions I've made,
but I began with caution. For
one thing, I didn't know if my
interest would last. That's why
I started by getting a low-end
bike (that had some serious weight
problems) It was a clunker, looking
back on it now. I also held back
on investing in some of the biking
'gear'. It's not that I'm cheap
- it's just that much of it seemed
to be for hip-ness instead of
usefulness. However, after using
a few of the items, I understood
that while the gear might make
you look 'cool', it also really
does help you function better.
Here are 7 of my favorite pieces
that I didn't think I'd care about
(back in my post- runner/pre-biker
days) and now I wouldn't dream
of being without. 1. Padded shorts.
If you mountain bike, road bike,
or both, make the investment in
having these. Purely and simply,
your ride will be more comfortable.
2. Well-vented helmet. You've
got to buy a helmet anyway, right?
If you don't wear one you're crazy.
Spend the extra bucks to get one
made of the super-strong material
that affords lots of vents to
help keep you from over- heating.
And in the case of helmets, you
get what you pay for: the higher-end
helmets are easier to adjust for
a better fit. 3. Pedals and shoes
with cleats (clipless). After
a bit of a learning curve on how
to release quickly and be able
to lock-in going up hill, clipless
becomes as automatic as shifting
gears. You especially notice the
benefits when you're road-biking;
you're gaining on the entire stroke
instead of only the downward push.
4. Hydration pack (a backpack
with a water-bladder - Camelbak
brand is an example). My first
one was a gift, or I might never
have tried one. Now I love having
100 ounces of water easily available,
instead of that goofy move where
you have to reach down and get
the water bottle out of the rack,
lift your head to drink - losing
sight of the trail, and then fumbling
the water bottle back into the
rack. No wonder I hardly ever
drank enough during rides and
ended up slightly dehydrated every
time. I also appreciate that the
pack holds my keys, cell phone,
energy bar, and rain jacket. A
suggestion: You'll still want
to keep a full water bottle on
your bike. It's good defense against
dogs that chase you. Get good
at your aim and you can land a
squirt without missing a stroke.
It's very satisfying, and the
dog will run away. 5. Safety goggles
- yellow. Of course, you should
have protection for your eyes,
but I wondered about the necessity
of yellow or orange lenses. Seemed
like poser- gear when I began
to see them around. Then I used
a pair. What difference in visibility!
The yellow lenses really do brighten
up shady trails and they help
you a lot during overcast or lower-light
times of day. 6. Half-finger gloves.
The palms are padded, so that
feels nice on long rides. The
best part is what they do for
you on wipe-outs, which are bound
to happen. I've gotten lots of
scraped knees, but my hands always
come out feeling fine. 7. The
Bike. Once I realized that biking
was not only a great alternative
to running for the sake of my
joints, but it was more fun in
general, I gave the clunker away.
Then I invested in a good bike
- lightweight frame and components,
with suspension. It's a pure delight
to ride on a well-made machine.
Kathryn Mosely has written extensively
on subjects related to cycling
and fitness. She contributes to
News from Acer Bike, the best
on-line biking information resource.
Be sure to see all of Kathryn's
articles at: http://www.acerbike.com/arch/
|
