It's a boy! Say hello to Fritz!

As many have seen by now, Gustavas (my mountain bike) became a big brother recently.

We welcomed Fritz, a hybrid bike, into the family on June 8th. Let me just say, it's been a smooth ride thus far (pun intended).

Care to hear a little more about this new addition to the family?

the biking brothers

First of all, I was very content with just having Gustavas in my biking life. In recent years, he and I have grown quite fond of each other. Let's not forget the invaluable role he played in my stress fracture recovery; and he totally dominated the 100 Day Biking Streak last Fall.

Let me also add that my husband is much more of an avid cyclist than I am, and has participated in several RAGBRAI's (a big week-long ride across Iowa every summer) in the past 10+ years. He's the proud owner of a mountain bike, as well as a road bike (and recently acquired a hybrid bike as well). That said, he's been wanting to get me a second bike for awhile. Admittedly, I was intrigued, but also kind of indifferent. 

Well, unbeknownst to me, he'd been talking with the local bike shop owner...and said bike shop owner happened to have a bike that he thought would be a good fit for me. Long story short, I stopped in the store over lunch (last week), tested out the bike and liked it. A few hours later, the hubby sent me a pic...they'd installed a bike computer (kind of like a Garmin-for-bikes), and the bike was sitting at home, waiting for me.

...and there he is!

Needless to say, Fritz and I went for a ride as soon as I was home from work that day. To say it was love at first ride would be cheeky, but true. I took him out on the hilly bike path, but only went about half way (7ish miles) and rode a few bonus miles (around the hood) after getting back to town.

Last Saturday, we rode almost 39 miles with our friends (Mike and Amy), and then a bonus 20-miler with another couple (Russ and Sandy) Sunday morning. A week ago (and a couple days ago as well), Amy and I rode the entire (hilly) path out to the lake (and back). While I'm still figuring out the gears and strategy of conquering those hills, it's a MUCH easier endeavor with Fritz than it had been with Gustavas.

So, we've ridden just over 100 miles together thus far, and I like him. Like, really like him. Here are a few observations and thoughts on this new addition to my fitness fleet: 

As mentioned, Fritz is a hybrid bike, so he weighs much less than Gustavas and has much less road resistance due to his skinnier tires. Without going into much cycle jargon (because I respect not everyone has an interest LOL), a hybrid bike is kind of a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. A road bike, like you'd see Lance Armstrong riding, has thin tires with minimal tread...enabling the cyclist to go fast. A mountain bike has thick tires, with very pronounced tread...thus, well-suited for scaling rough terrain. A hybrid, as the name implies, is a mix of the two. The rider sits in a more upright position (because the handle bars are wider and not as far of a "reach"), but the bike has a much lighter weight frame and road-friendlier tires. The best of both worlds, in my opinion.

Isn't he a charmer?

 

A very good thing is that the hills don't feel as treacherous on a hybrid bike. We're talking a fraction of effort in comparison to fighting gravity (on wheels, none the less!) with the mountain bike. I didn't realize just how much harder I was working taking on those hills with Gustavas LOL.

A potentially "bad" thing is that it would be all too easy to ride Fritz exclusively. After all, I can ride him much farther with not as much effort.

That said, I think it's in my best interest to keep Gustavas in the rotation. My legs have gotten pretty strong from all the extra resistance-training he's afforded me. It would be foolish to give that up.

My biking skills are still a work-in-progress. For example, it is more difficult to maintain my balance, on the hybrid, if I'm steering with only one hand. If there's a cross wind, it's really a challenge to  keep things vertical due to the light weight. Also, the gear shifts and levers are very different (on the hybrid) from what I'm used to. Numerous times, I've shifted the gears in the opposite manner in which I intended because they're kind of "backwards" from those of the mountain bike. I'm getting more adept with each ride, though, so all is well. 

All in all, though, I think he's a keeper. It's going to be a fun summer having all kinds of biking to look forward to...and another bike with which to make it happen. 

So, talk to me! Those of you with bikes, what are you riding? Do you have more than one? If so, which is your favorite? Solo riding or group rides?

I'm  linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

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