Thursday, June 17, 2021

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 MichelleReneeDarleneJenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.


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20 comments:

  1. It's great that you're liking your new bike so much! I really didn't know the differences between a road bike and a mountain bike. Sounds like it makes sense for you to have a hybird.

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    1. I'm sure there are plenty of other differences (that I have not yet been made aware of), and there are other "classes" of bikes...I think these three are (maybe?) the most common. So far, things are going well ;-)

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  2. If you are riding on paved trails, it seems that a hybrid is the way to go! I bet it does feel much lighter and more comfortable to manage and go longer distances. Love it that you and the hubs ride together so often. Happy miles!

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    1. The mountain bike did alright on the paved trails, but a hybrid or road bike are definitely a lot more practical. Trust me, I'm not really an adrenaline junkie, so I haven't done much off-road riding with the mountain bike.

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  3. Congrats on your new purchase. You deserve it. You do a lot more biking than I do. It's not my bike. It's road bike. It's just me.

    When I have free time, I just run or hike. Now if my hubby biked that might influence me to do more. I do have friends that bike but their skills are way above mine.

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    1. The biking skill certainly don't happen over night. Similar to running a race or a route...no matter how many times you've run it, it seldom ever feels the same due to the temps or wind. I feel like I'm always learning, but that's not a bad thing.

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  4. Welcome to Fritz! (side note- you give your bikes interesting names- wondering how you chose them!) I have a road bike and a hybrid, and it's the hybrid I plan on riding for the time being. I mostly ride by myself, but might do some miles with my husband this summer. It's definitely great cross training!

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    1. Well, it took me forever to christen Gustavas with his name. The brand of bike is Mongoose, so the Gus (in Gustavas) came from that. Turns out Gustavas is a Scandinavian name, often times given to leaders or monarchs...and I have a pretty strong Norwegian heritage LOL Fritz's name just came to me instantly, and I later learned it has some German heritage (which I have as well). Fate?

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  5. That's great that you love Fritz so much, Kim! Cycing is a great addition to running.

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    1. As I have said many times, cycling has served me well. I'm glad I discovered it a few years ago! Now if only I could develop a similar love for swimming....

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  6. I had no idea about the difference between types of bikes. It makes sense when you explain it! I'm looking forward to learning more about the bike world through you.

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    1. Trust me, I'm still learning about bikes and all their differences. I have barely scratched the surface in what I shared here ;-)

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  7. It's great that you and Fritz have bonded so quickly! I had no idea the advantages of a hybrid bike - how nice that the hills feel easier!

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    1. OMG...the first time I rode the hilly bike path with this new bike, it almost felt effortless. Crazy how hard I was working with Gustavas and didn't even know it!

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  8. I love my hybrid bike! It feels much sturdier than a road bike but not heavy like a mountain bike. Fritz is very handsome. I hope Gustavas is not too jealous ;)

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    1. I'm really liking mine, too! I have not been on a road bike in years (other than a quick test ride), so I have no real means of comparison, but this hybrid is SO much lighter than the mountain bike. I'm keeping Gustavas in action; he'll be a crucial part in my marathon training this summer ;-)

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  9. Congratulations, I'm so excited for you! Just for fun look up how much each of your two bikes weighs and you'll probably be shocked at how much less your new hybrid weighs. My gravel bike weighs 26 pounds (without the bags, my Garmin, light, etc.) and my road bike weighs 20 pounds, and can I feel the difference. My road bike has electronic shifters which allows me to change gears with the lightest touch of my finger. When I ride my gravel bike, which I do about 30% of the time, I can really feel the difference and struggle at first with changing its gears (thank goodness they both work in the same directions). Riding the gravel bike is a much harder workout than my road bike, but I suspect it's a much easier workout than on your mountain bike. We usually go less distance on our gravel rides simply because they're harder.

    Are you on Strava? I think you'd love it and how it tracks your workouts by sport. If you get on it, let me know so we can follow each other. Using it, you can see your hill profiles, times on certain segments as compared to previous rides, etc.

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    1. I have not tried lifting Fritz over my head yet (...stay tuned, there'll probably be a pic LOL), but I can tell he's much lighter. One time, Barb and I had ridden out to the lake, and I had this awesome pic in mind of me holding Gustavas over my head with the lake in the background...and I could NOT do it. I had to resort to just hoisting the front tire up instead. #humbled

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  10. Excited for you! I know how much you like your bikes. Yes, do keep Gustavas in rotation so he won't get jealous.

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  11. It's great that both you and your husband are so active! At first, reading the title I was like "oh, someone had a baby!" 😄 Then I saw it was a bike. Pretty cool that you can have a Garmin-like tracker installed on it. I hope you have many wonderful adventures with Fritz going forward!

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