Evolution of a Biker

Some women are born shoe girls. Some love having their hair done. Some just can't have too many purses. I guess I have always been a bike girl.

I remember my first two wheel bike from when I was about 4 years old. It was probably 12 inches and sparkly forest green. I rode it all along the sidewalk in the back yard. It had rusty spots and was squeaky. My parents got it at a yard sale. And it was awesome.

By the time I was old enough to learn how to ride without training wheels, I became the proud owner of a Strawberry Shortcake bike care of old Kris Kringle. One speed, banana seat, streamers. You know what I'm talking about. I rode that bike dozens of miles... up and down the driveway. I remember taking meticulous care of it, wiping it down with wet paper towels after I rode it to keep it from getting dirty. I loved that bike.

But alas, I got taller, and the coaster brakes and one speed were just not cutting it for me. Dad and mom surprised me with a blue and tan 3 speed bike with front AND back brakes. I flew on that bike! It was so fast and so cool. I clocked hundreds and hundreds of miles up and down our street with the neighbors. I loved that bike.

Until 5th grade. It was 1985 and EVERYONE had a huffy 10 speed. Except me. I asked for an entire year and then on the last day of 5th grade Mom and Dad took me to Toys R Us and let me pick out a hot pink Huffy 10 speed. I had no idea what to do with all those gears, but it didn't matter. I just clicked them up and down until my fingers were sore. I rode that bike thousands of miles with the kids on the street all over the neighborhood. I imagined myself riding that bike until I was 100 years old.

Enter the mountain bike craze of the early 90s. A fad that I was told would surely fade away so there was no need to have one. But I just couldn't ride my girly pink road bike on the B&O bike trail, could I? I just HAD to have a proper mountain bike. They were the epitome of cool. So around the same time I secured myself a driver's license, I also become the owner of a Trek Mountain Track 800 Sport. It was aqua blue and had 18 speeds. And it was a tank. My dad and I spent many, many, many hours biking together on the B&O trail. We shared a lot of laughs and stories together on that trail and on that bike. It was the bike I was riding when I told my dad that I met the man I was going to marry. (It was Drew by the way.) The Trek came with me for every one of the many moves that I've made in the last 15 years.

And then 2 years ago, I registered for my first triathlon. I knew immediately that the old mountain bike was not going to cut it. Sure, it still rode well, but it was way too heavy to be effective in a race. Drew gave me the go ahead to find an inexpensive bike that would be better for the triathlon. After extensive google research I decided on another Trek, this time the 7.1 hybrid. It felt so fast after riding the mountain bike for so many years and I was sure it would be perfect for the race.

Although I was so pleased with how I did in my first triathlon, the bike portion was definitely my weakness. I got passed. Repeatedly. By other girls who were barely peddling. When I expressed my displeasure to Drew, I was told that I would just have to train harder for the next race. As part of said training, Drew agreed to get the same bike so he could ride with me, and subsequently joined me in a triathlon this summer. After being passed, repeatedly, by girls who were barely peddling, Drew decided that maybe, just maybe, we were outclassed because of our bikes. Nothing sweeter than validation!

So with many more triathlons in my future, I was given Drew's blessing to acquire the 7th bike of my life. If you have ever tried to research buying a new car, you have a small glimpse into the pressure and choices available in buying a new road bike. You can spend $500. You can spend $15,000. There are over 40 brands of bikes, and each brand carries between 6-15 models. It's insane. Plus between derailleurs and saddles and seat posts and cranks and fork and calipers and shifters, it's like speaking a foreign language. So, after much research, test riding, and sleepless nights, I chose the Orbea Onix.

I can't say that I love this bike the best because honestly, I've loved all my bikes. They've all been different and served differed purposes in my life. I'm still learning how to ride the Onix. Funny to still be learning to ride a bike after all these years, but this bike is FAST and super light. It's like riding air. I've mastered the gears and turning left. Turning right is still challenging, especially with any speed. But I'll get it. As I ride it, I've thought to myself that if this bike turns out to be my final bike, I would be perfectly happy. But given my track record, I wouldn't bank on it.