Hello from Missoula, Montana!!
06-08-20, 08:33 AM
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Join Date: May 2020
Location: Western Montana
Posts: 27
Bikes: 1970s Gitane Tour de France with double-butted Reynolds 531 throughout and Sport-Touring geometry; 1985 Cannondale racing; 1990s Fuji racing frameset with Reynolds 853 & Ultegra groupo; 1990s old "beater" Univega CroMo Mtn. Bike.
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Hello from Missoula, Montana!!
Hi folks. I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I've been a cyclist off and on since 1982. When I was 19, I restored my brother's old Gitane Tour de France. It had Reynolds 531 steel frame tubes, stays, and blades in a classic '70s "sport-touring" geometry. I rode that bike all over southern Maryland. About 600 or 700 miles per month. I also got a job as a bike mechanic at a shop in my college town (College Park, MD)
Then, I started wanting more speed, so I got a stiff, Cannondale AL frame with a tight racing geometry. It was TOO stiff ... especially on long rides, my legs felt beat up, vs. pleasantly tired. I also switched out my beautiful old leather saddle for a lighter plastic/foam saddle, which made the bike even more uncomfortable.
At some point, I lost the passion for cycling and stopped riding for a really long time. But now, I'm 56, and getting back into it. I bought a 2nd-hand cro-mo mtn bike, and I have a nice comfortable leather saddle on order. When it arrives, I plan to ride with my son on all the fire roads and single track around our house here in western Montana. Pretty soon, I'd like to get a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame and build it up for 26-inch on-off touring -- with, of course, that sweet saddle.
I'm also changing careers. I've been a software developer and e-commerce guy for the past 20 years. Now, I'm starting to work with manufacturers to produce some of my ideas for saddles, racks, panniers, and some other things.
It's just really exciting to be "back in the saddle" again.
Take care, and I'm looking forward to participating in the forum.
Then, I started wanting more speed, so I got a stiff, Cannondale AL frame with a tight racing geometry. It was TOO stiff ... especially on long rides, my legs felt beat up, vs. pleasantly tired. I also switched out my beautiful old leather saddle for a lighter plastic/foam saddle, which made the bike even more uncomfortable.
At some point, I lost the passion for cycling and stopped riding for a really long time. But now, I'm 56, and getting back into it. I bought a 2nd-hand cro-mo mtn bike, and I have a nice comfortable leather saddle on order. When it arrives, I plan to ride with my son on all the fire roads and single track around our house here in western Montana. Pretty soon, I'd like to get a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame and build it up for 26-inch on-off touring -- with, of course, that sweet saddle.
I'm also changing careers. I've been a software developer and e-commerce guy for the past 20 years. Now, I'm starting to work with manufacturers to produce some of my ideas for saddles, racks, panniers, and some other things.
It's just really exciting to be "back in the saddle" again.
Take care, and I'm looking forward to participating in the forum.
Last edited by montanasoftware; 06-08-20 at 10:19 AM.
06-08-20, 05:15 PM
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Welcome! My family lived in Missoula for a few years when I was small. Headquarters of Adventure Cycling Assn
06-10-20, 07:08 AM
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Western Montana
Posts: 27
Bikes: 1970s Gitane Tour de France with double-butted Reynolds 531 throughout and Sport-Touring geometry; 1985 Cannondale racing; 1990s Fuji racing frameset with Reynolds 853 & Ultegra groupo; 1990s old "beater" Univega CroMo Mtn. Bike.
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Thanks for the welcomes.. Rick: I moved to Missoula in 1996 and I love the people and the area. Funny you should mention Adventure Cycle. I was just looking into the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route ... from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border. Adventure Cycle put that route together and made maps and a guidebook. It goes right through Ovando, which is about 20 miles from where I live. Some time this summer I'm going to do a section of it here in MT.
