M Rose

Growing up I always had a bike it seams. I started out on a 20” Schwin Stingray when I was 5, progressed to department store BMX type bikes until I was 12 and got my first Huffy Mountain Bike.

In 1993 at the age of 15 I had a bad whipeout that broke both of my ankles and destroyed my 3 day old bike. I then stopped riding until 2017 when my physical therapist told me it would be a good idea to ride again. I found a full suspension NEXT mountain bike in a trash heap and spent a few weeks making it road/trail worthy. Then my son decided to thrash in it at the local skate park, where he destroyed the rear derailer, brakes, and bent both rims. I decided not to get back into riding at this time.

A few years later my then girlfriend and I walked into the LBS and we fell in love with the Trek Line of bicycles. We would go in often to check the inventory and dream. One day this past my I pulled the trigger on two Trek Verve 2 disk. One large frame for myself, and a small step Through frame for my wife.

My wife’s bike arrived at the end of July. So we
are now waiting for the heat to go down so we can ride together.

Roadrunner1

Welcome to the group and good to hear another person getting back in the saddle.

rsbob 

Glad to hear you and your sig-o are getting back into it. Many of us had a multi-year hiatus from cycling and sure enjoy being back. Hopefully you will too,

M Rose

thank you guys for the warm welcome. My wife and I are very excited to be getting back into cycling. I did my first 20+ mile ride today… and it was awesome. The ride was 50/50 pavement and gravel.
The Verve handled the pavement pretty decently, but the gravel wash boards kicked my butt. Overall I feel the Verve is a great city commuter bike, but for long rides it’s a serious workout, and the riding position is tiring.
Tomorrow I’m going to be looking at making some adjustments to see if I can increase comfort for the longer rides. I also see some upgrades in the near future.

Are there any good tutorials about riding washboards? I feel this is where I struggle the most.

Lastly, my wife averages about 2.5 miles per day. I how do I help encourage her to ride further.

rsbob 

The next time you make the treck to Portland, make an appointment with a professional bike fitter. It will make a world of difference in your comfort and ultimately range.

As a word of caution, get into cycling slowly and gradually since there are muscle groups used that usually don’t get a workout in daily life-like neck and shoulders. Gradually build up time and distances. I went whole hog when I got back into it and started doing one and two hour rides and my neck and shoulders got so bad, I had to get PT to strengthen those areas to alleviate the knots and pain. After 6 months of exercises for those areas I am fine, but be aware that too much too soon can backfire, especially for those of us no longer in their 30s or 40s or 50s. Also drink more water than you did as a kid since leg cramps can be much worse until you build your strength up.

M Rose

I have a very good bike fitter here. The LBS is 4th generation family owned. The current owner and I go all the way back to preschool and she is awesome with helping me set up the bike for proper fit. I’ve been in 3 times so far to get the bike dialed in for me. I plan on going back in again in the morning for more adjustments.

I hear you on taking things slow in both time and distance. I felt that I was ready for today’s ride. And had it been more pavement I probably would have been. Also the last 5 miles or so were in a strong head wind, which didn’t help matters. Next week I am going to go for about 1/2 the length of ride I did today. Meanwhile keeping to my normal around town errands and the once a week cross town trek to visit my friendly LBS.

If you ever come through La Grande, I highly recommend stopping in at the Mountain Works Bicycle Shop on Adams Ave. Mavis is a great gal and serves some amazing local brews.

Roadrunner1

1. Join up with some other riders so it’s more social and she has company that’s at a similar riding level as her. ….. not saying that you’re bad company😎
2. Plan a destination ride, whether it’s touring a scenic area or a winery tour. Give her something more to enjoy than just the ride.

M Rose

1: My wife isn’t very social.
2: I have tried this approach without much luck.

M Rose

I finally made enough posts here to post a picture of my bike.

CliffordK

Welcome from the soggy part of Oregon!

M Rose

thank you… haven’t been west of the cascades in the years.