How can you tell it’s bike season already? Take a look around you and see the warm sunny weather and the road sweeping crews all over town. I’ve never seen it start so early or as nice, and I’m not complaining. Knowing that the evenings of spinning on the stationary trainer and watching the tube are giving way to morning rides through Armstrong is a happy event in our house. When your basement looks like the local bike shop, you know you have an addiction issue.

For me, it all started with my first bike bought one night at Sears. With the $30 I had saved stuffed in my pocket and which can now be won on games such as DAFABET, I was in pure heaven. It was green, had a metal flake banana seat, a sissy bar and big ape hanger handle bars. I was styling, man! I would ride that thing everywhere, and as all kids, I did some very stupid things on it. The fact that I survived is mainly pure luck. The back tire soon wore down to nothing due to all of those great skids I could do with the coaster brake. Stand up, pedal backwards, and lay down a huge streak of black goodness on the pavement in front of your house. Dad was so happy about that! And the wheelies! Oh wow, could you ever be a catwalk hero of the block with that thing. Much to my dismay, my paper route money was getting run ragged with the repairs and replacements. Tires and bent wheels cost money? Uh oh!

Fast forward 20 years and the mountain bike bug hit me. New technology, new ideas, and a whole new way to have fun. Living in Williams Lake at the time, the trail network evolved into an amazing spider web of woooo hoooo. As the local scene grew, it became more competitive. We pushed each other to go faster or be dropped behind, and one never wants to be dropped. In 2006 we moved to Vernon and discovered the fabulous roads and the friendly riders of the road groups. We tried it and and became hooked on the speed, and honesty of the sport. If you are on your game, you will fly! If you are off…well…..enjoy the scenery. As in life, what you put into it, you will get out of it.

Check out this link to the New England Muscle Bike Museum. There you will find many of the bikes of your childhood, or the dream bikes you wished you had.

Enjoy the ride!