I've been working a lot of late evenings recently and with my bike rack finally installed on my new Subaru Outback, I thought it was well past time to get my new bike out for the first time. Between work, weather and other obligations, I just haven't been able to do it until now. The beautiful spring weather didn't hurt my mood and desire to get outside either. It's around 73° this afternoon.
After working through a minor user error in securing my bike to my roof rack, I drove a short distance to Suwanee Creek Park. From there, I unloaded the bike and got set to peddle away. This being the first time I've really ridden this bike any distance, it's something of an acquaintance ride as well. Knowing how the bike feels, how it handles, how and when to change gears, as well as a myriad of other things are all on my to do list as I make my way along the combination paved and boardwalk trail that runs parallel to Suwanee Creek.
As I coast down one of the early hills, I spot a gorgeous great blue heron standing in the shallow creek below me and surveying for his next meal. I have to stop for a shot. Continuing on and starting to feel a bit more comfortable on this bike, I decide to see what she can do and put the peddle to the metal. It's pretty fast, but the lack of safety levers for the disk brakes is a bit strange to me. I had asked about this when I bought the bike and apparently, these have fallen out of fashion and are rarely scene. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. Back in the days of yesteryear when the "10-speed" bike first came into existence and ram horn handle bars first became popular, brakes could be activated by two different levers attached to the same point on the handle bar. If you were sprinting and had your hands on the lower section (the horns), you could use the levers there. However, if you were in a more upright position and peddling more leisurely with your hands on the crossbar, you could reach out with your fingers and brake with the safety levers. I'm going to have to have to either get use to the new style or find a set to install. Back to the ride though.
After walking my bike down the twisty turns of the ramped board walk going under and across McGinnis Ferry Road, I push pretty hard and reach end of this particular trail at Suwanee Elementary School. I do an about face and head back the way I came.The return trip is uneventful and I really start to feel comfortable on the bike. Arriving back at my car, I see I rode right at 6 miles on this short jaunt. A decent first ride, but I've got a lot more miles to train on if I intend to bikepack the Silver Comet later this year.
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