Bikes Of My Past

Am I really going to go through them all?  Hmm, well I did start to ride when I was 10, so that eliminates a ton of Huffies, but still, maybe that's too much.  I mean who really cares.  Well I do.  And I'm anal enough to want a complete list.  So here goes.

My first bike, which was purchased soon after my return from that year I spent in Kiev with my Aunt, was a gorgeous, dark purple 10 speed.   Don't recall the brand or model, but I loved it, I mean really loved that bike.  I grew up lower middle class and did not have all the latest clothes or toys, but I had a cool bike.  My step-dad would take me on long rides along the strand that seemed to last all day.  Those are some of the best memories from my childhood.  Although every time I rode I had a deadly fear that those skinny tires would get caught in a crack in the pavement, and I would fly over the handlebars.  It never happened of course.  But the fear still remains, 'til this day.  I have never ridden skinny tires since.

In 1995 I graduated from UCLA with a Chemical Engineering degree.  As a graduation gift to myself, I bought my first real bike.  I actually still have the receipt, wish I had a picture too, but sadly I do not.  I bought a GT mountain bike from a bike shop in Redondo Beach, CA.  I picked the bike for two reasons, big tires (that would not get stuck in the cracks) and the cool paint job - yellow and blue splatter (UCLA colors).  I know, I know.  But hey, I grew up in the 80's, what do you expect?  And did I do any mountain biking, nah, just rode on the strand in my bikini like I did on my 10 speed, but with less fear.

Fast forward a bunch of years and I find myself in Charlotte, NC with an eight year sentence.  The gyms suck!  There is no strand to run marathon distances along the beach like I did in Huntington.  The summer heat and bugs were awful, still are actually, and when it hit below 40 degrees, I was a wimp and didn't want to run outside.  I moved to Charlotte in February.  By May, I was completely miserable.  My boyfriend, and the reason I moved here, suggested mountain biking.  Huh?  Okay, whatever, I owed him a birthday present.  So off we went to the local bike shop.  Rod bought a Gary Fisher Rig in a dark purple reminiscent of my first bike.  It was awesome.  My choices were slim.  I bought a green Gary Fisher Cake III.  I think that was all they had in my size, which wasn't actually my size, but too big, but oh well, it was my first time spending what I thought at the time was a ton of money on a bike.

I could share the story of my first ride down the driveway, or learning to ride, but we'll save that for another post.  Instead, here's a picture of me on my first real mountain bike at a race in the Summer of 2006.  Note I have gym tights on and a little tank.  I resisted bike shorts for over a year, as I didn't want to wear a 'diaper.'

But my the end of the racing season, the second year I rode, I finally broke down and bought some cycle shorts.

Purple Tassels?  Yup, tassels. 

That was my nickname for years.  I bought them so that people would know that I was new on the trails and not run me over.  When I started racing they never came off and in fact were replaced dozens of times when I'd lose them in a crash.  They became my signature.  It got funnier and finnier as I would overhear guys cursing that they got passed by 'Tassels!'  So yeah, I kept them on.

By the middle of 2006, a few months after I started racing, I was talked into needing a better, lighter bike that actually fit me.  So I bought a black Titus RacerX 100.  I upgraded to purple I9 wheels (to match the purple tassels) and a SID fork with a handlebar lock-out.  It was a great bike at the time and really improved my confidence.

I even raced it in the cold in the Winter Series in 2007.

As I became more active in the Dirt Divas and rode and raced with more girls, everyone began to notice that I always stand when I climb, and for most of the time I ride.  They always asked why I had a full suspension.  So it made me think about it...  Drop the rear suspension, lose a few pounds, climb faster, no more bouncing wheel behind me.  It was almost too good to be true, so why not.  Let's try a hardtail.

At the same time I wanted to compete in a 12 hour race in the single speed category.  So I built up a silver Soma single speed bike.  I put my Fox fork and CrossMax SL wheels from my Titus on it and had a nice little bike.  I really enjoyed the pure riding of a single speed for fun rides, although when I raced in cross country I still needed gears.

At the same time, a funky local bike shop owner, who built up the Soma for me, really wanted to get me on a 29er.  I had always thought at 5'3" I was way too short.  But he said we could go custom, custom Ti in fact.  Cool.  So my next bike was a Ti Willets 29er, with purple custom I9 wheels to match my weight, and a carbon lefty fork.  She was really sweet.  The laid back Ti seat post gave me all the flex I needed and that bike just floated on the trails.  I picked her up on December 24, 2007.  The next day, I found out I was pregnant.  So it was almost a year later before I was really able to open her up.  I rode 5-6 days a week during my pregnancy, sometimes, 2 hours per day, but still not at race pace, except for the few times I raced, but again, another post.

That funky local bike shop owner sold his shop a few years later and left me hanging without someone in Charlotte that could service my bike.  Huge bummer.

By a chance meeting last winter, I found out about the new Trek Bicycle Store in Charlotte.  They welcomed me to their local cycling team with open arms, nominated me to be a Trek Mountain Co-op athlete, and even offered me a part time job.  Too cool!  So, my next bike was a Trek Top Fuel 9.9SSL, fully carbon, full suspension, and 26 inch wheels.  When I change it up, I really change it up.  I bought the bike sight unseen.  I was nervous.  I'll be honest.  But from the first ride, I loved it.  I know, stock bike, 26 inch wheels, full suspension.  So weird.  But it was awesome.  Clearly suspension has come a long way since I bought my Titus in 2006.  This was a great bike, at a great time.  I enjoyed my part time work at the shop.  I loved selling bikes to kids.  And Trek really took care of me and my bike.  It was, and still is, a great situation.

Sadly, I did sell my Top Fuel bike to pay for my shoulder surgery, but I know I'll figure something out soon.  I'm about 1.5 weeks into my 12 week recovery program and doing well.  So stay tuned for my next bike...