Cassandra: So, some big things have been happening for me bike-wise. In fact, I switched out my bike. I had been having some fit issues and gone back and forth with the people at REI trying to make my bike more comfortable. But it felt too small and I kept having muscle pain (not to mention the pain in my crotch from getting rubbed raw by my bike). Finally, I decided that I was tired of having doubts and fixing small things that didn't seem to make a big difference, so I committed to looking for a new bike. I am glad this is something I don't have to do again for years and years, because it is about the least enjoyable thing to do. When I had first bought my Cannondale, Dennis and I were in REI for something like 8 hours. This time it took me 6 to find the right bike.

Although the people at REI had been wonderful, I started out my new bike search at a different location because I wanted to try some brands that REI didn't carry. I was matched up with Ben from the Montlake Bike Shop, who helped me choose models to try and swapped out stems and seats to try to get me a better fit. He first had me try another Cannondale, but I soon made it clear that I wanted to try something different from what I had tried before. He found me a brand new black and white Giant from the back and wheeled it out. The first thing I noticed was that this bike had a larger hood (the area up by the front brakes) for my hands, which I liked. Once he swapped out the stem and I sat on it, I liked the bike even more. The seat was more comfortable than the one on my Cannondale and even more comfortable than the other seats we had swapped for. I took the bike for a ride around the Montlake area and it felt good. Unfortunately, great is the enemy of good. I wanted a bike that felt great. So we swapped out the stem again and I did a few rounds of musical bikes, comparing my Cannondale with a newer (and bigger) Cannondale with the Giant. I knew both of the new bikes felt better than my bike, but at the same time the differences between the new bikes were subtle. The Cannondale felt really good on my legs but the Giant felt better everywhere else.

Finally, I did what I read about in a career book. When faced with a situation without a clear answer, make one up. So, I did make up an answer and it was that the Giant was the bike for me. But I wasn't in the clear yet. I still had to go back to REI and return my old bike. They didn't even bat an eye, just returned it for me (I need to write their customer service department a very nice letter). After that, I let Montlake know they could start hanging my gear on my new bike. It was a done deal.

I have since done a few rides on my new bike. Last Thursday I rode for 13 miles (even though it was the last thing I wanted to do on my day off) and on Friday I rode for 9 miles, both times on the trainer. My butt was less sore than it used to be and I did have less muscular issues. On Sunday I did a longer ride on the trainer. I could have gone outside for my 30 miles, but it looked cold out there and I wasn't feeling motivated at all. So, I stayed inside and watched a movie on my projector and then listened to music once that was over. My muscles felt pretty good until the very end, when my calves started to feel a little achy, but I had lots of mental pain. I just didn't want to ride my bike. Luckily, I applied the seat of my pants to the seat of the bike and just rode until I completed my 30 miles.

On Sunday I tried the Nuun mom sent me, and I liked it a lot. It did seem to help with my performance. I drank that along with a waterbottle of water and ate a Lara bar half-way through. I felt good enough after showering and eating lunch to go on a super long walk around Seattle.

Although I do like my new bike better, I am having one issue and that is with my new bike computer. I upgraded to a model that shows cadence and is wired to the back tire so I can see how fast I am going on my trainer (when wired to the front tire you don't get any reading on the trainer because the front tire doesn't move at all). I think the read on it is inaccurate, though. I was pedaling really fast and it barely showed me moving at 12.5 mph. Going all-out showed 15 mph. I have ridden enough on trails to know that I am going faster than that. I know what it feels like to pedal at a true 15 mph, and it just doesn't match up to what I am seeing on the trainer. I don't think it would be possible for me to pedal fast enough to make the thing show 20 mph. So, I need to have that looked at. It is making me feel like a slacker, and even though I have been severely lacking in motivation lately, I am not one. I'll have to consult the bike pro's.