The RACER's Life · Jun 06, 2019

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BIKE?

WHEN SOMEONE ASKS WHAT'S MY FAVORITE BIKE, it's on the heels of do you ride street or dirt. Yes, of course, before they get to that question I gently correct them and say You mean road or mountain?

My answer?
The short one... always the same.

The bike I'm riding.

My long answer?

It's still the bike I'm riding, but then I'll go deeper. The last couple of years it's been much more about the road. My oldest got into road riding and brought me along. He's out now. I'm still very in... until lately.

Looking for a new challenge, I decided to take another run at Leadville - the 100 mile bike race at over 10,000' in Colorado. I just had to get a new bike. Oh man, the new MTBs are amazing: faster, lighter, better suspension, better shifting, better, better, better.

I'd forgotten how much better mountain biking is compared to road riding. The solitude. The oneness with nature. The lack of cars and congestion and noise. The long, long climbs. The feeling of flying once the bike is pointed downhill.

Yep, mountain biking is my favorite... unless I'm on my road bike, or my gravel bike, or my unicycle, or my motorcycle.