Last week I wrote about using one bike for almost every cycling need.
Some of you may have read that and laughed, knowing full well I have far more than one bike.
Yes this is true, but I did ride my Rocky Mountain Altitude through Snowden, the Pumphouse, Beaver Lodge and the Woods creek trails this week. I also commuted to and from work on that bike and next month I will be taking that same everyday mountain bike to the Whistler Mountain bike park, and it is perfectly comfortable in all those situations.
Now having said all that, I do have many different bikes but as much as I can, do use one bike for everything. Although, I have to admit it is way more fun to use a specific bike for a specific type of ride.
A few friends and I have planned a ride along the entire length of Vancouver Island this spring and doing that on a mountain bike would be pure pain, so I’ll use my road bike. The ride will be much quicker and way more enjoyable, and I might even have a chance of completing the ride.
I love to do cruiser rides along the beach all summer long and, yes, my mountain bike works great for those rides, but my Electra cruiser bike is more comfortable, looks way cooler and carries more beer, so it is always the first choice.
When it comes to commuting, I do use my mountain bike quite a bit and include a bunch of trail riding on the way to and from work, but when it’s a ride straight to work, my commuter bike gets pulled off the hook. It has lights, bells, fenders and can pull trailers or kids, so it is just simple and practical and makes my mornings easy.
Obviously, not everyone reading this needs four or five bikes, and again, if you just want to get out and pedal, one bike will do it all, but remember, there are bikes for every rider and every style, so if you enjoy more than one type of cycling, you just might appreciate more than one kind of bike…I know I do!
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’.