Tag Archives: Specialized Mountain Bikes

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Ya Gadda Have a Laugh

I try to make Jan laugh every day. Usually, I am successful. LOL!!

Have you noticed how serious some people are today? Politics, the economy, and other daily stressors tend to make some people very agitated when really there is not much we can do about it other than try to be kind to each other daily. Part of that kindness is to get a laugh out of people and for a brief moment, they forget their troubles and laugh at the situation. In my case, I self- deprecate to elicit that laugh. Take last week for example. It was my nephew’s birthday. He was not happy about turning 31, but I told him I have socks older than him. That got a good laugh from him even though Richard tends to be fairly serious. For a brief moment, he realized that his Uncle Pat made him feel better. I enjoyed hearing him laugh.

In the last blog post, I talked about getting hit in the head with a chipped ham sandwich while riding my road bike. Not too funny at the time especially with what the driver had to say to me, but funny today thinking about it. And the best part- funny to all of you . Admit it. A chipped ham sandwich……..whack……right in the back of the helmet. With mayo!!!

Speaking of road riding- have any of you riders noticed how serious some road riders tend to be? I happen to be friendly on rides and when we pass a group of road riders, oftentimes they don’t say hello and kind of give you a scowl like they are in the Tour de France or something? I chuckle and think to myself, nobody is going to the Olympics on your ride…….lighten up.

Making Pete laugh is a daily occurrence.

I think the main reason a lot of people like to ride or ski with me is I make them laugh. We jokingly talk about mishaps on the ride or on the slopes. And I bring up some inane conversation that has nothing to do with the ride. I just try to make them laugh while we are killing each other up some hill. My friend Porter always laughs when he reminds me that I took out a whole PSIA clinic group one time on the ski slopes. They were all serious involved in a conversation about technique when I skied down to talk to them, crossed my tips, and took out the whole group like bowling pins including the examiner conducting the clinic. I was embarrassed at the time. But now……..it is one of the funny things Porter remembers. He always says” a level III certified guy cleans out the whole group!” You would think I would know better, but it gets a laugh every time Porter and Tim bring it up.

The makeshift meet and greet table at the World Cup in Snowshoe

I also like to create things to get a laugh. Like when Bob Anderson and the Shark and I visited Snowshoe, West Virginia for the World Cup Mountain Bike Races. Shark is a character and Bob and I saw a free table in the expo area. We set up a makeshift meet and greet so that the UCI mountain bike community could meet the Shark. People didn’t quite know what to make of it, but you would be amazed at the riders and their entourage who came over to meet the Shark. We had a lot of laughs about that. Especially since Bob A tends to be on the serious side……………until you get a big belly laugh from him. Doesn’t take much. LOL!!!

Specialized rider Haley Batten. She was anxious to meet the Shark. LOL!!!
Specialized rider Sina Frei didn’t quite know what to make of the Shark. LOL!!

I have a lot of fun riding mountain bikes and skiing because I don’t take things too seriously and a laugh on the chairlift or on the trail is well worth my effort. I like to brighten people’s day and getting a laugh out of them is always a fun pursuit.

There are so many funny things that occur during the day and if you take the time to capture them, have fun with them, and get a smile out of someone, you have done a good thing for people. I make my wife Janet laugh every day and even though my son Jack often doesn’t appreciate my humor, I like to get a laugh from him as well. Remember- dads are dorks and it is a challenge to overcome that. But oftentimes I relish my role as ………………the dork.

My buddy Dixon always gets me to laugh. He is a character. I have a lot of characters in my life.

Surround yourself with fun people and your life will be so enriched. Things are tough today. There is a lot of division, bitterness, and bad blood, but if you can make the best of it, look on the bright side of life, and don’t get hung up on the news, your life will be so much more fulfilling. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself either. So many people are insecure that they don’t like to make fun of themselves. I don’t know how secure I am, but I don’t have any trouble making fun of myself. It makes other people laugh, and for that………………I am happy. My mother always said, ” happiness is like a perfume…..you can’t sprinkle it on others without getting a little bit on yourself.” No truer words have been said and my mother was…………..a character. Thanks for reading.

I even had Greg Lemond laughing on some rides.
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Chasing the E-Bike

There has been a lot written about e-bikes, pro and con, but I am here to tell you that they are flying off the racks at bike shops and manufacturers. So much so that they are the leading category of bicycles sold today. People love riding them, they are fun, and they help a lot of people who would perhaps not be able to keep up on group rides because of age, conditioning, or other health considerations. Two friends of mine who are older than me recently purchased top of the line e- mountain bikes and love them. Chip says that with the app on his phone, he can alter the amount of assist he needs or wants on his bike. He adjusts it with enough electric assist to get him up and over the tough grunts on the trails, otherwise, at 72, he would not be able to keep up with the group of younger riders he is used to riding with.

I recently saw a program on You Tube (” Syd and Macky”) which chronicles the lives of a married couple who mountain bike race all over the country. Macky is a strong, expert class mountain bike racer and Category 1-2 Road racer. He recently challenged his 75 year old dad to a 25 mile race on the road. Macky had his road bike and his dad rode an e-mountain bike with full suspension. The e-bike is governed to 20 MPH and although Macky tried his best to ride downhills and flats as quickly as he could to over come the e-bike, his dad crushed him in the race. Say what you want about the pros and cons, I am not here to debate that. But I will tell you a story about my recent rides with my other friend who purchased the top of the line Specialized “S” Works e- mountain bike.

Bob- the Lord of Lumens, ( named so for his expertise in mountain bike lighting systems), loves his e-bike. Bob is a really fit rider who recently turned 70 and on a regular bike, could still handle a lot of riders half his age with his expert skill and conditioning. But since he went to the e-bike, he is having more fun than he has had in years. I have seen the smile on his face and his positive comments on rides around these parts. But there is a definite protocol to riding an e-bike with a group of riders who are on regular mountain bikes. Bob is aware of that protocol and usually makes me the governor who sits right behind him in line on the rides. The reason I do that is to keep Bob in check because he does not realize how fast he goes uphill. If Bob doesn’t look back and check how the group is doing on a climb, he could easily leave most riders in the dust with the e-bike. He doesn’t want to do that and thus- I am the guy who keeps him in sight and lets him know if he is riding up the trail too quickly.

The dynamics of e-bikes and regular bikes is interesting on a ride. I have noticed that if I don’t keep the group in check, and allow faster riders to pass me and get right on Bob’s wheel, he instinctively rides faster trying to stay ahead of the thundering herd of faster, stronger, riders. Then the group tends to split in half. The fact of the matter is that no matter how strong a rider you are, you are not keeping up with an e-bike and the rides can become disjointed if certain protocols are not followed.

I ride a mountain bike because it is good exercise and it is fun. Riding over roots and rocks is a challenge and I always say it is like skiing in the summer. But I ride mostly for exercise. If an e-bike flattens out the tough climbs there is the thought that you are not getting the exercise, only the fun. But Chip assures me that he does indeed pedal and makes sure that he programs his assist only enough to get him up over the really tough climbs. I can see that for sure especially as I get older. I can tell you this, one of these bikes is in my future but not just yet. I took Chip’s bike for a spin and was amazed at the boost that you get as you pedal. I think the technology will change in the next few years and the large batteries will become smaller and more efficient and you probably will not recognize much difference in a regular mountain bike and an e-mountain bike in the future. And the bikes will be lighter. But in the meantime, I will see the smile on Bob and Chip’s faces as they smoothly pedal ahead in the distance, looking back to see if we are still there. Try one out. They are pretty neat. Thanks for reading.