Trusty Steed

I used to refer to my bike as my "Trusty Steed". Of course, there were a couple of problems with this.

1) I always did the work. Now, I'm not a horse rider, but I get the impression that between a horse and his rider, the horse is doing most of the work.

2) It wasn't actually trusty. In fact, most of my memories growing up in Oregon and riding in the nearby hills/mountains are also full of the memory of me coaxing the chain from gear to gear. I can't remember it ever actually working the way it was supposed to.

But, with all that--being my only bike at the time--it was the most trusty of my "steeds".

As many of you with multiple bikes will understand, now that I have a few bikes, there are some that are in disrepair more often than others. My road bike almost always needs a little air in one of the tires, but that's the only maintenance I really am forced to do on it. Very trusty. (Of course, for the most part, all road bikes fit into this category if you stay out of bad weather and stick to paved roads.) My full-suspension mountain bike, on the other hand, is in constant disrepair.

This is probably one of the largest factors in my move to riding on the road more and more. I mean, my time is limited and precious to me. If I ride on the road bike, I get more time to actually ride. On my full-squish mountain bike, I'll spend some time both getting angry and getting my hands greasy (somehow I always get my hands greasy--whether I change a tire, or mount a water-bottle cage--always).

Currently, I think I need a little more air in my rear shock. Also, my front brake needs bleeding.

With the fairly recent acquisition of my dad's old Cannondale F4000, I now have a trusty steed for mountain biking again. First off, it has no rear shock. Then there's the fact that it uses rim brakes (nothing to bleed--ever). Also, the front fork is an enclosed HeadShock system--about as maintenance free as any front suspension. It rides well and always shifts when I push or pull on the appropriate levers.

Now, whenever I'm in the mood for a ride--and I don't have time to work on my bikes--I can grab the Trusty Steed and head out. It's always good to have one in your stable.