My New Mountain Bike: Part 2.
Get on Your Bikes and Ride.
pop quiz: the lyric above is from what song and artist? clue: pop royalty turned the other cheek for this bicycle race.
As I:
- Love the mountains;
- Enjoy being active;
- Am happy in the great outdoors;
- Am keen to explore new places;
…I thought it was about time I owned a proper mountain bike. A bike that could take me to the sort of places I love to go and to be able to travel further and faster than simply hiking: biking is my new thing.
My new bike is a Scott Scale 750. I opted for a small men’s frame and had the handlebars narrowed by 4cm (2cm each side). This set up seemed to give me the most comfortable ride of all the bikes I tried; and I did try quite a few!
This bike is a mountain bike with front air suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, 2 x 10 gears and flat pedals. As I am not yet a regular in the saddle, the recommendation seemed to be that drop handlebars and clip in pedals should be upgrades that I consider once I am comfortable in the saddle.
I bought my new mountain bike from Chesterfield Cycle Centre. The guy in there was very knowledgeable and showed a thorough understanding of bike technology and for my needs. He spent over an hour with me, trying different frames, different set ups; I must have gone around their car park a hundred times!
I haven’t ventured too far on my new bike yet, Sherwood Pines and National Cycle Routes numbered 6 and 648 are my local spots. These, together with Clumber Park and Bridleways, should keep me entertained for a while; I might even venture to some of the trails in the Peak District.
I guess the next thing will be to get a bike rack for the car!
How did I start my search for a new bike? Find out in Part 1.
pop trivia: ‘Queen’ released a double A side in 1978, ‘Bicycle Race’ and ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’; the lyric is from ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ as a reference to ‘Bicycle Race’.
Note: Chesterfield Cycle Centre is now closed. A real shame!
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