A Rough Riding We Will Go!

I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Mozam and myself are officially fledgling Rough Riders. Yesterday we left the fear behind and took the bikes on some pretty awesome trails around our neighborhood. We set a few ground rules before setting out. First, use of the granny gear is not a badge of shame, as some roadies I know would have you believe. Second, and in true Rough Rider spirit, this would be about pure adventure and the joy of discovering. Third and last, we would walk the bikes on the steep stuff. There would be no points awarded for war wounds on this ride. All I can say is, “what a blast!” Both cross-bikes worked flawlessly and we had zero flats! Gotta love that. Henderson is a bit slow in the “bike” trail department, but once they put their mind to doing things around here, they do an excellent job.

Now, on to those really cool Rough Bikes. Mine is the first picture below. I decided to use some old shifters I got from a racer dude who crashed them almost beyond repair. They were triple compatible so all the much better for this little project. Mrs. Mozam opted for the straight bar look complemented by the elegant 8-speed gearing. That was fun! Finding 8 speed straight-bar shifters compatible with a road front chainring set up. Her bike is the second one pictured below. Anyway, all worked out just peachy and we were on our way.






The Henderson trails network starts at a park near our house (link in the last post) so we decided to give that a try. The trails are part access roads and part single track/hiking trail put in by the city. I must say that the packed down single track is the best and the most fun by a long shot. Our test ride turned from a serious evaluation of our new equipment to a kid-like fun fest. We soon found ourselves bombing down hills and trails and even racing each other up the short but steep climbs. Note to self: take much more water on a hot day! All in all, a great shake out. More pictures to follow and reports from the Rough Ridin' Mozams.