Fifty Plus (50+) - Took Wife on Longest Ride Yet -- Hook is Set

This was her longest ride on the new bike -- about 30 miles with some hills. Weather was perfect, we had a fun lunch. I really set the hook with this one, she's hooked now. She was groaning a lot when we got back, but mostly in a good way.

Made a slide show (http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/MackBikeTrip/?albumview=slideshow)with the pictures.

BTW, take a look at how my (Giro) helmet sits on my head. I get the feeling it should be forward more, so that it could protect my forehead a bit. What do you think? Maybe I should play with the straps.

It's easier to set the hook with such a nice place to ride. The wife looks very comfortable on the bike and in the clothes. Congratulations. I think you have, a) a riding partner, and b) license to spend money on bikes.

Beautiful looking ride, TromboneAl, and congratulations on your successful recruiting effort!

BTW, take a look at how my (Giro) helmet sits on my head. I get the feeling it should be forward more, so that it could protect my forehead a bit. What do you think? Maybe I should play with the straps.

That looks like a great ride.

Yes, your helmet should be down on the forehead - more like your wife's helmet. When we fit kids for helmets we suggest no more than two fingers between the eyebrows and the helmet.

I wish my wife would ride.

Nice Centurian, what brand is the white bike?

Loved the show -- wow, what a view!

Your wife looks like she's been cycling for years. Congratulations to both of you.... hope you enjoy many happy miles together.

Oh, and yes, your helmet should be forward more. I think I wear mine so the sides are fairly level.

Way to go TromboneAl. I'm a solo rider, but if my bride rode I'ld
ride with her like you do with yours. Here's to many smiles and miles
for you both.

Happy Trails

Thats a beautiful ride. What coast is it?

Thanks, I'll play with the straps and get that helmet adjusted correctly.


Nice Centurian, what brand is the white bike?It's a Bottecchia. I bought it new in 1991. Very happy with it (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/BottecchiaNewHandlebars006.jpg).


What coast is it?

It's the left coast, between Eureka and Crescent City.

I thought it might be. Northern cal coast looks a lot like Oregon.

Great pictures. Congrats on hooking a riding partner.

Yeah, that helmet is seriously maladjusted. You may want to replace it with something made in this millennium. ;)
Old bikes are great, but old helmets stink. The new ones fit better and are much easier to adjust.

I thought it might be. Northern cal coast looks a lot like Oregon.

If San Francisco is "Northern Cal, Eureka and Crescent City have to be in Oregon!:)

You may want to replace it with something made in this millennium. ;)
Old bikes are great, but old helmets stink. The new ones fit better and are much easier to adjust.Oh, I was afraid that was going to be the case. But I've just adjusted it, and it's in a better position now; the mirror is in a better place too.

Do you think the new ones are significantly safer?

Another congrats on getting your partner to be a real partner...hope you both enjoy. ?helmet, new / old ..from a 'tightwad' if the old helmet does not have dryrot, that is the plastic is falling apart, my humble opinion is that it will protect as much as a new one IF it is still in original condition. I am a tightwad but would not want to do anything to risk my head. By the way i did buy a new helmet recently, cause I had left my 'old' one at the getaway cabin.

It's all part of an evil plan isn't it?

Sure... y'all lure us in little by little... "here honey, just try this bike and see what it feels like...," "sweetie... let's try a short ride by the ocean..." and BAM! we are soon doomed. Shortly there after visiting the LBS trying every new bike and buying accessories we can get our hands on.

Can't wait to hear updates on when you've reeled her in all the way.
She'll of course have to start posting on the forum and I'll have another kindred spirit. :)

BTW... Great photos!

It's all part of an evil plan isn't it?

Sure... y'all lure us in little by little... "here honey, just try this bike and see what it feels like...," "sweetie... let's try a short ride by the ocean..." and BAM! we are soon doomed. Shortly there after visiting the LBS trying every new bike and buying accessories we can get our hands on.

Can't wait to hear updates on when you've reeled her in all the way.
She'll of course have to start posting on the forum and I'll have another kindred spirit. :)

BTW... Great photos!
A local bike shop used to have t-shirts with "biking is the drug, we're the dealer" printed on the back.

I wouldn't trust a very old helmet to still be as protective as it was when new. The foam loses integrety over time. Also in all that time. it may have taken a hit that would have weakened it.

Newer helmets are more comfortable, have straps that are easier to adjust, have supports in the rear that help hold the helmet forward on your head, they have better padding and better ventilation.

You don't have to spend a lot of money for one. $35 helmets are just as safe as $200 helmets.

This was her longest ride on the new bike -- about 30 miles with some hills. Weather was perfect, we had a fun lunch. I really set the hook with this one, she's hooked now. She was groaning a lot when we got back, but mostly in a good way.

Made a slide show (http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/MackBikeTrip/?albumview=slideshow)with the pictures.

BTW, take a look at how my (Giro) helmet sits on my head. I get the feeling it should be forward more, so that it could protect my forehead a bit. What do you think? Maybe I should play with the straps.

I'm glad you had a good ride. Thanks for the post and the photos. Many moe to come, I hope

Helmets - yes, protect your forehead. Just above the eyebrows at the front.

My lad took a tumble on his way to college a few years back. After the bump, the helmet was in two pieces at the front, still attached at the back. The helmet did its job, and I'm glad he was wearing it right. The nice people at Bell Giro gave him a new one, and a message that events like his are what they work for. I'm a fan of theirs!

I know that I sound like an old geezer, but remember when almost no one wore helmets? I remember riding in the Ann Arbor cycling club when one guy came to the weekly ride with one of those first Bell helmets.

This one:

http://www.bike2build.nl/morepics/eurobike2003/bell_firsthelmet.jpg

He hit a Saint Bernard, fell on his head, was OK, and next week, everyone had helmets.

Doesn't it make you feel old to see something that you owned in a museum?

Nice ride. I am glad that you have enlisted your wife to go out and enjoy it with you. You must have both had a great time.

Tell us about that section of the coast road.
I tried to ride Hwy 101 south from Astoria (Oregon) toward Tillamook. Nasty hills I expected, but the lack of a shoulder on many stretches, truck traffic and 60 mph autos made it the most harrowing experience of my life. I gave up at Nehalem Bay, Never again.

Yes, there certainly are sections like that. Check out this post of mine. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=444406&highlight=logging)

For this part of the road, there's a brief section on the freeway where there isn't much shoulder,

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/Caltrans006.jpg

then one can either continue on the freeway for eight miles of wide shoulder, or take a hillier scenic route. Then there's a road that's rarely traveled, followed by some more freeway, then a frontage road, etc.

I'd be more specific, but I try to have a semblance of being anonymous on the Internetz.

It does look like a new helmet is on the cards- But when you go to choose one- Leave the wife at home. My LBS hate it when it is helmet time for me. I want to see all the models starting from the cheapest and then I go up. Looks have a lot to do with the choice- but more important is Fit. I just keep going up the price range till I get a comfortable one- then there is the colour- It must not clash with any of the bikes and finally I make a full adjustment on the straps to make certain it fits before I buy. Takes about an hour and that is just for a helmet.

Take the wife in and she will be looking at the shoes- so that will take a further hour or so. Just be thankfull that the Bike shops don't sell handbags.

I'm jealous of the terrain T-Al. And it looks like it was coooool out there. I'm sick of my humid days edging up into the 90s - speaking of which I better head out now while it is still reasonably cool (8:00 AM). Luckily my wife loves riding - she gets me out on days I might otherwise wuss out.