Cheers from DC
Here's my intro -
I've only owned two bikes in my life (well three if you count the banana seat I had from 6 to 11). The first was my twelfth birthday present (or 13th). It was a Ross Gran Tour II and it set me free. My parents never knew where I was and "going for a bike ride" was good enough for them. Never had a bike helmet back then. Funny how times change - that was only in the 80's.
Anyway, I didn't ride much in college - other things to do I guess - but got married soon after and my friends gave us a matching set of Ross Mt Rushmore hybrid bikes. They've always been good enough for us. I couldn't tell what type of anything (gears, derailers, brakes) are on it, but it's nothing special. Kind of like driving a Subaru I guess.
My wife has never ridden much, although she did go through a summer of commuting to work on her bike which was about 5 miles each way. Very impressive for her.
I did the first Boston-NY Aids ride in 1995. I threw some slick tires on there, bought some gear (shorts, shoes, gloves) and trained for half the summer. No problems on the ride (thank god no flat tires since I had a spare but haven't changed one since I was a teenager) except for some rain. Did my first century ever on day one (actually it was about 96 miles I think). Did my second on day two (106 miles). The last day would have been a breeze (60 miles) except it rained all morning. I always wanted to do it again, but the fundraising is onerous.
I've been riding off and on since, mostly in the summer. It's tough with the kids (first born in 1997), since I can't always talk them into going.
Anyway, that's about it. Still riding the Mt Rushmore although it's getting a little rusty in spots. It's been a decent bike. Took all three kids last night for a short ride (two in the trailer, one on the bike seat), but it started to get dark. Anyway, I figure a short ride with the extra 100 pounds or so in tow is as good as a longer solo ride. (probably not true, but...)