A Roadie gets dirty

Anthony is my good friend and roadie buddy that has never been Mountain Biking. That is, until today. He finally accepted my invitation to hit the dirt trails after I told him that my wife rides off-road. (Yeah, I know, it’s evil but it worked).

So we loaded the K2 Lithium and the KHS XC204 and headed to the Fullerton Loop. The Fullerton Loop is an excellent trail to take beginner riders to, it’s only 12 miles and if you wish to skip the ‘gnarly’ stuff, you can.

I showed him how the gearing works on a MTB and other few pointers, it took him little time to get used to the terrain and the bike. I asked him what was the most challenging part of riding off-road and he mentioned that getting used to the bike and how it handles was a huge difference from riding a road bike. Anthony seemed to like it, he wants to come back and do it again.

It gives me great satisfaction to introduce the sport of Mountain Biking to someone that has never tried it. Any roadie of bike commuter should try off-road riding at least once. If you ever take someone mountain biking for the first time, take the time to show him/her the ropes. Also, try not to show off and if you need to slow down or take an easier path, do it, you may gain a new mountain bike riding buddy.

UPDATE:

I rode with the KHS XC204, this bike is really growing on me. I really like the way it handles both uphill and downhill, the fork is a little springy for my taste, but the bike is a blast to ride.