Bike Trail Narrative

Bike Trail Boy

Let’s hear it for the American River Bike Trail! It is a wonderful resource, all thirty-two miles of it, from Folsom Lake to Discovery Park and the Sacramento River. We live near the midway point at mile thirteen, and it seems almost criminal to live so close and not take advantage. That’s what brought me to Carmichael Cycle one Sunday last summer.
I’d browsed around Carmichael Cycle (cute name, eh?) before, but this time I was a serious shopper. I was determined to buy a bike. The only question was what kind. As it turns out, there are many choices. There are mountain bikes, and racing bikes, and street bikes, and regular old fat tire bikes that have been re-christened “beach cruisers,” even though we don’t have a beach to cruise.
He said they were for “aggressive” riders. I can see why a seat like that would make you aggressive. These bikes had narrow handlebars that curled like rams horns and looked like you had to stay in a permanent tuck position to ride one. I told him I don’t tuck much anymore.
We finally found a row of bikes with upright handlebars and wider, flatter seats. He told me they were “comfort bikes.” Now that’s more like it! After a quick test ride, I became the proud owner of a comfort bike. I also bought a stand that turns the bike into a stationary trainer so that I can work out indoors during bad weather. I have to admit, I haven’t put many miles on that bike stand. If anyone out there is looking for a bike stand/trainer with very low miles, have I got a deal for you!
And so I hit the trail, riding upstream for five or six miles, or downstream about an equal distance. It is a great workout and the scenery is beautiful, and you really come to appreciate the change of seasons. The difference between July and December is quite