Genesis

At the ripe old age of 28 I started getting a little pudgy.  Okay...a little more pudgy than usual.  I decided I needed to get off of my ass and start some sort of physical training regimen to ward off the unwanted pounds.  Since running was staple in the military I figured I would go for what I know.  That was a big no go.  I ran at least every other morning and just couldn't seem to settle into it.  Knees and ankles aching I thought there has got  to be something better. The idea of riding a bike came to mind.

Shortly afterward my wife's cousin offered to let me use his 10 speed bike for a while.  I rode that bike up and down the road and enjoyed every minute of it.  Every time I rode I took note of a few small trails off of the road and thought man would that be fun to ride off road.  This is when I realized I wanted...needed a mountain bike.  So I saved up a few pennies and in September of 1997 I purchased my first mountain bike.  It was soooo "RAD".  A Giant Boulder.  I couldn't believe I had actually spent over $200 on friggin' bicycle.  But it was awesome.  I rode that bike every chance I got.  But there was a problem with it.  Every time I went riding I broke something on it.  When I asked the guy at the shop I bought it from what the deal was, he said "you're riding this $200 bike like it's a $1000 bike and it's not made to do the things you're making it do."  And the wheels in my head turned.  All I could think of was that if I got a better bike I would be a better rider and it would be ever better.

Now 14 years and God knows how many pennies later here I am.  I presently own three different bikes.  One "All Mountain" bike that's great for all around riding, a different mountain bike for more of a cross country style riding and a road bike which is tasked with pavement and pavement only.  I love and cherish each of them for different reasons.  Like movies and music of different genres, each has their own time, place and appropriate application.  No one bike is better than the other....only different.  Diversity in the purest form and yes, we can all get along.