Bicycling Naked

Jerry and I took our first "real" ride on the new tandem today, but went with no pump, no trunk, no cyclometers and the use of only one chain ring in the front, instead of 3. What I missed the most was my cyclometer. My gut told me the new tandem was fast, but I'd like to know how fast.

Due to only one chain ring in the front until Jerry fine tunes the adjustments, we didn't do any climbing and took a pretty short ride. But it was fun and felt great. We do have a drag brake on the back, adding a couple of pounds, but the bike is still lighter than our old Trek tandem. It's got great balance, too.

Ont thing I noticed is, I can't see as well forward on the new bike, so I find myself sitting more upright when I want to see forward. But there really is so much to see on the sides.
It made me think quite a bit about sight. Earlier this week, I met with the director of a foundation dedicated to raising money to help improve sight. It did get me thinking about sight, how I'm happy to have it, and how fortunate that I had access to a really great physician and researcher when I was seeing double. Jerry and I played that old game, which would you rather lose-- your vision or your hearing. Kind of unfair, because Jerry has so little hearing, but we both agreed we'd rather not be able to hear than not be able to see.

When we got home, we took out or half bikes and did a little cruising around the neighborhood. I know the more I ride my single, the more comfortable I will feel. It mostly felt good, but I still have trouble getting started again after stopping, and I've got to tighten up my turning radius. But it's a work in progress.

We're hoping to find a group ride next weekend. We really like riding with groups, particularly with people we know. It helps our pace, and it's just good to see other folks.