the dark side

“woo hoo!”

“This is awesome!”

“It climbs so well!”

“It just eats up small rocks!”

“Do I have to remove my sunglasses so you can see the sparkle in my eyes?”

“I can’t believe how well it climbs!”

SMILES. SMILES. SMILES.

“Oh my god, this is so fun!”

These are exclamations from a giddy Em as we rode the foothills near Bako. What brought them on (other than trails in perfect, tacky conditions, bluebird skies, temps in the 50’s, no wind, remarkable visibility (this is Bakersfield, afterall, such days are few and far between)?

On Christmas Day, Em rode through the neighborhood playing on my green fixie (even trying to pedal backwards her first time on a fixie),

mov00859

but this day, she was riding my Walt. Her first ss ride (it must be nice to try ssing on such a magnificent bike).  We met four other rides on the SSFTA ride for a jaunt in the foothills, one other singlespeed (Trek 69er) and three geared riders (I was on my still fixied ratride 1×1). Another quote from the 69er “You’re never getting that bike back, you know”

Em’s permagrin lasted throughout the ride (I never even had the opportunity to take the traditional singlespeed pushing the bike picture with her, as she was up to every climb we attempted, even chicking me yet again), al the way through dinner (and marg’s), and through the evening. We’re going back out again today, and whenever we mention it, the grin returns instantly.

I had some great pictures of her during the ride, climbing, riding, enjoying, smiling, even a picture next to a small oil well/pump, but, in my infinite alertness, I managed to drop her camera somewhere in the last mile of the ride, or at the truck while changing and loading. We went back and searched, but no Sony to be found

To get the point, all you have to do is picture someone rocking a singlespeed like they had been doing it for years, and smiling from ear to ear. At the bottom of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, she even asked to climb back up to do it again (instead, we climbed up and descended refrigerator). I know that we at least have a cross country bike in her near future, will it be a single?  We’ll have to wait and see, until then it would appear that the seat will remain lowered on my walt for a little while longer..

btw, Dave, once again, my hat is off to you for all the trails you rock on your fixie. I started getting a little to comfortable on mine, following Jack down a rocky descent, until my legs couldn’t keep up. Unfortunately, my first instinct was to get behind my saddle. Not a good decision. I was able to avoid going OTB, but it was almost very, very ugly.