So. After something like five, maybe six years away from trail riding, Alan and I hit up Redwood park for some mountain biking. We got in late last night from Ei-Nyung’s company party (which was pretty fun), and so (I’ll be honest) I almost bailed on Alan. But he’d asked me a couple times, and I’d said yes on Friday, so I figured I’d just bite the bullet.

Got up at 9, which gave me some time to pull the slicks off the bike, put on the knobbies, take my senior thesis bike brake pulley contraption off the rear brake (one of the bolts had lost a nut), and take it for a quick spin to make sure things were okay.

Alan came over at about 10, we got to Skyline gate at about 10:30 (I’d tried to find another park entrance that I used way back in the day, but couldn’t find anymore). We ended up riding ’till about 12:15ish, but with some breaks for me to catch my breath, and not die.

We started out at Skyline gate, and took the West Ridge trail to the right of the parking lot (heading south?), across to the Graham trail, with a left onto Dunn, then switching back onto West Ridge to head back where it joins up with Baccharis.

Parts of the trail were a little muddy, and I started out really conservatively, over-braking in many places, and generally being a little paranoid. Probably not a bad thing, but it was much easier to ride once I’d loosened up a bit. It’s much easier to go when you’ve got some momentum behind you, frankly – it’s almost safer to move at a reasonable clip than it is to go too slowly.

Three major things I learned:
* My cardiovascular system is way out of shape.
* I desperately need a new seat for my bike.
* My bike is not set up for climbing AT ALL.

So, the cardiovascular thing’s no surprise. I’ve been swimming, but not with anything even marginally matching today’s intensity. The seat’s also pretty straightforward. I’ve got a Selle Italia Flite on there now, and it’s hard as fuck. Just absolutely rock-solid. It’s a great racing seat, and was good when I was, say, racing. But I haven’t done any of that in years, and my butt just can’t handle the pain. A lot’s happened in the last six years with regards to saddle design, so it’s desperately time to upgrade.

A Cannondale Super-V’s not a climber’s bike. That’s just the way it is, in that regard. But even still, my bike is even less set up for climbing than I remembered. Hopping onto Alan’s bike, where the seating position is near vertical, I realized that the seating position on my bike almost evenly distributes my weight over my butt, and my hands. Basically, I’m slung really far forward, and leaning way more forward than he does on his bike.

This never really bothered me in the past, but that’s probably because East Coast mountain biking is totally, totally different than West Coast mountain biking. In Boston, it was all about fast singletrack, on relatively flat terrain with a few short climbs, most of which you’d stand up for. Out here, the climbs are steep enough that you have to remain seated, in order to keep the rear wheel down, but leaning so far forward, my knees were practically in my chest with every revolution of the crank.

So, I’m thinking I need a shorter stem with a greater rise. I don’t know, though – I might just swing by Cyclesport and have them fit me for my own bike. Wacky, but probably would be much more comfortable than it is now.

The ride was fun. I really enjoyed it. Riding through the trees and stuff was as fun now as it was then. I’d definitely like to find some more singletrack, though – I think I just enjoy the East Coast style more, because here, it’s all fire roads, and heavily compacted trails. There’s less quick, technical navigation, and more technical climbs and steep descents, both of which currently, I fear more than I look forward to.

So, next week, if the weather holds up, I think we’ll try to find the place in Orinda I used to ride, and see if it’s still like I remember it was. Probably not, but there you go.

The rest of the day? Trying to recover from the ride, Korean food, and Karaoke Revolution with some friends. Good times. Tomorrow, we might take Mobius to Redwood Park, if my legs aren’t broken into a thousand little bits.