introducing Pash to St. Paul
I have been wanting to take the Pash further afield for quite sometime now
But to be honest, I was nervous about it.
I love Pash, but she just isn't the kind of gal you take with you on long trips.
Excuses...excuses...
So, since I tend to have a lot of 'free' time on my hands lately,
and my new volunteer gig is bicycle-related,
I figured today was a good day to conquer my fears...
How often in life can you allow yourself a cushy 1 1/2 hours to get to a meeting,
and another 1 1/2 hours to get home if need be?
Quite possibly never.
Sooo...off we went.
taking a break St. Paul style
that's my gal...2 hours later still waiting for me...
the three of us were having an unspoken slow race
20 miles later we know a lot more about each other.
-Pash is one heck of a solid and stiff ride - good, but firm for a long haul.
-Love the seating position, even for the long jaunt - I FINALLY got that dern seat adjusted to my liking.
-The seat...well, my bones and those rivets were not the best of friends towards the end. I have pretty good tolerance built up from my fast lovin' lycra rides, but a pair of bike shorts would have felt good after about 15 miles. In time I am sure the seat will be like a great pair of shoes to me, but for now she's a bit stiff for the long haul.
-It was fun riding such a beauty around the city. Pash and I saw more than a few glances coming our way.
-Our city is blessed with some nice bicycle options - we were on designated bicycle streets, in designated bicycle lanes, or on a gorgeous designated bicycle path the entire trip. Pretty awesome I must say. On a bicycle like Pash, I just love riding the trails, taking our sweet old time, and soaking in the scenery.
me, Pash, and The Mighty Miss
Pash and I are still the best of friends,
but in the end I think we can agree that though we did it,
we had a heck of a lot of fun doing it,
and we certainly were capable of it,
we might have more fun hanging out a bit closer to home.
But we'll always have St. Paul...
15 comments:
that pash looks oh so comfy! go sig go, loving the pandastic shots ;)
xo.meli
howdy meli-g! thanks for the kind words. St. Paul is our Fairfax... happy riding
✌s
Great shots -- sometimes it is fun to go outside your comfort zone. The Pashley is just gorgeous!
i've still yet to take the Sweetpea out for a ride of any great length, though i did take a spin up Mt. Tabor a few weeks ago, to see how she handles hills (very well, thanks to my 11-34 gearing in the back!)
one day soon i'll have to do a long ride on her. i'm almost tempted to take her out on a club ride, just to see if i could keep up with the roadies - the Sweetpea can haul ass when necessary!
How interesting to read this! I am looking forward to riding my Pashley for longish distances when I get back to the US, after I injured my knees on a rental hybrid comfort bike by taking it on overly long rides.
From what I've read, it seems that the Pashley was designed to go on long trips, as long as one does not try to break speed records. Still, I will probably get a used mixte road bike if I find that I enjoy fast long distance cycling.
I am intrigued by your comments about the rivets in the saddle causing pain -- I have never heard that before. Is yours the B66S that the bike came with, or did you switch to another saddle? I replaced mine with the B18 Lady, which is wider and shorter, but less sprung than the B66S, so we'll see how that goes!
Nice. Summit's a great way to get across STP. Watch out for that extreme hill by the University Club.
trisha ~ a'yup...always good to push one's self! Pash is blushing...
jj ~ Pash is rolling her eyes at the 11-34 gearing. ;P I am sure you and sp could keep up with the roadies! do it!!!
filli ~ glad to be of interest! Yes, the Pash certainly can make the long trips, but there is something about me - I think an hour to go 10 miles may be a little too slow even for me. We had fun and all, but I think there is a time and a place for every bike. :) All the more reason to have 10 bicycles...
The rivets didn't really cause me pain, it's just weird having them there. I don't have much between my bones and my seat and I feel them, it's an odd change for me. kind of uncomfortable I guess until I get used to the seat more. Fine for a rt of 10 miles, but a rt of 20 seemed a bit extreme. I have the seat that came with the Pash, it is very nice - just a different world. Don't let my comments concern you. I'm weird.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences as well!
slg ~ thanks! Summit's the best. I thought about Marshall because it was more direct, but Summit is where it is at... Luckily I stopped near Dale. No hills please.
hey now, the 11-34 gearing is a necessity if i'm hauling both boys with me uphill! i need the super granny gear to keep going when i've got 100+ lbs of boy, bobike, followme tandem attachment, and milo's electra mini-rod back there!
once that phase of life is behind me though, i'll probably swap out for a regular road cassette. if it's just me, i don't often need the 34.
jj, sp, and boys ~ Pash and I are duly impressed (and a little jealous - we are just two and could use that set up).
There are some gorgeous houses on Summit Av. Maybe I'll take a cruise over there, this weekend.
Omg, 20 miles! Yeah, that's WAY further than I ride on Pashley:) You're such a superstar!
I also had to mess with the saddle quite a few times to find the right position. I don't know if it was the handlebars being shaped differently, but my butt kept sliding forward... it was annoying. We're good now!
S*
miss s ~ I am relieved to hear your input on the mileage, 20 miles is a lot on the old Pashster! Thanks for the nice words.
I'm still not sure if I like the saddle, can't quite get used to it. I have it flat and I feel like I am sliding down too, I raise it up and it is more comfortable to sit on, but the 'tounge' is not always at a comfortable spot... Once my economic situation improves I hope to look at different saddles that may be a little more female friendly...
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