Cycling Coast to Coast

Last week I was really hosed with work, and this past weekend was CPW. I had hoped to go for a ride yesterday, but I was just too tired. When I got home from class today, there was an email from Sophie, one of the trip leaders, urging us to “JUST DO IT” and “JUMP ON YOUR BIKE RIGHT NOW”. Even without Sophie’s prompting, I had been itching to go for a ride today, so I did.

I rode from MIT to Belmont Wheelworks, which is supposed to be one of the best bike shops in the Boston area. 12.95 miles, but I got a bit lost on the way. On the way there, there was one medium-ish sized hill. Getting up it wasn’t very fun, and I realize I need to practice climbing a lot more. This hill was nothing compared to the mountains we’ll be crossing this summer. Going fast downhill was awesome though, and I clocked in at a top speed of 28.3mph.

The whole point of going to Wheelworks, however, was that I wanted to get a new saddle. Saddle choice is a very personal thing, and the only way to pick the right saddle for you is to get one, and ride on it a whole lot. The Terry Butterfly, however, seems to be a very popular choice amongst women, so I went with it. I’m too lazy to pull out my camera to grab a picture, so the stock picture from the website is below. Aesthetically, it’s not as sleek looking as the Specialized Alias saddle that came with my bike. Who cares about aesthetics though, when it comes to the comfort of your butt? Wheelworks has a 2 week saddle exchange policy, so I can ride the Butterfly for two weeks, and if I don’t like it, exchange it for any other saddle they have, until I find one I like.