King of the Hill

Just wanted to post an update on whats been goin on with me. I recently bought a new mountain bike, a 2008 Giant anthem with full suspension, disc brakes, all the bells and whistles. This is what I will be doing on the days off from my personal trainer. I used to mountain bike back in high school but I figure now with my new found fitness and lighter weight, I could tackle something more serious than cruising down the street to get the mail. Yeseterday, I attacked the Sycamore Canyon trails with some buddies in Malibu

Lets just say it kicked my ass but we rode a little under 20 miles whi*****luded some cool singletrack trails, just think a roller coaster for bikes, a steep 1.5mile incline that is named hell hill, (but my buddies call it the black *****) and an awesome descent back down where we reached about 35-40 mph. I feel acomplished but can't wait to go back and conquer the black ***** I had to stop twice to catch my breath but my goal is to do it without stopping. To be able to do this a little over 4 months out from surgery is mind blowing to me and it just motivates me more to use my WLS tool to its fullest. Oh yeah for my latest stats, I haven't weighed myself in awhile but stat day is coming up with my trainer where they get measurements and weight loss but I think I'm around 250lbs. Right now I am floating between XL/XXL shirts and down to a 38"/40" waist. I feel great and can't wait until next week when me and my buddies go back to the trails!

Great job, The thought of a 1.5 mile climb makes me sad. 

Thanks, you're doing an awesome job too!  Yeah it didn't make me sad, it actually made me tremble in fear but once I saw two 50ish year old ladies hiking up the same hill behind me, I got a rush of adrenaline cuz I kept thinking, "Cant let the golden years ladies pass me on foot, no way!"

The bad thing is we don't hear from guys for awhile...Or they're gone forever.  The good thing is they are out there doing.  They're going out and living life to the fullest.

I know I have tried some hills that I can push the bike up the hill faster than I can ride it up the hill. Keep up the good work. Scott

Great accomplishment....thanks for sharing it. You're right, you will soon be kickin' its ass, and that be sooner rather than later. Cycling is all about the good old power to weight ratio and you're heading up the curve quickly. In other words, you're losing weight like a banshee and the more you bike, the more powerful your legs get. Enjoy the ride, Mike. Boner  

That's awesome!! Not to set this off in a different direction, but my wife and I are going to buy bikes here in another month or two when I'm fully healed from my surgery so we can ride. How do you like your Giant?

I don't know about Giant , But Cannondale and Iron horse are made in America . Thats what I ride Dave . Nick

This is my second Giant and I love it. I kind of splurged on it but I figure what the hell and wanted to spoil myself a bit with a new toy. I have owned different mountain bikes, Cannondale, GT. It all depends what you want to do. I have an Electra Sraight 8 cruiser that I use on pavement just to cruise around. But I bought my Giant because I wanted to do some single track, trail and maybe some downhill in the future. They are made in Australia but have a US office in Newbury Park CA which is the same city I work in. My bike shop said any problem or parts needed can be done locally as soon as the next day if needed. Best thing is to research some reviews and talk to a couple of local bike shops, thanks for the support guys!

I'm not sure which direction I'm going as far as a brand goes - jury is still out.  I like the Giant Rincon for a starter, and saw some nice Cannondale models as well.  Iron Horse looks great, too (not to mention the name is cool) - these all just depend on cost.  The Giant Rincon seems to be the best value, short of going and buying a Wal-Mart special.  (I hesitate to do that, as I'm pretty hard on bikes - I was that kid that would jump his bike off the 15' high dirt berms at the construction projects, or go roaring down a trail on the side of a gorge at entirely too fast speeds.  I know I won't start out like that, but I would love to get back to off-road riding.) The Giant Rincon starts out at around four hundred bucks, and that seems pretty reasonable for a good, strong, starting bike.  My wife and I will probably just start out on a ride up and down the Huntington Beach path, but eventually, there's one that runs along one of the drainage canals that starts at the beach and ends up somewhere up in the mountains - sounds like quite the ride as far as distance goes.  Then, we also live about a half hour drive from the trail head at Silverado Canyon.  NOt to mention that Joshua Tree isn't all that far away. I just remember loving to ride, and I'm VERY much looking forward to doing it again, and I want to do it right with equipment that's going to last.