A Leisurely Afternoon Ride

As you may know, we only have one car, so bikes play a pretty important role here. One of us will generally ride to work so having a good bike is necessary. I have been riding a Merida mountain bike for the last few years. It was a hand-me-down and has served me well.

During our time in Berlin I fell in love with the bikes ridden there. Everyone seemed to have Dutch style (sit up) bikes and they all looked so comfortable riding these.

I had been finding that my mountain bike was causing me some neck and lower back discomfort from the position I needed to be in to ride. I realised that it was time to get a bike especially for me.

After quite a lot of research I decided on a Gazelle. All of the reviews I read were really positive and I liked that one of the comments mentioned that these bikes were made in the Netherlands, not in China, by people who were paid fairly for their work. A few weeks ago I managed to test ride a Gazelle but it was a little on the small side. The dealers were wonderful and organised getting a bigger orange (well, it is Dutch) bike in for me to try.

The call came in from Mercer Cycles, the only Gazelle dealer in Perth, about a week ago, letting me know that the bike was now in stock. With wet weather and a sick kiddo, I hadn't managed to get down there for a test ride. Today was the day and there was no way I wasn't getting down there.

After a ride, and some altering of handlebars and seat, I was totally smitten. I decided this was an investment worth making. It felt beautifully smooth to ride and incredibly comfortable sitting upright. It has been designed and made really well.

The plan was always to ride it home if I went ahead and bought it, so I had packed a backpack with my helmet gloves,, some water and snacks for the journey up the coast.

This is where the hard work started. I had looked up the route during the week so knew that it was going to be nearly a 30 kilometre ride to get home. Thankfully the view on the trip was beautiful. It was pretty much along the coast the whole way.The only time I had to head in through the suburbs was where the army barracks goes right down to the beach, so I had to go around.

Getting out of Fremantle

Stopping for a snack at Floreat Beach

Birds sitting on the rock

Looking north

Fisherman at North Beach

The whole ride was pretty leisurely and took about two and a half hours. I didn't wan't to push myself too hard as I hadn't done that ride before and I wanted to get used to the bike. I walked into the house a the end and felt pretty good. Just wait until tomorrow: there may be an update on the condition of my legs.

I am really happy with the bike but just need to do a little tweeking with the saddle position. Sitting up straight for a journey of that size is much easier than being hunched over. 

I hope you all had a leisurely Saturday.

Take care