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Opinion By Jennifer Duffy: Mountain Biking Offers Rush of Childlike Thrills

Posted on: Saturday, 11 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Jennifer Duffy, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

On Pace

In the new year, I'm in pursuit of endorphins and the post- workout high that makes you feel like a kid again - but I'm looking for it new places.

Riding a bike is the quintessential carefree-kid activity.

My first bike was a pink banana-seat cruiser with training wheels that made clicking sounds as I blazed down uneven pavement.

I remember my dad holding the back of the bike to stabilize me when those training wheels first came off. I was overwhelmed by fear when he let go.

But what I remember most about my first bike ride is the rush of adrenaline as I soared down the grassy hills in the park near our California home. When I took the bike home and parked it in the garage, I felt a sense of independence and confidence I'd never felt before.

I found that same rush of adrenaline and sense of post-ride pride during a recent outing at Fantasy Island, a Tucson mecca for mountain bikers.

A mountain bike is more complicated than my pink cruiser, and the task of mastering its gears is a lot scarier than riding a one- speed bike - or the recumbent bike at the gym.

Most mountain bikes have 27 gear combinations, said Martha Lemen, who hosts Mountain Biking 101 courses once a month and works at Sabino Cycles.

On many bikes, the left-hand shifter operates three gears that make big changes. The nine gears on the right side make more subtle changes. (Just to make sure you're following along: Nine gears on the right multiplied by three gears on the left equals 27 gear combinations.)

The purpose of shifting gears is to find a gear combination that provides neither too much nor too little resistance when you pedal, making it easier to climb a hill or weave through rough, rocky or sandy terrain.

Figuring out gears is tough. I'm not into math, and the "gears" for running, my favorite sport, consist of quad and hamstring muscles. Using those gears is much more intuitive.

Lemen suggests riding your bike on easy terrain and shifting through all the gear combinations to familiarize yourself with them.

It takes longer than you would expect for changing gears to become second nature, she told me.

That's good to know.

At Fantasy Island, which I was visiting for the first time, I rode through roughly six miles of steep hills lined by cacti, swerved through patches of thick sand and climbed hills scattered with softball-size rocks without changing a single gear.

I'm using brawn over brains, I joked with my biking buddies.

But I plan to learn the gears, and I know they'll make a difference in my ride.

When I've learned more about biking, I'll return to Fantasy Island, an area of bike-only trails near East Irvington and South Houghton roads, to sweat the hills and get high on endorphins.

If you haven't been on a mountain bike lately, I'd highly recommend it. You'll feel like a kid again.

Tip of the week

Martha Lemen's first rule of mountain biking: When in doubt, chicken out.

If a hill looks scary, get off the bike and walk it until you feel comfortable again.

Mountain biking can be dangerous. Lemen warns that it doesn't have to always look like the extreme mountain biking we see on TV and that you don't have to get hurt. Exercise caution and always wear a properly fitting helmet.

Abide by the laws: To ride at Fantasy Island, you need a state land permit. To download the permit go to www.land.state.az.us/ programs/ natural/rec_permit.pdf online.

Where to ride: For more information on where to ride and what you'll need, visit www.sdmb.org and click on Maps/Trails.

About mountain bikes

Mountain bikers will ask you if you're on a full-suspension bike or not. "Full suspension" means there's shock absorption in the front and the rear, and these bikes are generally more expensive than a "hardtail," which has no rear shock absorption. Here's a quick, simplistic guide to bikes:

Hardtail: A bike with a front shock absorber but no rear suspension. With this bike, your legs act as your suspension, and you use your body more.

Full suspension: A bike with front and rear shock absorption. This bike can come in several subcategories: cross country, all- mountain and free ride/downhill. "You choose your bike based on the weight of the bike and the amount of travel you want to have in the front suspension," said Martha Lemen of Sabino Cycles.

Cost: If you want to buy a new bike, it's going to cost you a pretty penny. A basic hardtail will cost about $300. The average cost of a bike (from a bike shop, not a big-box store like Wal- Mart) is $400-$500, but they can cost thousands of dollars, too.

Rent a bike

Southwest Trekking - The folks there rent hardtails for $50 per day, which includes delivery to your house and a helmet, and they'll fit a bike to you. They carry four different sizes.

There's no bike shop to drop in, but to rent a bike call 296- 9661.

Fair Wheel Bikes - 1110 E. Sixth St., 884-9018. Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

The shop rents hardtails ($30 per day) and full-suspension bikes ($50) with helmets.

Mountain Biking 101

* Martha Lemen offers Mountain Biking 101 classes once a month through the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists.

The next class is 8:30 a.m. Feb. 12 at Coronado K-8 School, 3401 E. Wilds Road, north of Oro Valley

To reserve a spot, call 400-9095. You'll need a bike, helmet and water.

For information on the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, check out www.sdmb.org online.

* If you can't make the class, here are some tips from Lemen.

Keep your hands loosely gripped on the handle bars. It's counterintuitive, Lemen said, but it will give you more control of the bike.

Scan ahead on the trail with your eyes and remember to breathe.

To learn balance, try riding very slowly. You'll need to put constant pressure on the pedals, keep a loose grip. When you can manage that, try to balance on the bike at a standstill for one second.

The Tucson Challenge will look for 'Losers'

The city wants you to make healthy lifestyle changes, lose weight and keep it off.

The Tucson Challange - formerly called the Mayor's Challenge - kicks off this weekend with a weigh-in and registration for four seminars.

Seminars in the coming months will cover physical activity, healthy eating, emotional eating and the mind-body connection and social support.

Weigh-in and registration: 9 a.m.-noon Saturday

Where: University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., in DuVal Auditorium

Cost: $20 per person; $50 for families of three or more. Fee includes the workshops, educational packets and program T-shirt. The fee is waived for PacifiCare members at registration with PacifiCare I.D. card.

Source: Arizona Daily Star

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