Hello new bike, goodbye first bike
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 10:44 pm
Last summer I was able to ride with my husband a lot. He'd been sidelined the previous two years but last year we were able to get out together and take some long trips. When I first started to ride, I bought the bike I fell in love with the looks of, not bothering (or realizing how important it was) to find the bike that fit me. Needless to say I struggled quite a bit and only my insane stubbornness and the help of a lot of wonderful people got me riding and getting better and better. I loved that bike (2009 Harley Street Bob) and swore I'd never get rid of it.
Cue last summer and on a long ride I acknowledged how uncomfortable I was, how insecure I felt on the bike, and that it was time to get a bike that actually fit me. Shortly after I started thinking about getting a new bike and looking online. I finally saw an ad for a 2016 Softtail Slim so we went down to test ride it. My goal was to buy a bike that fit me, regardless of what it looked like. The Slim was nice but too small, the Fat Boy S was perfect though! And, I like the looks (okay, not all of it but most). I ordered my bike and a week or so later it arrived. The hardest part was deciding to trade in the old bike and not keep it. I'd always imagined I'd keep it forever but I realized I would most likely never ride it again. We'd had a good 13,000 miles together, and it would have killed me to watch it rot away in the barn. The day I dropped it off was horrible, I couldn't even look back as I left!
I've had the new bike since the end of August. So far it's been a great bike for me. The fit is much better and I feel more confident and safer on this bike. The past few months I haven't been on it a lot, it's too cold and rainy for me right now. We should have a dry spell here towards the end of this coming week so hopefully I get out and go for a ride or two.
I'm going to try to upload a pic of the bike the day I brought it home. It looks a bit different now as I've added a few items to it.
Cue last summer and on a long ride I acknowledged how uncomfortable I was, how insecure I felt on the bike, and that it was time to get a bike that actually fit me. Shortly after I started thinking about getting a new bike and looking online. I finally saw an ad for a 2016 Softtail Slim so we went down to test ride it. My goal was to buy a bike that fit me, regardless of what it looked like. The Slim was nice but too small, the Fat Boy S was perfect though! And, I like the looks (okay, not all of it but most). I ordered my bike and a week or so later it arrived. The hardest part was deciding to trade in the old bike and not keep it. I'd always imagined I'd keep it forever but I realized I would most likely never ride it again. We'd had a good 13,000 miles together, and it would have killed me to watch it rot away in the barn. The day I dropped it off was horrible, I couldn't even look back as I left!
I've had the new bike since the end of August. So far it's been a great bike for me. The fit is much better and I feel more confident and safer on this bike. The past few months I haven't been on it a lot, it's too cold and rainy for me right now. We should have a dry spell here towards the end of this coming week so hopefully I get out and go for a ride or two.
I'm going to try to upload a pic of the bike the day I brought it home. It looks a bit different now as I've added a few items to it.
having one that fits will definitely increase your confidence and comfort as you've already stated. I've kind of observed this based on my nervousness on my husband's bike vs my own bike. Heres to many happy miles!