I’ve been riding my bike on the road a little more this year than in the past. I’ve always ridden the road but never really got into traditional “road” bikes or road racing. I have always ridden the road to go some place or just explore.

The skinny tires and drop bars just didn’t allow me to ride how I like. I love the fit, feel and function of my bikes on the dirt or road and since they don’t have suspension and they have 29″/700c wheels they can do both well.

I took my 18 speed bike and installed a longer stem with more drop and have a “Semi Cut” H-Bar in the drop position. This get’s me down in a better aero position for the road and I don’t need to get up and back as much as when I’m going down steep dirt trails.

The tires are Schwalbe Big apples. You can call them 29X2.4 or 700x60c . I like them because the traction and stability is very good and the rolling resistance is even lower than a skinny 23c tire on many of the rough roads around here. The big tires are not bad in the dirt either. Once up to speed they just roll like two flywheels. The acceleration is a little slower and they are not as aero but that is ok with me. The ride is very good.

I come from a BMX and MTB cycling back ground. I did one road crit on a borrowed bike in the late 80s once and a couple of club rides but but that is about it. I have done some loaded road touring down the coast of California but that was on a mountain bike with slicks.

So there was a road time trial race this Sunday at the other end of my street. It sounded like fun and I couldn’t pass it up. What would happen?

I’m good on technical or long rides but don’t consider myself much of a fast racer type.

I’m happy with the results.

Here is one of my past pavement bikes.