My bike is starting to fit like a glove... or maybe it's more like a catcher's mitt:)

     So I told you my bike was as customized for me as I could possibly make it; now the true test was to see if it made a difference. 

     One of the biggest challenges for me as far as riding a bike, is not to make my brain and muscles get mad at each other.  If I over work my body and become over heated my brain gives my muscles the silent treatment, causing them to go on strike.

     It's my right arm and right leg that have become the rebellious ones over the past few years, but with the way the pedals work, my right foot can free load from her twin if she needs to.

     Unfortunately, my arms aren't so lucky.  If my right arm turns into silly-putty, Ole' "south paw" can't take up the slack.  I have to try my best to make everyone happy, and not putting the weight of my 300 pound cement body (metaphorically speaking) on them helps a lot.

     As you can see in the picture below; this was when I was taking a casual short ride at Wild Wood Park.  My arms were okay because I wasn't over heated, though they were obviously over extended.

        However, if you look at the tedious ride I took in Detroit where I rode 23 miles with out a break, I can tell you one thing; my arms were ready to fall off.

                     

     But after I changed my stem out you can absolutely see a difference when I ride.  the picture below was from my 22 mile ride on the North Coast Inland trail last week.  My arms were certainly not over extended, and as a result, after the entire bike ride I still had a smile on my face.

     It took a little effort to find the right stem, but I'm glad we kept trying until we did.  Just like life; you can sit back and complain about all of the challenges, or you can go out and find the silver lining; I choose the latter:)

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)