All I Want For Christmas Is A Thule Bike Rack

by MIKE ROSANIA

Move over alcohol and nicotine, mountain biking is taking over my list of vices. Looking for a thrill? Out of shape? I recommend mountain biking for weight loss and fun.

I��m at a point in my life where I��m ready to cut down on partying. I don��t want to officially hang up my ��cutting loose�� habits, but I can only take so many yawn-filled mornings of bloodshot eyes and crooked smiles. I am ready to put those nights of loud clubs and expensive bar tabs behind me. Why the sudden lifestyle change you might ask? The answer��mountain biking. I think taking up this sport will jump start my active, healthy lifestyle.

Growing up, I have always been into bikes. It all started when I was six. My parents tried teaching me to ride a bike in a big field near our house��not the best idea. Have you ever tried riding through a field, let alone on a child��s bike with small wheels? It��s nearly impossible. Every bump, rock, and stick bounced me off the bike and landed my butt on the ground. My parents�� rationale was that falling in a field would be better than hitting the unforgiving pavement, which makes sense. But it is also nearly impossible to ride on this terrain, especially when first learning.

So one afternoon, I took off my training wheels and brought my bike into the driveway. I sat down on the seat, put my one foot on a pedal, pushed off and started riding. And as they say, the rest is history. I got older and picked up BMX; bunny hopping curbs and cruising around on pegs. When I hit college, I was over my dirt jumping phase, and got a road bike��pedaling for miles at a time. So it��s no surprise that mountain biking caught my eye-- which is a sort of hybrid amalgamation of extreme maneuvers from BMX and long rides of road biking.

Back to my life story, I graduated college, picked up and moved to California. This state is absolutely beautiful. Last weekend, my girlfriend and I drove out of the city and spent a few hours exploring and admiring the west coast��s landscape. We hiked through a state park, which was awesome��but I��m not much of a hiker. I need something to get my heart pumping. We did discover a ton of mountain bike trails that the state park offered. And that��s when it hit me. Mountain biking looks like a blast! These guys flew past us on these gnarly mountain bikes, equipped with full suspension and rugged tires. The east coast didn��t offer trails like the west coast, which is probably why I never got into the sport. Now that I have all this terrain, I want to take full advantage.

So I started looking into bikes and am dieing to get one, but I ran into two problems. The bikes are very expensive and I drive a small Subaru whose seats don��t fold down. Plus, I wouldn��t want dirty, muddy tires all over my interior. I talked with a coworker who mountain bikes and he offered to lend me his old bike until I get my own. Great! But I need to get to the trails. My car doesn��t have a roof rack, so I looked for bike racks that mount to your trunk on the internet. If I can find a rack that mounts easily, I��m sure I will have no problem getting to the trails a few days a week and getting some exercise.

I ended up getting a Thule rack. Thule makes hitch bike racks, trunk racks, and roof racks for every type of vehicle. I have since been hitting the trails every day after work and feel better than ever. �CMike Rosania