I know that you have to be really tough to ride in weather we are having here.  The temperature is 16 degrees, with winds of 15 and gusts to 25.  Riding today is for the really hearty, tough and dedicated.  I have a friend that rides his bicycle to work every day, and I guess that at my mature age I will stick to the truck today.  Supposed to be colder tomorrow.

There is a riding trail just down the hill from my house called the Katie Trail.  It is a State Park Trail that runs along the Missouri River on the old Katie Railroad Track Bed.  The trail is hard packed chat gravel, fairly flat, and relatively smooth.  I have riden my road bicycle on it before, and it does fairly well, but the wider tires of a hybrid bicycle would add a little extra stability, especailly if you stop at too many of the vineyard stands along the trail. 

I have not been riding on a bicycle for for some time, and have been working at getting back into enjoyment riding shape, and the Katie Trail is pretty good.  You can ride and get picked up at one of the towns along the trail, or in my case, ride down to the trail, about 3 miles, ride out as far as I feel I can get back, and then turn and ride home.  I always have the Cell Phone incase I over ride out and stop and cool down too long on the way back.  I get stiff just thinking of it, but my doctor said that it is good exercise if I remember how old I am.  Unfortunately, I have a good memory, it is just really short.

I have my eye on a hybrid bicycle and want to get it before long.  We have some decent days here even during the winter.  This weekend it is supposed to be back up to 50 degrees, and having my new hybrid bicycle would give me a chance to practice some and get it all setup.  Setup is really important.  If the seat and handle bars are wrong, it can cause more effort on the ride than is really necessary.  In March the riding is really good, and being setup and with practice, I could start getting in some good miles.

The hybrid bicycle combines features of a road bicycle and a mountain bicycle. The hybrid bicycle retains most of the features of mountain bicycles, but is not a mountain bicycle. The use of mountain bike gears to make riding in hilly environments easier, slightly upturned handlebars to provide for a more upright seating, and use of tires slightly wider than a road bicycle, yet thinner and smoother than those of a mountain bicycle, make the hybrid very suitable for urban use.

The hybrid comes in many configurations. Some hybrids have a frame similar to a racing or touring bicycle, with 700C-size wheels with slick or semi-slick tires between 32 and 40 mm wide [1] . The wider width is intended to provide more stability on rough surfaces such as road pavement, hard packed sand, shallow mud, bike paths, and gravel. These are conditions typical of urban use.

Most hybrid bicycles are based on a modified mountain frame. Features include a taller head tube providing a more upright riding posture, and 26-inch wheels with semi-slick tires around 1.95 inches (5 cm) wide. Most hybrids include features such as front suspension forks, seat post suspension and angle-adjustable stems to provide more comfort for the rider. Hub gears are sometimes used on hybrids rather than derailleur gears. The hybrid bicycle is very well suited for leisure road and trail riding, and at the same time can be ridden on moderately rough terrain.

The “comfort bicycle” is a variation of the “hybrid bicycle” with many of the same features. Often a bicycle is called “hybrid” if they have 700C size wheels, and “comfort” if they have the 26 inch size wheels. The main difference is usually more one of marketing focus than specification, and similar features are generally provided on both the hybrid and comfort bicycles to enhance the comfort of the rider.

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