First Ride

Relaxing by the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta.

My first ride on the RANS Street quickly reminded me of being a kid again. The riding position was relaxed and the handling was effortless. The bike wants to be in motion and to explore, but there is no urge to go really fast or to get anywhere particular. The joy was in just pedaling down the road.

I found you can get out of the saddle and climb up hills with the Street, but I think the bike is better suited to the intelligent use of its wide range gearing. Like my Big Dummy it rewards consistent effort on the pedals more than sharp accelerations. Being able to put your feet down at stops while staying in the saddle was nice and adds to the relaxing nature of the ride.

I tend to be a fairly aggressive rider - even when I don't want to be - so sitting on the Street was a revelation. The riding positions made me shift gears mentally and put me in a very relaxed head space.

I lent the Street to my friend Kurt and was pleased how easy it is to adjust the bike for different riders. The angle of the seat post is really laid back and results in the seat height and effective top tube length changing at the same time. Another nice feature is the engraved scale on the side of the seat post. This lets you quickly set up the bike for a variety of different riders. I'l l probably note down what setting works for each of my friends so when they want to ride the Street I'll have it ready for them just the way they like it.

Rather than ride our normal routes we ended up just zooming around back streets we don't usually think about. Looking around and chatting - it was definitely a social ride. Eventually we stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner and Kurt remarked that our ride felt exactly like the way he used to ride bikes as a kid. I agreed and pointed out that instead of stopping by the corner store for a pop & candy we were grabbing some asian food and green tea. I'm glad I have a credit card now and don't have to ask for an allowance from my parents...=-)