Maddie's Grape bike

 Maddie and I took a quick spin around the 'hood today.

She's grown enough to fit nicely on the Grape bike. She was a bit too stretched out last year on this bike, and as result, she was a bit hesitant and shaky on it, preferring instead to ride the Elephant.

Once she feels more comfortable on this bike, we'll pop the saddle up a bit. Maybe this will be the year of the o'er nighter. She dabbled in trail riding two summers ago, but I hadn't really appreciated Riverside State Park as the ideal kid-mountain-bike-introduction nirvana that it clearly is.  Now that I 'get' RSP, we'll be spending some time there when the snow goes away. I. Must. Be. Cool.

She told me in very non-ambiguous language today that she is NOT getting rid of the Elephant. Ever. Her basic argument is that since it's only the second kid Elephant ever, she has a responsibility to protect it. I countered with the notion that given it's radness, it should be shared and appreciated by many. She asked me to imagine that the Bridgestone I was riding was the second Bridgestone ever made: would I share it? Props for working the argument, but yeah, I'd share. Hopefully she buys that and ponders her position. We'll see.

Anyway, we can probably get one more year out of the Elephant, but we'll need to put some drops on there or configure it otherwise so she can stretch out a bit more. She's skeptical. As such, this is a process best handled by an expert. So we'll be showing up at Glen's shop soon for proper fitting and consultation.

The last couple years I've bit my tongue, clenched my teeth, and generally just forced myself not to impose my bikey will on Maddie. At the same time, I try to provide a rich bike ecosystem around her should she choose to partake. Perhaps this is the year she will grab hold of her grape grips and become obsessed. In a good way. Whatever.