23

Until a few years ago, my definition of a “good bike ride” was going more than 50 miles and breaking 50 mph at least once. I didn’t think twice about the little bits of gravel lying in wait around that next downhill hairpin turn.

Over the past few years, though, my definition has evolved. These days a “good bike ride” is any ride that involves fresh air and doesn’t involve sudden deceleration.

For as long as I’ve been riding in Pittsburgh (which, in the grand scheme of things is not all that long), I’ve ridden with an “11-21” cassette in the back. For non-bike-nerds, that means the cogs on the back wheel range from the smallest cog with eleven teeth to the largest cog with twenty-one teeth. In very simple terms, smaller cogs with fewer teeth are for going fast, and larger cogs with more teeth are for climbing hills. Twenty-one tooth cogs happen to be the smallest large cog you will find on a typical road bike.

Some people would probably consider a 21 to be somewhat insane inappropriate for the terrain around Pittsburgh, but it has always felt right to me. That is, until this year. My lungs and legs are complaining.

I think it may be time for another evolution. I haven’t hit 50 miles or 50 mph in a single ride in a good while, and I think it’s time to buy a 23.