The Wrong Way
One thing I learned this spring about backpacking was that packs were supposed to be loaded with lighter items at the bottom and heavier items on top. I never knew this, so a few years ago I simply tested my pack with heavy items at both top and bottom, concluded that having heavy items at the top made the pack pull away from my shoulders and sit funny, and henceforth always loaded my packs with the heavy items at the bottom.
Fortunately, today I read a more extensive and up-to-date guide to backpacking, and I learned that my way is the right way for my body type. Men should put lighter items in the bottom of their packs, but women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos, which changes their center of gravity. Women should therefore experiment with where they want the heaviest items in their packs. For women like me whose legs require trousers for tall people but who can wear petite shirts, it is preferable to put the heavy items right above the sleeping bag at the bottom of the pack.
This discovery perfectly fits my philosophy that if somebody tells me there's only one way to do something, I should try another way.
Last summer a friend and I rented bicycles in Boulder. My friend is very tall, and the store gave her a big men's bike and insisted she ride it with the seat up so that she could scarcely graze the ground with her toes. She was uncomfortable at that height and said so, but they would not change the seat height, because it would compromise her pedaling efficiency and it would not be the proper height for her. On the other hand, they gave me a women's bike with a wide seat. I hate wide seats, I'm a regular bicyclist, and I ride a men's bike. I wasn't pleased with the bike, and I expressed my preference for a men's bike and a narrow seat, but I did not insist on a different bike.
We rode a block and a half, and I turned around, went back, and insisted they give me a men's bike. They didn't want to, but I was absolutely adamant. I hate wide seats, and I'm a regular bicyclist and I ride a men's model. The guy actually thought I would be awkward and uncomfortable, and he seemed to think it was ridiculous for a woman to be riding a men's bike.
As soon as I got back to my friend, we lowered her seat and had ourselves a very pleasant bicycle ride, the wrong way.
Fortunately, today I read a more extensive and up-to-date guide to backpacking, and I learned that my way is the right way for my body type. Men should put lighter items in the bottom of their packs, but women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos, which changes their center of gravity. Women should therefore experiment with where they want the heaviest items in their packs. For women like me whose legs require trousers for tall people but who can wear petite shirts, it is preferable to put the heavy items right above the sleeping bag at the bottom of the pack.
This discovery perfectly fits my philosophy that if somebody tells me there's only one way to do something, I should try another way.
Last summer a friend and I rented bicycles in Boulder. My friend is very tall, and the store gave her a big men's bike and insisted she ride it with the seat up so that she could scarcely graze the ground with her toes. She was uncomfortable at that height and said so, but they would not change the seat height, because it would compromise her pedaling efficiency and it would not be the proper height for her. On the other hand, they gave me a women's bike with a wide seat. I hate wide seats, I'm a regular bicyclist, and I ride a men's bike. I wasn't pleased with the bike, and I expressed my preference for a men's bike and a narrow seat, but I did not insist on a different bike.
We rode a block and a half, and I turned around, went back, and insisted they give me a men's bike. They didn't want to, but I was absolutely adamant. I hate wide seats, and I'm a regular bicyclist and I ride a men's model. The guy actually thought I would be awkward and uncomfortable, and he seemed to think it was ridiculous for a woman to be riding a men's bike.
As soon as I got back to my friend, we lowered her seat and had ourselves a very pleasant bicycle ride, the wrong way.
Labels: self
posted by Margo at 4:14 PM
1 Comments:
This is all true! I was the wimp who let the bike shop fellas push me into a bike that was too tall for me. Once Margo helped me adjust the seat, we did in fact have a great ride.
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