Gonna go and rehab........my back. My rehab machine is this 2011 Kona Dr. Fine. Ironic that my rehab bike is called Dr. Fine. Hopefully this is a good sign that things may work out after all. Since my back surgery last September, a discectomy and laminectomy at L5-C1 I haven't been able to ride, it is a long story, but here it is.
I was in Switzerland last summer to ride across Switzerland, from Geneva to Austria with BikeSwitzerland.com a great company with great people. John and his team make for a memorable vacation. The bikes, hotels and meals were world-class. About mid-way through the 10 day ride, we are going up a mountain pass, the road turns from pavement to gravel, I have been huffing and puffing up a 6 1/2 percent grade for a few miles and i decide (unwisely) to get out of the saddle and stand to transfer the leg work to the quads. Needless to say, this "dumb bunny" move allowed the rear wheel to spin as I mashed down standing on the pedal. This caused my pelvis to torque and I felt a jolt of electricity run up my spine. Something was wrong. I sat down in the saddle and nursed my way up the mountain pass. The next day I saw a doc in Wengen and she said to take it easy and loaded me up with ibuprofen. I limped through the remainder of the tour and when I returned to the states, the pain was intensifying....which led to the surgery. I remained home for 13 weeks and I still have bouts of sciatic pain. Hopefully I am on the upside of all of this.
I have been back at the gym since November, it was a very slow start, walking on the treadmill, light weights. I can now run on the tread for one hour and cover 4-5 miles. My workouts can handle a fair amount of weight, I just need to be selective not to put too much strain on my lower back. My trainer, Mark Gadomski, stretches me before each session and I hang upside-down on the inversion table after every session. I do get some pain at times, but I just have to manage it with deep tissue massages, acupuncture sessions and some rest.
It is time to get back on the bike, but not on my road bikes, as I have tried them a couple of times on the indoor trainer and the bent-over position created some sciatic pain. This led me to consider taking an intermediate step in the recovery process, trying to ride in a more upright position, since the running on the treadmill seems to work without pain.
After some careful research, here is the prescription. It is a 2011 Kona Dr. Fine, 7005 butted superlight aluminum frame, Kona Race carbon fork, customized with a Shimano Alfine 11 internal gear hub, hand-built Mavic Open Pro wheels with Shimano XT front hub, Shimano 160 mm hydraulic disc brakes, Ergon grips and Cateye wireless computer. Light, quick, agile and responsive. It is now a Dr. Super-Fine thanks to the craftsmanship and collaboration with Billy and Craig at Overlook Mountain Bikes in Woodstock, NY. I picked it up today and besides its' aesthetic beauty, it is very light, about 23 pounds. On the road it drives like my Audi S4, planted, secure nimble and responsive. 1st gear is low enough to nearly match my low gear on the road bikes and the top gear is tall enough to cruise at 29 mph at a turtle's cadence. Need I say more? After a few longer rides, I will keep you posted on the bike's performance and my rehab progress.
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