I recently purchased my first “big kid” bike since receiving my then-trendy turquoise beast,  Giant circa the 1990′s. As a post Easter brunch celebration, I ventured throughout substantial number of Portland’s bike stores and found a beautiful match: the Specialized Dolce Compact. Ain’t she a beaut?

Upon entering 21st Avenue Bicycles, I was initially unimpressed by the limited merchandise, but after speaking to the sales guy, Kurt, I started to gain more interest in the Dolce. A few minutes of conversation later, I was out the door to test ride her, and fell in love almost instantly. The smooth ride felt like a dream, and I quickly started imagining myself zipping around Portland on my way to the local farmers market, cruising along the coastline, or even (gasp!) bike commuting to work.

Now that the Dolce (affectionately known as Freddy after the late Mr. Mercury) is semi-permanently glued to my side, I have begun to investigate different road trips to take. A few great resources have since come to light: Overnight Biking, Adventure Cycling, and a long-time favorite, Outdoors NW.

This new… well, obsession is a strong word… hobby has uncovered a cousin activity: mountain biking. Thank you twitter sphere and Travel Oregon for delivering this motivating video of riding along the Deschutes. I think I will leave Freddy home one weekend and take some more rugged-friendly bikes for a spin along the Deschutes.

Have you done mountain biking in the Pacific Northwest? Which are some of your favorite trails and overnight destinations?