Life lately has been challenging for me and that wonderful man who I share it all with. We've been in a place of stillness - not sure whether we're staying where we are, not sure if we're moving somewhere else. And being in that is not always easy. Projects we were working on in the garden, suddenly stalled and stopped moving forward. Things we wanted to do in the house, again stalled. We have been stuck. And it feels like a stagnant energy has surrounded our efforts, despite that fact that this is a necessary process. We are approaching clarity, one way or another, but I've also had to learn to breath, and be comfortable, living with such uncertainty.But anyway, there has been light relief amongst it all! I have recently got my little hands on a brand new bike, which is always worth celebrating. This little number right here. Pretty swanky huh? I think so.Go here to see more.You see, back tracking quite a few months of this year, and I was planning my assault on the 2013 running of the Otway marathon classic, a fun little race that happens in February in the beautiful mountain biking mecca that is Forrest, in Victoria, Australia. And at that time, the powers that be were taking orders for the weapon of choice, and this lovely bike was the one I thought would best serve my needs.Fast forward only a short while later, and it became apparent that in February 2013 I would in fact be about 8 months pregnant, and certainly not competing in any mountain bike races. But still, the order had been placed. The bike was coming anyway. A couple of weeks ago my wonderful man and I went for a day trip down to Forrest, to pick up the new machine and put it through some paces while we were there.Firstly let me say that when it comes to mountain bikes, I am a purist. I like hard tails, I like it simple, I like as few gadgets and moving parts as I can get away with, and I've always, always liked 26 inches. No questions asked. If you're not yet enlightened, let me tell you, mountain biking has changed over the last few years, and 29 inch wheels are now the standard. And I was one of those people to resist the change. But really, there's no going back. I was always put off by the slower handling response that 29 inch wheels would give. I like my bikes responsive, twitchy and fast. And 29 inch wheels, from the couple of tries I'd had, and my own interpretation, was a bit like driving a boat when you want a sports car. Or a racing bike. Yeah I'm eating my words right now. It does handle that little bit slower. But once you set her on a course, off she goes! And the stability, even my 20+ week pregnant body feels stable and capable of proper mountain biking on this machine. And the weight of this bike? Ok, it is a top of the line bike, but it's still scary light.So, here I am with a trick new bike built for racing. And here I am getting more and more limited in my mobility each day. What's a girl to do? Why, raise that stem, make room for the belly, and pedal on. I will admit there is something entirely wrong about seeing this bike, built purely for performance, set up like a ladies cruiser. But it's all I can do right now. I'm looking forward to post-pregnancy new bike setup.Oh, and if anyone out there has come across decent pregnant lady mountain biking gear, do tell me where to find it. I've now outgrown pretty much, well, everything.And, a big thank you to MTBSkills.com.au and Giant Bikes Australia for making this one happen.