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Move over alcohol and nicotine, mountain biking is taking over my list of vices. Looking for a thrill? Out of shape? I recommend mountain biking for weight loss and fun.

I*m at a point in my life where I*m ready to cut down on partying. I don*t want to officially hang up my *cutting loose* habits, but I can only take so many yawn-filled mornings of bloodshot eyes and crooked smiles. I am ready to put those nights of loud clubs and expensive bar tabs behind me. Why the sudden lifestyle change you might ask? The answer*mountain biking. I think taking up this sport will jump start my active, healthy lifestyle.

Growing up, I have always been into bikes. It all started when I was six. My parents tried teaching me to ride a bike in a big field near our house*not the best idea. Have you ever tried riding through a field, let alone on a child's bike with small wheels? It's nearly impossible. Every bump, rock, and stick bounced me off the bike and landed my butt on the ground. My parents* rationale was that falling in a field would be better than hitting the unforgiving pavement, which makes sense. But it is also nearly impossible to ride on this terrain, especially when first learning.

So one afternoon, I took off my training wheels and brought my bike into the driveway. I sat down on the seat, put my one foot on a pedal, pushed off and started riding. And as they say, the rest is history. I got older and picked up BMX; bunny hopping curbs and cruising around on pegs. When I hit college, I was over my dirt jumping phase, and got a road bike*pedaling for miles at a time. So it's no surprise that mountain biking caught my eye-- which is a sort of hybrid amalgamation of extreme maneuvers from BMX and long rides of road biking.

Back to my life story, I graduated college, picked up and moved to California. This state is absolutely beautiful. Last weekend, my girlfriend and I drove out of the city and spent a few hours exploring and admiring the west coast's landscape. We hiked through a state park, which was awesome*but I*m not much of a hiker. I need something to get my heart pumping. We did discover a ton of mountain bike trails that the state park offered. And that's when it hit me. Mountain biking looks like a blast! These guys flew past us on these gnarly mountain bikes, equipped with full suspension and rugged tires. The east coast didn*t offer trails like the west coast, which is probably why I never got into the sport. Now that I have all this terrain, I want to take full advantage.

So I started looking into bikes and am dieing to get one, but I ran into two problems. The bikes are very expensive and I drive a small Subaru whose seats don*t fold down. Plus, I wouldn*t want dirty, muddy tires all over my interior. I talked with a coworker who mountain bikes and he offered to lend me his old bike until I get my own. Great! But I need to get to the trails. My car doesn*t have a roof rack, so I looked for bike racks that mount to your trunk on the internet. If I can find a rack that mounts easily, I*m sure I will have no problem getting to the trails a few days a week and getting some exercise.