When I was twelve years old we lived on a farm about four miles from town, and I wanted a new bicycle more than anything (except maybe Maureen McCormick, and I'll admit to having only a vague idea about what I wanted with her). Not another hand-me-down bike, mind you, but a brand new bike of my very own like I hadn't had since I was five and got one for Christmas and my grandpa taught me to ride it that very day. So I started saving my nickels and dimes and dreaming of a new bike. On our weekend stops at the sporting goods store I picked out the one I wanted, a white Columbia 10-speed road bike with black handlebar tape, saddle and trim, center-pull caliper brakes and Shimano derailleurs. I even remember exactly how much it cost - $179.99. After months of saving and scrounging and coming up short I began to despair that it would ever be mine.
And then one day, my thirteenth birthday to be exact, I came home from school and there it was, sitting on the back patio with a big ribbon on it. I had to pay dad for half of it, times were tough and money was very tight, but that still left me with enough to outfit it with a good lock, a saddlebag, tire pump and water bottle. Thus began my love of bicycling.
Throughout junior high and into high school, that bike was my freedom. In the spring and fall I rode it to school most mornings, and in the summer I rode to town most every day. Four miles in, four miles back, and many miles around town with my buddies in between. I wore out a set of tires every year, learned how to maintain and adjust it myself. I loved that bike.
Now that I don't need a bicycle for basic transportation, but definitely need a form of exercise that I enjoy and can stick with, I'm rekindling my adolescent romance with biking. My current ride is a used hybrid with a heavy steel frame and badly tuned shifters that I got off craigslist a few years ago. In fact, the front derailleur cable snapped last year, so I only have half the gears working right now. But that's enough. I love to ride. I love to feel the burn in my thighs, the wind in my face, the rush of air in my ears. This crappy old bike will get me through this year, but I'm already dreaming about my next bike, and saving my nickels and dimes.
Last night I took the bike for another spin and decided to push a little harder since the wife wasn't along. I ended up doing 7.25 miles in 40 minutes (according to the MapMyRide app). Not bad for an out of shape quinquagenarian. It was my best time and distance since getting out of the hospital five weeks ago. And I felt like I could do another 7 miles no sweat. When I was young, riding my bike meant freedom. Now that I'm getting old and need to exercise for my health, it means a lot more than that. It means a new lease on life. I don't know what I'll do come winter, maybe try cross-country skiing or join a gym. But as long as the weather allows, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.
Connecting columns: Bike time with Twayn!
Fix up the old one and tell us about it.
I love riding my bike, too. I'm nowhere near as good or serious as you, but I enjoy being outside on nice days, and I love the freedom it gives me to let my mind drift with no distractions.
I'm nowhere near as good or serious as I was many years ago, and my overall fitness level is still fairly poor, at least when I compare it to a lot of my more active friends. Even in college I was still biking quite a bit, but in the intervening years my bikes collected a lot of dust in the garage. I do need to invest in a good helmet now, though. I don't like the idea of wearing one, but I see the necessity if I'm going to be riding for fitness instead of just pleasure cruising around the neighborhood. I'm planning to pick one up this weekend. Maybe I'll get some of those cool fingerless Artful Dodger gloves, too.
I don't know what you'll do come winter either, Twayn, but I look forward to reading about it. Great stuff.
My biking rebirth experience is nowhere as profound as yours, but I owe a lot to bike riding. I had a couple of knee operations in college and used to get bruises on my knee from sleeping on my side. I couldn't walk around a mall for more than 10-15 minutes with my wife without needing to stop for a rest. Then I went to grad school in SD and started riding a bike to campus every day. We lived near the bottom of a canyon east of University Town Center -- the ride to school was all uphill for about 4 miles. Within less than a year, I could walk without significant restrictions and was back to playing basketball once per week, things I didn't think I would ever be able to do again.
Bicycles are the bacon of the fitness world.
I just purchased a bike, my first in seven years, and have thoroughly enjoyed riding it through the city. We go on short errand rides, and longer treks around the park. I forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike. I'm gearing up for a 30 mile charity ride on a rails to trails through a beautiful state park in southern Louisiana.
This is the bike I purchased, a less expensive version of this, and I'm quite pleased.
That looks pretty cool. I might look into that model. It's taken some time to get used to drop bars on Dad's bike. Used to be a deal breaker, but now I'm sure they'd be OK.
This is awesome as I have talked about my riding experience often here at the WGOM.
Can I put a plug in for snowshoeing as your winter activity? I can't remember if you live in the Twin Cities or not but if so there are lots of great snowshoing areas in county/city parks. Outstate as well for that matter. I get some of the same thrill and solitude from snowshoeing as I do bike riding.
I'll plus one for the snowshoeing.
Unfortunately, I hate cold weather (yes, I know, then why do I live in north-central South Dakota? Well, it has its good points, too), so I don't think showshoeing would be much of an option for me. I have something called a "gazelle glider" that I use in the winter. If I record enough baseball games to watch while I'm using it, I can make myself do it for 45-60 minutes.
I hope you have a back log of games from previous seasons, padre.
I recommend buying DVD sets of the 87 and 91 World Series.
Actually, I do.
I can't wait until I have the $$ for a new bike. Lifehacker says the best time to buy is January when demand is lower and shops are clearing room for the new models being released.
I've been riding my dad's bike as much as I can around town here, but it's too small a frame to make long rides a viable option. I get cramped up after anything more than 3 or 4 miles.
Yes. Anytime December to February in Minnesota is a good time to buy a bike, if you're okay getting "last years model." My current bike was about 30% off list price when I purchased a couple of Januarys ago.
I'm thinking I'll check out the post-Christmas sales for a bike.
One big motivator for me is the social aspect of working out. I started riding my bike every Sunday morning with some neighbors a couple summers ago. Nothing gets my butt out of bed better than knowing i'll have 3 neighbors pounding on your door if i don't.
I've been wanting a bike for a year or more. I used to ride my bike basically everywhere as a kid, but mostly to the pool. They closed the pool near my house and I started driving around the same age, and I've done little swimming and zero biking since then. Being (very) fat, I'm scared I'll wreck a bike. I've wanted to buy a Worksman since they're super heavy duty, but I'm also scared to lay down $5-600. Blah.
Worksman cycles are all over this town as either tourist rentals or iggy bikes (Loyola's student bike rental program) so I'm pretty sure you can't destruct them.
Zack, the best thing you could do for yourself is get a bike and ride it every day. If you're seriously overweight, it's the perfect workout for you. Low impact, it's really good for your leg joints, you can control intensity of your work with gearing, and you're really using the largest muscles in your body. Don't worry about how hard or fast you can go when you start. If you can only do ten minutes, just do ten minutes, but to it every day. Make it a routine and pretty soon you'll start seeing and feeling the difference. My oldest brother used to be very overweight, but he started running twenty-some year ago and lost almost a third of his body weight. He's kept it off, too. A lot of evidence out there indicates that fitness level and regular exercise are more important for health than being at some arbitrary weight level. Focus on getting in shape and making steady improvement in stamina and strength, and weight will come off.
Mostly mobility stuff yesterday. Working on single-leg squat progressions (I will do one, someday) and some ab exercises.
I'm not completely opposed to bikes, but the streets here are narrow and I've heard too many stories from people I know in Seattle who were glad they were wearing their helmet.
The beauty of living in a small town. I can ride my bike down the middle of the street and not bother anyone.
Alas, I grew up in a small town and that is a major reason that I am hesitant to ride my bike in urban areas.
That reminds me to exhort Twayn and others to wear a helmet if you think you are going to ride over 10 mph on a consistent basis. A bike helmet saved my life or prevented major brain damage last summer when I got in a bike accident and literally flipped my entire bike landing unabated upon the top of my helmeted head. No way I walk away from that without a helmet.
I'll second free. One of Sheenie's sister's friends was sideswipped on his bike two summers ago in NOLA and landed on his head. He's still in assisted living and likely will never work again.
Dido. I live in a nanny state where kids are legally required to wear helmets until 16. Of course, (1) I see parents riding helmet-less with their helmeted kids all the friggin' time -- what do you suppose that teaches? and (2) I see kids, mostly, umm, NOT the "high achievers", riding helmet-less all the friggin' time. I've exhorted my PTA-participating spouse to rail on this issue at PTA meetings for years to no avail.
Your most important organ, by far, is your brain. Wearing a bike helmet is easy, and bike helmets are cheap, particularly compared to a lifetime of being a gibbering idiot.
[edit: my apologies to Sheenie and DPWY for the insensitive ending to that last sentence; obviously, I'm a bit worked up on this issue]
A helmet is on the shopping list for this weekend. I'm a knowledge worker, my brain is about the only revenue-generating asset I have, so I plan to protect it. I also saw a guy in post-wipeout mode at Elm Creek a couple of weeks ago. Dude actually ran into a tree. He was okay, but only because of the helmet. That was the convincer, and I know I've procrastinated long enough.
I cracked two or three helmets in my youth doing stuff like off-road racing through a track we build in the woods. I wrecked the ever loving stuffing outta my bike when I was a kid (had a blast doing it too, of course). Those experiences definitely taught me the importance of a helmet. Now riding to commute/run errands I'm very very wary of motor vehicles and wouldn't be caught without one.
I started training for Triathlon last spring (most of the newbies are quinquagenarians) so had to get a bike.
I had a mountain bike for a couple of years, but our garage was broken into and that one had been stolen.
So I got a nice road bike, and added aero bars. I started putting the miles in last year, and have ramped it up a lot this year.
Best advice I've gotten so far has been to 'spin' (i.e. use your muscles all the way around the circle), not 'mash' (like pistons).
This has enabled me to do hills, and also much longer endurance rides.
I've been doing group rides with the local cycling shops - good way to learn etiquette, safety, riding in a pack, and fun to bike with others.