On the road again
 

For the first time in 4 years, I own a bike! I used to ride constantly, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

My last bike died in 2001. I got in in the 5th grade, and it lasted me through college (my parents were masters of getting the absolute largest possible bike so that I wouldn't grow out of it instantly).

12 years, and I rode it pretty constantly. But alas, I graduated from college, moved, and stuck it on the porch for a couple months. Then, a friend asked to borrow it to get to and from work while his car was being repaired. I brought it over, where we realized the tire was flat. So we wheeled it over to a gas station to fill the tire. Then I began to remount the chain, which had fallen off at some point previous. Then...snap, the rear derailleurs cracked in half at the thickest point. 12 years (and 3 years of going in and out of a trunk) had finally taken its toll. :( I was sad to see that bike go. I knew I wouldn't be using it enough to warrant paying for a repair...never mind that it was a 12 year old bike and probably not worth the cost of the repairs it needed.

So here I am, 4 years later, looking for some exercise that I can get motivated to do. Swimming worked for a while, but 1) the kids have taken over our pool and 2) the scenery gets boring. Biking, I never get bored of. Different route every time.

So I did some looking around, and eventually got a bike at Target. It kinda went against my nature, I'd much prefer a quality bike over a cheap comodity bike, but for what I need I couldn't justify the expense of anything more. I got a decent bike for the money. The old bike was a street bike, this is a mountain bike, so I'm moaning about the really low top gear. But it's got two wheels, a chain, and pedals.

I went riding for the first time yesterday. Wow am I outta shape. I used to sprint around the hilly UCI campus every day, now I was winded by the time I got to the end of the street!

I have an ideal of being able to commute to work by bike. That will be a challenge to work up to. The general rule of thumb on bike commuting is, if it's under 5 miles, you have no excuse. 5-10 miles, you can work up to it by training on weekends. Over 10 miles, good luck Lance (or is that Neil?). My commute by car is 11 miles. Eep. I think, with OC's relatively convenient system of bike routes, it's doable. But it's going to take a while. Yesterday ended up a little more encouraging than I thought. I ended up riding a good 4 miles in about 30 minutes, and I wasn't pushing particularly hard. So it's within the realm of possibility. I'd really love it if I could become a 3-day a week bike commuter.

Among other things, I'd be totally justified in buying all the little accessories I always eye at bike shops :D

We've been over this - it's Louis. :)

Anyway, congrats! I love my mountain bike, and when we head to the mountains in Flagstaff or Payson, I like to take it along. Of course, a 5500 foot difference in elevation means I can go about 100 yards before passing out, so I don't know why I bother.

I do wonder, though, why you purchased a mountain bike if you have a goal of using it to commute to work. They are much heavier than the average touring bike, and the wide tires add friction making it that much harder to go distances. Are you planning on using it off road?

But good for you! And go Louis!

Edited to add: Do you have shower facilities at your office? That's something else to consider, cause you'll work up quite a sweat on your commute.

Because the cheapest road bike was more than twice as much as the plethora of mountain bikes available (mountain bikes are all the rage these days, so no one is mass producing road bikes). What I really wanted was a hybrid...basically a road bike frame with tires that are in between mountain bike and road bike. With the number of trials around us, many of them semi-offroad (fire trials and the like), a pure street bike would limit our options. But I couldn't find a hybrid on short notice.

Oh well, I got the smallest, lightest mountain bike I could find/afford. Aluminum frame. It's no lightweight, especially compared to my old bike, but it'll do. Better exercise.

Once this set of tires is ready for a change (and being factory tires, I don't expect them to last long), I'll see if they make tires in the right size that are not quite so knobby. That should improve things.

Oh, and yes, our building has a full gym, so there's somewhere to shower and change. And I can bring the bike inside the ID-access only building and stash it under a staircase, which is nice.

If I weren't so sick I would have been out bike-buying with him. I will be getting one though, mainly because I'm all jealous and stuff. I haven't had a bike since 1998, and by then I hadn't used mine in a year and it had rotted outside. I used to bike to high school every day.

Number one accessory on my shopping list...new saddle.

Is that your way of telling us your ass hurts now?

I bet that's just the kind of information you were looking for when you logged on today.

Once CP gets hers you two can come down and bike on the boardwalk with us on the weekends :)
Congrats on your new bike, man!

I don't know about her but it's just what I was looking for when I logged in.

My poor bike has been banished to my patio, has two flat tires and is covered in dust. I should get a pump, fix it up and start riding again! It's probably going to be a lot easier on my knees then running.

Perhaps, but I'm not sure we can fit both bikes in the car.

Could I ask how much? I've been really, really wanting a bike. But the one in my parent's garage looks like it might be staying there. I may look into finding out how much repairs will cost, but it's so old, and has been retired so long, I'm afraid it'll come out to the same as a new bike. And I'd really rather have a mountain bike, or at least something with the thicker wheels. I'm too wussy for 10-speeds.

This one was $140 at Target. There's a ladies' version for the same price.

Awesome! Thank you.

I haven't ridden a bike since I was in jr. high and helmets became mandatory. Not because I didn't want to wear a helmet, but because my parents insisted on getting me the kiddie full-head kind -- like the sort they put on kids who bang their heads against the wall all the time.

And thanks to that, I haven't ridden a bike since and probably never will.

Ooooooooooh. I *really* like the look of that one. The one hanging in my 'rent's garage is a yellow Schwinn. I LOVE that bike. But it's just so rusty, dust, sad right now.

Also, I've e-mailed my bread winning brother the bike, and told him that he's obligated to buy me an expensive gift since he can afford it. Heh. I was kidding. Kind of.

EZ,

You may want to check out your local Sports Chalet too. They have decent sales. They will also knock 10% off if there are any scratches on the bike (and being they are so close together there often are).

I bought a bike!


It's the one that I linked to above. Mine's silver and aqua instead of silver and blue.

We both went for a ride today and it made me so happy! I was grinning like an idiot. It's been far too long. Biking still means "freedom" to me the way it did when I was a kid. I don't have to be going fast or pulling stunts, just the wind in my hair is enough to make me blissfully happy.

And it's good for me too! :)