I've just bought a bike (which I have to say is amazingly fun). I can 
only ride .5 - 1 mile at time right now, but I'm hoping to increase it. 
I'd also like to start walking some, now that it's getting a little 
nicer.

Anyways, the bike thing. I was pleasantly surprised at how NON-snobbish 
the folks at the bike shop were. It seems like there must be this whole 
biking community that welcomes even us old overweight novices. What a 
great feeling!

I'd like to hear from some bike riders out there about how you started, 
how much improvement you would expect to see in general fitness and 
maybe some encouragement that it doesn't get boring.  It definitely 
hasn't been so far.  Maybe even some thoughts about places for good 
short bike rides, or about bikes in general.

The bike I bought is a Trek Navigator 100 - a "comfort" bike. My main 
goal was to get something that I'd actually RIDE. It's very 
comfortable, and makes you want to stand up on the pedals and race like 
a 10-year-old.

So anyways- thoughts about bikes and biking for the (very) new?

10 responses total.

I ride to places that I want to go to - library, post office, Farmer's Market
and other sources of food, university events, friends' houses.  If you want
to get exercise, don't own a car.  If you have to own a car, don't use it
unless absolutely necessary.  Biking in circles just for exercise sounds
boring to me.  Put a rack and panniers on, or a basket, so you can carry
things more comfortably than in a backpack.  

Biking along the trail in Gallup Park is a pleasant way to get places located
near the river in Ann Arbor.  It is also easy, being flat and paved.  The city
puts out a map of suggested bike routes including trails, bike lanes, and
roads to avoid.  Some day there is supposed to be a safe way to bike from A2
to Ypsi.  Most of the river in A2 is already served by bike paths, connecting
Parker Mill to the east with Bandemere to the west.  

If you want to bike over here (westside Ann Arbor near the
Huron/Dexter/Jackson fork) we can adjust the bike properly for your size,
which makes it a lot more comfortable to ride.  Wait until after the 27th.

You should always wear a helmet if you want to preserve your brain.  It does
not take much of a fall to hurt yourself badly if something hits your head.

I use my bike as recreation exercise, not transportation exercise.  I found
that 15 miles a day was fun, doable almost every day, and got me into shape
very quickly.  And I could do it on the flat Parker Mill/M14 route without
any problem.  

The trick was to use my bike occasionally as transportation, when it fit my
schedule and after-the-ride activity, and to make up the rest of the miles
as "exercise"  in the early evening, when it was cool.  

So, many weekends, the during-the-day riding was at least 15 miles.  I'd
"bank" the extra miles if I got a lot more in.  Then I'd be averaging 15 miles
a day without having to exercise for the full hour and 15 mins.  My
comfortable riding speed was around 12 mph.  

If you don't have one of those little computer chips that translates the
wheels' rotation into all kinds of cool statistics, get one.  It makes the
accumulation a lot more fun.  I only needed to ride about 100 miles a week
to show progress.  

Wow, 15 miles. I'll be ecstatic when I get to 5! Thanks for the offer 
of adjusting everything keesan - I think two wheel tango did an 
excellent job though. The bike is super comfortable, even on my hands 
and I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I can't imagine biking all the way 
to the west side :) I might take the bike over to gallup park when I 
get a little better at it though, and ride some of the paths, that 
sounds fun.  I am planning on getting an odometer/speedometer and 
possibly a rack (although right now I don't need that), but have to 
wait till I have some more cash. I don't know what speed I'm riding. It 
seems fast to me. It probably isn't actually. I'm trying to make sure 
it stays fun though, that's my main goal.

Oh, I forgot to mention - The complex I live is basically a loop, and a 
figure 8 around the loop is almost exactly a mile.  I'm using that for 
now just to estimate how far I've travelled. Until I get more used to 
biking regularly and/or get an odometer, I'll probably stick to the 
circle.

If you can bike to Jim's garage he has cheap used racks.  Kiwanis has cheap
used helmets starting at $1 and is open 9-12 Saturday am.  
I don't bike for 'transportation exercise' but for transportation.  For
exercise I have been walking in circles recently since I was too weak to bike.

I bike a lot in the summer... being able to ride around and see stuff
definitely reduces boredom.  Often I'll explore neighborhoods.

You might look into a shock-absorbing handlebar stem.  That will reduce
vibration on your wrists quite a bit.  A pair of mountain bike "bar ends"
which offer different ways to hang on might help as well.

For shorter rides on paved surfaces, an upright position, though less
efficient, also takes the weight off your hands.

I managed 1.5 miles last night. I'm happy with this so far. I tried to 
work on my daughter's bike some, but it's pretty junky.  

Keesan, do you have anything for a 4' tall 10 year old? I'd like to 
find her a multi-gear bike (coaster brakes would be cool but not 
necessary) that really doesn't cost much.  If you want to email me some 
information about what you might have and where Jim's shop is and 
stuff, that'd be great. I have some free time this weekend. I won't 
have her with me though, so I'll have to be able to manage adjustments 
on my own.

I think I'm doing the bike stuff right so far.  My thighs get heavy and 
stiff while I'm riding, but no pain anywhere else. The knees and *ahem* 
seat are doing fine. And I'm still loving it, which is great.

I looked at some bicycling-related stuff on the internet today, and was 
surprised. Is Ann Arbor really THAT bicycle-unfriendly? Should I be 
afraid to venture out onto the roads for recreational riding?

Whoops. I don't know how to edit a previous post. I'm using backtalk 
here,  and I don't think I can check my email with it. I check the 
email at brenda_spalding@hotmail.com though.

We have the perfect bike for someone about 5' but it might also work for her.
A high quality used 24"-wheel bike, open frame, multi-gear.  Hand brakes. 
Jim got it all fixed up.  It is not a shop.  We rescue abandoned bikes and
bring them to Kiwanis.  We could sell it to you for maybe $25 with a year's
warranty and adjustments and maybe even repairs.  It would be best to bring
the child to the bike to get it sized right.  The bike will be there, no
hurry.  We were hoping someone the right size would come along.  
If this bike is too large, Kiwanis usually has very cheap kids' bikes.  So
does the Reuse Center.  

I hope that we will be working on bikes (my bike needs a new tire and the
gears stopped working) this weekend or even tomorrow.  But the kid's bike is
at my place, not Jim's, and we could meet you there.  Email me for details.
Or wait until your daughter is available to come along.  

Jim just said 'it's a boy's bike' but it is a low top bar and I can get on
and off it easily.  She might prefer an open frame.

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