Biking for fitness/practicality?

[Rosehip]

I just had my mom's bike (a Schwinn Sprint probably from the 1980s that she NEVER used) tuned up, tires replaced, fenders/rack added, etc. so that I can start riding. I'm LOVING it! Right now I'm just enjoying easy rides, and using the bike to run to the post office, etc. I'm hoping to use it to commute to work, but want to become a bit more comfortable with the route (have to find an alternate to the busy road that is the most direct route - only 6.5 miles!) and probably also get a mirror and maybe some more safety gear before I do that.

Of course, I'm very excited about the fitness side of it! Where I live, a lot of my errands are just beyond comfortable walking distance, but close enough that it kills me to get in the car for 4 minutes to get there! I'm really hoping to start using my bike for a lot of the simpler errands - picking up one or two ingredients from the grocery store, or bringing one or two items to the dry cleaners. I feel so refreshed when I've used the bike to get around!


Anyone else?


(Oh, and I've got a new, secret obsession with RAGBRAI)

[e.naomisandoval]

That you are having fun is key! I kept posting on FaceBook about the gym stuff I'm doing and lots got inspired with my results but one friend kept sort of wanting to but not quite getting there. And then she took her roller skates out one day and called me to tell me how happy it had made her and that she had not had that much fun in years! She had been thinking she had to go to the gym. But no! She just had to find (remember) what she loved and go have fun. I happen to love the gym and look forward to it. I was super into biking one year and I also had 5 lb dumbbells. I used to bike pretty much daily with long rides on weekends and just do curls and shoulder press when I got home. I was in awesome shape! It's far too hot in Florida for me to do it consistently. I got big baskets with the idea of doing my grocery shopping and it was so not fun for me! Wobbly and scary with all the traffic. It seemed to make sense until I tried it!

[Geofizz]

I might be riding a very similar bike. It's a Schwinn, but most of the writing it so obscured on it I can't tell you what model. I bought mine for $60 from the classifieds in 1991. It was maybe 10 years old then. I have struggled for parts occasionally, and I had to modify my rims to accommodate the only inner tubes I can get now, but otherwise everything is great. I've only had one major issue where my crank shaft seized up. I bought a part to take it apart and more grease ($20 total), and got it working again in about an hour's work.

Are you the one that posted in the working mama's about riding to work?

If not, there's a thread there from about a month ago. My usual advice is to sign up for the next clinic offered by League of American Bicyclists to learn how to ride safely and legally. They're a bit time consuming, but worth it for both confidence and safety. Some LAB people will offer a commuting class as well.

I ride 3 miles to work every day. Our family also has a fair weather 2 mile rule: If you're going less than two miles, you go without a car. Usual exemptions are for snow/ice/lightening/dark. (Adults ride in the dark with appropriate lights and reflective gear. My kids don't ride at night yet and won't for a while.) We've got saddle bags and baskets, and we usually remember to swing by Whole Paycheck on the way home from somewhere else to avoid doing a whole shopping trip on our bikes. The pool, library, school, small shopping center, mini farmer's market, and most friends are less than a mile away, so we ride our bikes or walk.

The best part of the habit? When we leave the house, my kids ask "Are we walking or biking?" Not, "which car are we taking?" I love that their mindset is to assume we don't drive. In the summer, we buy gas only if we go on a long car trip. Fitnesswise, it's a minor contributor in our pretty active household, but it certainly ups the levels, and the mindset and practice is giving my kids some important life-long skills.