<p>I nevervously took the plunge and bought myself bicycle for Christmas. I haven’t ridden a bike in years but I need the exercise and a new hobby to get out of the house. Most of the websites on cycling seem to be for hard core racers or mountain bikers, not a casual rider like myself. Can anyone provide links and advice for an early middle-aged someone whom…</p>
<p>1) didn’t spend a car downpayment on a bike
2) won’t be racing with any Frenchmen or Italians or Spaniards in the Pyrenees
3) off-road intentions include only the local minimally forested municipal park
4) won’t wear spandex bike pants or shirts.</p>
<p>I don’t ride around my neighborhood, except in the summer- I am hardly hard core.
My daughters roommate last year ( and his dad) regularly do the Seattle to Portland-
She doesn’t own a car- and uses public transportation and her bike to get around generally- but she is also not a spandex wearer.</p>
<p>I really like the bike I bought over the summer. You may want to look into what they call hybrids (half mountain/half racing). They have wider tires than the racing cycles, but thin enough to make it easier to ride on the pavement than mountain bikes. </p>
<p>The one I got was from a fairly new brand called Iron Horse. I’ve been pleased with it despite its short history. I think I got it on sale for ~$350. I also really liked the Trek one I tried out, but I opted for a female bike that ended up cheaper than the Trek. </p>
<p>I would suggest you go to your local bike specialty shop and try a few out for a ride (most places will let you try before you buy) and see what you like and what you don’t like.</p>
<p>Spandex is not for everyone. Unless you look like Lance Armstrong. You should still get bike shorts (they have baggy styles) with padding or chamois lining. Very comfortable.</p>
<p>Learn how to replace your tubes & carry a spare with you.</p>
<p>I’ve thought about getting a bike, but didn’t feel in shape for it (muscle-wise, not looks-wise–I still weigh what I weighed in college!*) Plus traffic around here is not bike-friendly and we would have to load the bikes in a car just to go somewhere to ride. So we just got a recumbent exercise bike which DH and I use as well as son who runs cross country–it’s great for cross training and for those days it’s too cold/rainy to run.</p>
<p>It has been the best thing for my knees which were complaining about the passing of time, or something. Strengthens the muscles around them.</p>
<p>So yeah, I would recommend biking in any form you find convenient!</p>
<p><em>not that I *care</em> how I look on a bike ;)</p>
<p>So what kind of bike did you get? I have 2 bikes. 1 is a 30 yr old 12 speed that I use for rides into town - has a lock and a rack on the back with bungie cords and a pouch in front. The other is a road bike with clipless pedals and handlebar shifters that I ride when I put on my spandex and gloves and helmet.</p>
<p>My husband is a serious cyclist and I am a former triathlete. Do not even leave the garage without a helmet. If you are looking for exercise value, it takes about 4 miles of biking to equate to 1 mile of running. You are going to have to push fairly hard to get your heartrate up.<br>
Another tip (and something many cyclists get wrong)- You should not be pushing hard on the pedals. You should be pedaling at a faster cadence with less resistance than one tends to do initially. Higher gears put more resistance on the pedals.</p>
<p>If, as the name implies, you are close to Lake Washington in Seattle, try the trails in St. Edward State Park, right on the lake. Not hard core at all, and beautiful.</p>
<p>Make sure you wear a helmet. Don’t worry about how you look as far as your clothes and shoes go–be safe and comfortable. I hate wearing my helmet but I do anyway, even though I am of the generation that grew up loving to ride with the wind blowing our hair out behind us and never heard of bike helmets until we were thoroughly grown up.</p>
<p>For ideas about good rides, look at books in the regional travel section of your local mega-bookstore–you are likely to find several appealing paperback books that suggest routes at a variety of levels of difficulty in your state or region (depending on where you live). The drawback is traffic–country roads are lovely to ride on except they often have narrow shoulders if any at all, and dealing with cars takes away some of the enoyment. If you are lucky enough to live near any purpose-built bike paths, rails-to-trails conversions, or old canal paths, you have a ready made place to ennoy your bike without auto traffic, although rollerbladers, dogs on long leashes, and little children learnign to ride without training wheels may be hazards in their own right.</p>
<p>If and when you want to be more adventurous, the domestic and international bike trips run by several companies (I’ve used one based in Bristol, Vermont) also offer a great though rather expensive way to tour by bike without having to worry about carrying your own luggage or make your own reservations. </p>
<p>Keep in mind too that drivers aren’t necessarily out to get you, and that you are responsible for your own safety juat as drivers are responsibel for being courteous and considerate (but often are not). As someone who has ridden on narrow roads and tried to stay out of cars’ way without skidding on a gravel shoulder and also been disconcerted when I am driving and have to pass bikers taking up lane space on similar roads, I see the problem from both sides.</p>
<p>Look for some local bike trails. A number of old railways have been redone as bike paths. Try the “rails to trails” association. You should be able to search on a town or zip code to find local trails. There are few good ones in the Boston area, where I live. That would be a good place to start. No traffic.</p>
<p>Hubby rode 30 odd miles on the Burke-Gilman when we were in Seattle last summer. He thought it no more congested or dangerous than our bike paths here in Boston (which, really, are full of a lot of hot-dog riders).</p>
<p>I am not as serious a cyclist, but rode 3-4 times a week all summer, about 10 miles or so, each trip. I have an upright handlebar bike which doesn’t make me have to lean over and break my back, I wear no spandex at all but a bike helmet is a must.</p>
<p>Have fun! I had such a good time this summer!</p>
<p>As someone who has tried mountain biking several times on a so-called ‘technical’ trail, I urge you to buy appropriate riding shorts. They might have fabric like spandex on the inside, but something more appropriate on the outside. Your backside will greatly appreciate the lack of chafing and bruising.</p>
<p>It’s really a lot of fun. Don’t be afraid if you fall off :eek:…just get back on. ;)</p>
<p>Remember to <em>stay hydrated</em> (beer doesn’t qualify :() and carry water to drink during the ride…especially in warm, humid areas. </p>
<p>massmom - speaking of rails-to-trails, one of the best bike rides EVER was the trail that went the length of Cape Cod. We “bike-packed” and stayed halfway in a state park. What a great (and totally level) ride.</p>
<p>As someone whose drive in to work in the dark includes a route heavily used by bikers, I beg (BEG) you to get a reflective vest and light for your bike.</p>
<p>digmedia - We do the Cape path a few times a year. If you extend the path through some relatively quiet roads through Wellfleet, it brings you by some beautiful beaches. Many places to stop along the path. There is also a path in RI along the bay with some spectacular water views.</p>
<p>My husband started out with “I will not wear spandex” but that quickly evolved to “wow these bike shorts sure are comfortable and my butt doesn’t hurt any more (and that nasty chafed spot is gone).” Then the next thing I knew he was training to cycle across the country, from Everett to Virginia Beach. Then he built an internet discount bike accessories business and now we sell spandex to middle-aged guys who are trying to get back into shape.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>Around the Seattle area, the Burke-Gilman trail is safe and flat, especially during the winter when there are not hordes of parents and strollers. </p>
<p>My husband has been hit by cars twice (no damage, amazingly); most of his active cycling friends have been hit as well. My daughter rode into the side of a car that turned left in front of her that close. RIDE DEFENSIVELY, wear orange/yellow and use lights/reflectors, etc. Automobile drivers are idiots (all of them) about bicycles, often not realizing that a cyclist may be going 25 or 35 mph.</p>
<p>I am nearly overcome with gratitute for the responses from you all. Each suggestion was great. As some of you know, I grew up in Seattle but now reside in the NYC suburbs (yeah, I know that most people do that in reverse, LOL). The possibilities for bike riding in Massachusetts make me eager for warmer weather because I get up that way annually for apple-picking and other outddoor events with friends.</p>
<p>I purchased a full-suspension mountain/road hybrid after checking reviews on Amazon.com and talking to a quite friendly proprietor of a bike shop here in northern New Jersey. Boy, have things changed since the 10-speed, cissy bar and banana seat days of the 1970s.</p>
<p>Any yes, I also got a helmet. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I bought a pair of those half-finger gloves too. I hope that I won’t look like Paul Dooley (the dad) on his bike in the final scene of the movie ‘Breaking Away.’</p>
<p>LakeWashington,
h and i purchased the new hybrid bikes this summer. we love them !!! i increased distances over time with each outing and worked up to riding twice a day on some days. it’s lots of fun. you can do it !!! for warmer weather days…you might want to consider purchasing the water backpak…it’s a big help on those hot rides :)</p>
<p>oh- I htink I posted this someplace else-
REI has $20 off all $100 orders before the 24th- if you are going into the store print out the online coupon</p>
<p>but I totally agree with the camelbak backpack
you can even get the liner seperate- I use it in my computer backpack ( in the insulated slot) and the tube goes right through the hole in the top of the pack- I don’t know if that was for an ipod or what but it works</p>
<p>My daughter rode into the side of a car that turned left in front of her that close.
Unfortunately a woman was killed in west Seattle that way
I have had drivers look right at me- and turn into me-& the way they use turnsignals here like it is a personal taste- some leave their signals on, and some never use them, so it is hard to tell what they are going to do
I see though that it looks like the trail is finished to Shilsole- in the Ballard-Fremont end anyway</p>