Back to cycling - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

zjrog · 02-21-2008, 12:45 AM

I used to ride extensively. In fact at one time I had 13 or so bikes. Including an old Schwinn Varsity ten speed that I had the tubes filled with lead! Thing weighed nearly 50 pounds, but if you could climb a hill with that, you could fly up on anything else! I had fixed gear road and MTB bikes, pulled my small children in an old Cannondale Bugger trailer, could ride a 4 hour century and such. After i moved from Hawaii to California, I was stationed on a ship and had little time to ride, but took a bike when the ship went anywhere. I've ridden in Acapulco, Perth, Tasmania, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. I REALLY don't suggest riding bikes in Korea or Hong Kong... Singapore was an awesome place to ride. Not to take away from Tasmania or Perth.

But then I sort of fell away from cycling until last year. 13 years off has made me a fatboy! I've been real slow getting back to it, last year we started but my wife developed serious helath issues and I almost lost her. She is a lot better now, but still has problems. But she has asked me to pull her bike out and get it on the trainer for her this weekend. So I'll be freshening her Schwinn hybrid for the trainer, and hope by summer I can get her back on her CannonDale roadie.

I'll freshen my Gary Fisher HooKooEKoo a good friend gave me 3 years ago when I last thought I'd try again. It needs some upgrades but rode great last year. My son has my old Trek MTB at college, he rides it some but not as much as he wants to. And I've decided to replace my old KHS road bike instead of upgrade it. Sad to think of letting it go after all the miles it gave me. But that can wait.

I already feel torn between the two disciplines. But look forward to taking a bike to Moab someday, on the back of my Jeep...

Roger

bennelson · 02-21-2008, 01:25 AM

Glad to hear you are back to bikes.

I bought a thrift store bike 2 summers ago. It took a bit of work to get my wife back into it. She is a bit of a clutz, and has really short legs, so she's actually riding a boys (NOT men's, boy's!) bike because it fits her better.

We have been biking Saturday mornings to the farmers market (in season only). Those old-school baskets on the back of my bike are pretty good for rummage sales too!

Gone4 · 02-21-2008, 01:26 AM

I really think more bicycle riding is the best thing we can do, for the environment and for ourselves. If everyone who drove their overly large vehicle to the gym rode their bicycle a few places, a lot of waste could be saved. We'd also have fewer health problems in general, if those who do nothing rode. If not for anything else, it can be a lot cheaper.

zjrog · 02-21-2008, 11:52 AM

Even off the bike these past years, I've stayed an advocate. I enjoy riding, but not the getting back into shape part!!! I'm not rabid, nor was I in years past. I have adjusted many many bikes for people that just didn't know how, fixed many kids bikes for neighbors. I've got a repair stand and big tool kit. Yes, a tool box just for bike tools, not to be mixed with my 2 roll around boxes EVER... But still, too many people do look at a bike as a kid's toy, or just for nuts. I always resent being yelled at when on a bike to get off the road...

Ya know, back when I was hardcore, I could get across an intersection faster than a Yugo...

NoCO2 · 02-21-2008, 11:59 AM

I used to do the long distance cycling back when I was in high school. I used to ride between 100 - 150 miles per week and I loved every bit of it (and my girlfriend loved the fact that I was 35lbs lighter then I am currently). I always thought that since I now live in a very congested area where the roads surrounding my apartment are all between 45 and 55 mph that I would never be able to ride like I used to as long as I lived in this area. The price of gas, recently, however, has changed my mind about that. I'm actively hitting craigslist and local garage sales looking for a mountain bike that I could convert to a commuter bike that would get me to and from work and the grocery store since those two places are really the only places I ever drive to on a regular basis. I'll be putting road tires on it and a rear luggage rack with baskets and water resistant bag for hauling stuff around in.

It's great to hear that there are others like me getting back into riding. I just wish the weather where I lived was more consistently nice for riding. It seems like it's always either too cold, too rainy or too hot to ride, but I think I'll just have to start getting used to it because I hope to get back in shape and save around $100 a month in gas by not driving anymore.