New type of exercise for me.
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jmwolffyy
Posts: 212 Member
So I have wanted to get a bicycle since I had my surgery 9 months ago and start riding. I put it off in the fall because it was just going to be too cold, and then of course in the winter it WAS too cold... Then we had some family medical issues in the early spring. BUT I finally am getting my bike this week! I am SO excited!!! I can't fathom ever preferring to run (sorry to all you runners out there, but I just don't understand the interest), and walking is okay, but riding a bike will be a blast! And for extra motivation, I signed up for a 10K charity ride that is next weekend. Nothing like having to get on it and GO!
Now just to figure out how to move to a more temperate climate so I can ride all year long.....
Now just to figure out how to move to a more temperate climate so I can ride all year long.....
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Congrats on the bike and doing the 10K charity ride! As for that "more temperate climate"--when you find it, let me know where. My parents moved us to SE Texas in 1979 seeking that very thing, but much to their surprise the winters were still very chilly and rainy (almost never any snow to speak of) and that cold, wet that goes right through the bones, along with the wind. The summers range from 95 degrees to over a 100 degrees and last for about 9 months out of the year sometimes, with extremely high humidity. I LONG for that moderate climate. I am not enjoying indoor exercise!0
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Just a bit if advice. Get you bike from a place where they actually fit you to a bike. I went with my son, (who KNOWS bikes) and he put me on several bikes until we found one that fit ME. It isn't the color I would have chosen but it RIDES really comfortably and I can ride it LONGER....0
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Me too! I ordered a new bike 2 weeks (maybe a little impulsive) after surgery and was riding it 4 weeks after surgery. It felt so gooood! I kept with the skinny butt seat just to motivate me to strengthen those legs. I really love to ride. Running has never been for me. I haven't ridden as much as I would like due to whether, work and family commitments. But I really look forward to it when the oppurtunity is there. My old mountian buike is used as a trainer. Not as much fun, harder to get motivated to ride indoors. But helps to keep active in bad whether.
I am surprised at how many calories MFP says I burn for a given ride. I don't think its right? But, I don't eat to makeup the net!!!0 -
Bike riding is my prefrence too. However i havw a mountain bike so nitvas comfortable for long rides on city streets. Enjoy the charity ride.0
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I live in Atlanta where there seem to be SO MANY bikers. I have been a regular at the gym on the elliptical and I walk everywhere, but I decided to change it up a bit and get a bike. Atlanta is very hilly, so it is difficult, but I'm doing it. I ride about 1.5 miles to class, and today after coming back from class, I'm going to ride 2 miles to work (if the rain doesn't come). I get a little nervous on these busy roads and with my inexperience, but when I make it somewhere, I just get SO excited and feel so proud.
Good luck to you on your bike journeys!0 -
I bought a 7 speed Schwinn bike at Meijer about a month ago and love it. It's a 26 inch womens with a nice wide seat on it with springs. It is very comfy. It was $170 but on sale for $160 and then I got 10% off, another 15% off and then another 10% off so it brought it down to like $110! It has already been worth it! I try to ride it daily when the weather cooperates. On my vacation from work I took a 15 mile ride and have done a 7 mile ride. I need to go on the bike trails in town too, I did do part of one on the 15 mile ride. Make sure you buy and wear a helmet. I didn't at first but was worried if I got hit by a car so I bought one and wear one everytime I bike now. My boyfriend also bikes with me too when we can. I love it! I can only bike on the stationary bike at the gym for less than 20 minutes cause I get bored but on a real bike I could bike forever! Make sure you sit the seat up correctly so your knees are bent too much, I have bad knees so I made sure of this. My bike isn't a fancy high priced one but for now it works. I might upgrade next year but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on one and then find out it bothered my bad knee.
Have fun when you get your bike!
Also, if you live where you can rent a bike try that. Where I live they don't so I couldn't but then you can try them out before ya buy them.0 -
Can't run because of my knees, but love indoor cycling. I have a lot of friends that tell me thier stories of riding accidents outside, so I think I'll stay inside. I'm accident prone on my feet, I don't need traffic and all.
But I LOVE spinning classes. I have lost so much and toned up where I couldn't before. I spin about four times a week.0 -
Update! We bought my bike yesterday and my mom sent money for my daughter to get a new one too (as a surprise reward for earning straight A's!). Got home, tightened and aired everything up, and the two of us went for our first ride together. It was wonderful! We got both bikes for just over $200 total plus helmets and gloves. I got a cruiser-style for now and a hybrid for my daughter. I saw one at the bike shop that well probably become my goal bike, but at $500, it will be a while. We do live in a flat area, but I found a small hill on our ride yesterday, and I manned it without trouble! I downloaded an app on my phone to record my distance and it worked beautifully; we rode 1.3 mile and could have gone farther except it was starting to get dark. We will go again today, and I hope to ride most days after work as long as it's not raining. We will definitely avoid high traffic areas though, I saw the remnants of a bike that had been hit a couple weeks ago at a major intersection. Scared me enough to definitely stay away from fast moving cars! The good news is that our town has developed a "people trail" system exactly for that reason, and we plan to utilize those. Loved the ride, loved the time with my girl, and loved that its all part of my new life!0
