Your thoughts on bike riding?

In addition to all the excellent advice already posted, I would recommend you invest in a good seat and good cycling shorts along with the helmet. Gloves are good at reducing road vibration a bit. As you get more skilled and comfortable on your bike, clip in pedals and cycling shoes are pretty much a must if you want to take it up a notch.

The big negative for cycling is that it can be a time suck. If you enjoy getting out there for hours on end just to be outside, get some exercise and possibly socialize, that is fine. But if you are looking for a quick workout, you need to operate at a pretty high intensity. I use an HRM to monitor the intensity of the workout. Riding flat out for an hour can give you an awesome burn if you really work.

I love riding my mtn bike. I'm considering a road bike for increased speed, but the mtn bike is a good workout even on flat paths. When I can't get out to ride I ride the stationary bike and get caught up on Netflix. The first thing I noticed when I started riding regularly was a nice lift to my derriere, lol.

Watch out for drivers of cars who are not looking for bikes. Yesterday I got hit as I headed back to my car after a long ride. The driver was cruising slowly around the perimeter of the parking lot and suddenly decided to back up just as I crossed the road behind him. He sped off, never to be seen again. I'm kind of hoping I left a scratch on his new sedan.

Biking is great fun - unless, of course it happens to be rather wet! You not only get a workout but you also actually GO somehwere, as opposed to sitting on a stationary bike in a gym. The latter is fine for miserable wet days (plenty of those this year in the UK!) and for high intensity interval training but otherwise I find them boring, plus with a real bike you enjoy fresh air and the sounds around you. if you are near open countryside, there is nothing quite like hearing the birds, which you can't do in a car.

I don't run or jog, as I have a back problem following a car accident 25 years ago but biking is a great way to get exercise and get around. I have bad knees and feet due to osteo-arthritis but I can still ride a bike, even when walking can be painful. Never underestimate the value of a bike but BE SAFE.

Echoing others:
1. DO obey the rules of the road (e.g. a red light at the traffic lights means Stop, just as much as it does for cars). You can ride on some footpaths and there are cycle routes all over the UK but the rules of the road are the same as for a car except where there are special cycle tracks which may go odd places that a car cannot go - I love my bike ride to work down through a wooded valley next to the river.
2. Maintain your bike well (e.g. it works more efficiently if the tyres at the proper pressure)
3. Make sure you are properly visible from twilight onwards by using a proper lighting set AND a reflective jacket (which are dirt cheap and could save your life). Also, on the subject of visibility, remember that if you are in a dark coat at night and you put your arm out to signal, a motorist may not necessarily see your arm out - it is a good idea to have a reflective wrist band on each wrist, so that your arm is visible when you signal. FAiling that, you can buy lights that attach to the back of your hand which show up when you signal.

4. DON'T wear an iPod or other device with earphones whilst you are cycling - you cannot hear things around you properly and there is always the danger that you can get your earphone cables twisted in something. It isn't illegal to do it, but it isn't really very safe either.

5. If you must carry something, put it on the bike, not on you (e.g. if commuting, use panniers or some sort of bike bag - there's lots of cool ones out there, so they don't have to be old fashioned). It's no good wearing a reflective jacket and then putting a backpack over the top of it!

Personally I don't use a helmet - I never have and in fact extensive research has shown that the crucial part that needs to be covered and protected, i.e the temporal area of the skull, is often not protected at all, even by the best helmets, so I have serious doubts about their effectiveness. However, that is my choice but I haven't injured my head in nearly 50 years of cycling without a helmet and I am not going to start wearing one now.

Personally I don't use a helmet - I never have and in fact extensive research has shown that the crucial part that needs to be covered and protected, i.e the temporal area of the skull, is often not protected at all, even by the best helmets, so I have serious doubts about their effectiveness. However, that is my choice but I haven't injured my head in nearly 50 years of cycling without a helmet and I am not going to start wearing one now.

Your body and your choice.

I have two friends who now own helmets that have been broken in half due to falls - one got sideswiped by a car and lost control and smashed headfirst into a telephone pole, the other had a massive blowout down a steep hill, was thrown over the bars and slammed into a concrete wall. In both cases, the absorption capabilities of the helmet provided two benefits:

1. It protected their respective skulls from being split open, and
2. It absorbed some of the shock from being transmitted to the neck and other supporting structures, reducing injury in those areas.

The concrete wall accident also resulted in a broken collarbone (he hit the wall at an angle). The telephone pole one was a "walk away" (he had to, because the bike was a twisted pile of write-off and the car had driven off).

Helmet on head before *kitten* on seat. But I hope you remain as lucky as you have been so far. I've certainly never "needed" my helmet, but it's hard to put one on when in the course of having an accident.

Riding my first Seattle to Portland Classic this weekend! Cross your fingers for DatsunDad2112!

GOOD LUCk!

Personally I don't use a helmet - I never have and in fact extensive research has shown that the crucial part that needs to be covered and protected, i.e the temporal area of the skull, is often not protected at all, even by the best helmets, so I have serious doubts about their effectiveness. However, that is my choice but I haven't injured my head in nearly 50 years of cycling without a helmet and I am not going to start wearing one now.

Your body and your choice.

I have two friends who now own helmets that have been broken in half due to falls - one got sideswiped by a car and lost control and smashed headfirst into a telephone pole, the other had a massive blowout down a steep hill, was thrown over the bars and slammed into a concrete wall. In both cases, the absorption capabilities of the helmet provided two benefits:

1. It protected their respective skulls from being split open, and
2. It absorbed some of the shock from being transmitted to the neck and other supporting structures, reducing injury in those areas.

The concrete wall accident also resulted in a broken collarbone (he hit the wall at an angle). The telephone pole one was a "walk away" (he had to, because the bike was a twisted pile of write-off and the car had driven off).

Helmet on head before *kitten* on seat. But I hope you remain as lucky as you have been so far. I've certainly never "needed" my helmet, but it's hard to put one on when in the course of having an accident.

Dude, I can say for certain that a good helmet has SAVED my husband's LIFE on more than one occasion. He has the x-rays and hospital bills to prove it. Granted it won't help you if you fall on your face, so don't fall on your face.

Back in 1999 I was cycling to work, when a car drove over me, (driver actually stopped the car on top of me) my helmet was all that protected my skull from the bolt that pierced my helmet and stuck in to my head about half an inch. The ambulance crew and the police who attended the accident all agreed that had I not been wearing my helmet, I’d have been at best dead and at worse 100% disabled. Took a couple of years to get me walking and talking properly again, but I was in a better place than what might have been had I not been wearing a helmet.
Wear a helmet, if not for you, for you family who may need to look after you.

PS

Coasting burns no calories.

ABP.

ALWAYS BE PEDALING

This was running through my head throughout my entire ride last night. I'm thrilled to report I finally broke 10 mph. My new goal is 12 mph. From there? Who knows!

A bicycle is my 6 month treat for keeping up an exercise program. I live in Austin and people looooove to ride here. There are always packs of riders out on weekends. I suspect Lance Armstrong had something to do with its popularity.

I love my bike and speed is not of any interest to me. I go at a 10-12MPH pace and I know I burn calories at that pace. We have a lot of nice local rail trails so I am off the road, I just dont feel confortable on the road. It is addicting, my daughter and I rode Ragbrai, a local ride across the state of Iowa in a week. Tons of fun! I must agree with those who say wear a helmet. On an organized ride with my other daughter she went down and I heard her helmet impact the pavement. That would have been her skull. That helmet was worth every penny! That said, have fun, it is the most fun excercise in my opinion!