This actually starts with my dogs. One of the most important times of my day is my daily dog walk. My current dogs are aged 10, 14 and 18. The two "younger" dogs are still quite healthy, but on many days, even the 10-year-old can't go on the longer walks I like to take, especially in the heat of the late summer.
I was looking at something to augment my dog walking. Running sucks; ever since I was a kid I have a knee which is sometimes unpleasant. And, I've never seen a jogger smiling. My dog walks are as much about mental health as physical health.
Walking without a dog would be pointless and creepy. As I've said before, a fat ugly old man walking a dog down a rural road is quaint. A fat ugly old man walking alone down a rural road is a vagrant.
Indoor exercise such as a treadmill or a gym membership? I'd rather let lethargy kill me quickly.
The options were limited and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to start to ride a bike. I had a cheap bike that I used just a handful of times when I was in college - I estimate I rode it less then 10 times. It was given away when I moved after college. Before that, the last bike I had was a Schwinn 10-speed that was too small I rode until I turned 15 and bought a Yamaha Chappy and licensed it as a moped (it was technically my first motorcycle since it had a 90cc engine).
I looked at bicycles for quite some time. To say I was shocked at the price of bicycles would be an understatement. Used bikes could be bought fairly cheaply, but I wasn't sure if going that route would result in my buying someone else's problem. I also realized there was quite a bit I didn't know about bikes and buying new would allow me to understand what I was getting better. Not to mention, that amortized over the life of a bike, the difference in price between new and used becomes smaller.
I turned to bike reviews and online blogs for more information. What quickly became apparent was that as with many other activities that have a religious-like zeal of devotion, bicycling has some very opinionated jack-asses out there. Among some of the wisdom entombed online:
- Any bike less than $xxx is absolute trash.
- Any bike brand besides xxx is absolute trash.
- Most bikes are good, but xxx is absolute trash.
- Only real bicyclists need to buy xxx, the rest of the trash can buy any trash.
Compared to other activities I enjoy, the bicycling community is a very unwelcoming. I was really on my own.
After reading what objective information I could find, I decided buying a decent brand bike was probably a good idea. I know myself well enough that small things that don't work right can end up being utterly maddening. I can recall on my previous two bikes how frustrating shifters and brakes that didn't work well were.
Still not sure I wanted to take the plunge and feeling like a neophyte, I went to a small local bike shop. The owner was extremely helpful, but recognized my hesitance. Surprisingly, he gave me brand new Trek Shift bike to try for a weekend, this allowed me a low impact way to see if bicycling might be a good choice in general for me. Since I didn't want to spend a lot of money, this was also one of the bikes I was thinking about.
Taking the bike home in the back of my truck, I rode a bicycle for the first time in about 20 years.
After a few minutes, I WAS HOOKED! Why had no one told me how fun bike riding was?
My first ride was quite short since it was later in the day. My next ride was long enough that it hurt to walk when I got home, especially down stairs. Take it easy grasshopper...
A few more rides that weekend convinced me that biking was going to be the right choice to go along with my dog walks. It also convinced me that while the Trek Shift 1 was a capable bike, spending a bit more and getting a bit more was also worth it.
I really did not like the twist shifters on the grip. The seven speeds on the bike were adequate, but going down hill, I wanted a taller gear, and up steeper hills there were limited choices other than the lowest gear, which was sometimes too low.
Talking with a few acquaintances I work with who ride was of limited, but some help. My sister who lives in a very distant state rides very often and has even raced competitively for a time. Her advice:
- Get a bike with good derailleurs or you'll go insane.
- If you might ever go off-road (mountain biking), get a front shock and disk brakes. Wheel rim brakes don't work very well when wet or dirty.
- If you are only going to ride on the road, a hybrid will be outgrown quickly.
- Specialized makes great seats.
I was looking at three makes of bikes at this point: Trek, Specialized and Cannondale.
I looked into Specialized and despite the advice of my sister, I ended up not going that route since the only nearby place that sold them seemed more interested in selling me what they had on the floor, not what I really wanted. They were somewhat condescending and unhelpful to a neophyte.
I can't say I looked closely at Cannondale since there wasn't much close by to look at.
Feeling somewhat loyal to the shop that gave me the loaner, I chose to go with Trek. The lineup of bikes form both Specialized and Trek and really very comparable with respect to features and price. Having the nearby Trek dealer as opposed to the much farther away and condescending Specialized dealer was a huge plus as well in case anything went wrong. If the situation was reversed, I could have just as easily gone with Specialized.
This left me with what model to choose. After comparing features of the bikes, I had it narrowed down to the Trek DS 8.3, FX 7.2 Disc and Verve 3. I'm not following my sisters advice in a hybrid bike, but I wasn't sure if I would be doing any non-road biking and because my back sometimes give me issues; I thought the flatter handlebar would be better than the boy-racer bars on most of the dedicated street bikes. Besides, many of the roads around the area I live in, especially in Indiana are paved in name only and often resemble rubble with inconsistent patches of asphalt. All three of these bikes are similar in price, and with only subtle variation in features. The DS 8.3 has a lot going for it and was the model I eventually chose. My first ride was home from the Trek dealer; the person who helped me finalize the sale on the bike once assembled looked at me like this was odd (this seems a most logical way to get it home given that it is only about 15 miles).
Since buying the bike, I've been riding quite a bit. Before the weather started to turn unpleasant I was alternating walking the dog and riding the bike. I had a hiatus in mid-November due to deer hunting and an atypical November snow and cold weather that stuck around for quite some time.
I find bike riding a good complement to dog walking. Dog walking is great for quiet contemplative moments, great thinking time and the dog loves it. Biking has more going on both physically and mentally.
Weather between Thanksgiving and Christmas had several nice days where I was able to ride more than I expected. I've found I can ride quite comfortably above temperatures in the low to mid 40s as long as it isn't too windy, and down to the upper 30s if it is somewhat sunny with little wind. I will probably make an investment in better dedicated clothes at some point in the future, but I can't say a lot of spandex will be in my future - nobody wants to see that.
Other things I've learned since returning to biking:
- I enjoy this much more than I thought I would.
- Going downhill is boring. Uphill can hurt, but there is a sense of triumph getting to the top - especially if I don't have to resort to granny gear.
- Wind has a much greater effect than I thought it would. I try to plan my routes with the wind at my back for the return half of my bike rides.
- Most cars are fairly courteous, but a small percentage are out to kill.
- Most dogs are fairly innocuous, but a small percentage are out to kill.
- Google's My Tracks is a great alternative to a dedicated bike "computer" and is free. I've been using this to keep track of my rides and overall mileage on the bike (it is a bit of a battery hog).
- Riding my bike has allowed me to see areas in and around my township that I've never seen before. Drawing a 20 mile radius circle around my house, the options for where I can go feel almost unlimited (but I'm already starting to see some roads as favorites).
- Mapometer is a great and simple site to plan rides of appropriate length. The ability to see altitude is a great feature.
I'm not sure where bike riding will go long term. I have yet to ride on a day that is 90 degrees F and 90% humidity, but that is a ways off. I'd love to explore touring by bike, but that is not something to go into lightly.
For now, I'm really glad the owner of the small local bike shop gave me that Trek Shift 1 to try. I'm disappointed the biking community seems so closed to new riders. I'll be doing my best to wear out my Trek DS 8.3 and am looking forward to more consistently good weather next year.
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