A
friend recently told me he’s finally going to get into cycling. He asked if he
should find a cheap used bike to start with, then later buy a nice bike.
My
answer? Don’t get a cheap used bike. Just don’t! I have one very good reason
for that. If you get a cheap used bike, you probably won’t love riding the
bike. It’s likely to be a compromise to what would match your needs as a rider.
It could be too heavy, have components that don’t allow for smooth shifting,
and isn’t easy to maneuver.
Or
it could pass all the crucial tests because you were lucky enough to find a
used bike that suits you perfectly. But that’s more likely than not to be a
long shot. Now, you may love riding something like this, something with a personality
you have to put up with, but the odds are you won’t. And as a result, you won’t
be overly fond of the bike because of its built in challenges.
If
you’re just getting into cycling, I think it’s best to find a quality new bike
that suits your riding style and needs. Almost everybody who has gotten into
cycling will tell you that their bike was a huge key to their inspiration. My
theory is that the only way you’re going to want
to ride your bike is if you absolutely love
it! Yes, it's key to love riding the bike.
Because if you don’t, riding it won’t really be anything you look forward to. Just
the thought of getting on a rough riding, junk bike will be in the back of your
mind all the time. And having that bad association with a junk bike will often
be enough to convince you to pass up riding when you initially wanted to go for
a ride. Ultimately it may even steer you away from becoming a regular cyclist
that loves to ride.
So,
for you men and women, boys and girls that want to get a bike because you want
to ride, there’s only one thing to do. If
you or your parents can afford to, and these days, that may be a stretch, it’s
well worth it to go to your local bike store and check out the inventory of new
bikes they have. Figure out what kind of bike will suit your needs best, be it
a road bike, mountain bike, cruiser, one-speed, tandem, recumbent, unicycle,
whatever. Tell the bike guy your situation, whether you need a bike to get
around town, one to get out on a bike trail, paved or dirt, or for country road
routes you want to try. Take some test rides and let your instincts tell you
what bike speaks to your riding mojo; what bike makes you smile spontaneously,
makes you want to keep riding beyond the test ride!
Then,
after enough test rides, make your pick, make your buy. And believe me, you
will ride your bike, for one basic reason: You love riding it! And when that happens, you’ll make time to ride
because you and your bike are having a blast riding to your destinations. And
then you’re hooked, into something great. You’re in for the joys and
inspiration of regular cycling that many long-time cyclists will tell you,
helped them to better fitness and a lightness of being that could be described
as, well, happiness.
Here’s
a ride descending Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, Northern California, that I
enjoyed a few months ago with two riding buddies, Pat and Marc. Pat had a
Go-Pro helmet cam on and video recorded his view down the mountain and put it
to music. For riders to be, expericnces like this, on a bike you love, is why
you’re a regular cyclist. You can’t get enough! It’s inspiring! Check it out:
Thanks,
Pat, great video and audio work! He has more cycling video I’ll show in future
posts.
Get route clarity before
taking off
Now,
there’s another little thing I wanted to touch on that I’ve found can’t be
stressed enough when cycling with others. And that is: Communication! Sounds
obvious, but I’ve found a lot of times, even when riders think they’re on the
same page with other riders on route specifics and agreed upon stops, often times
miscommunication results in wrong turns. And in some cases unwanted bonus miles
to get back to the route!
When
riding with friends, the first thing you find out once you start on a ride is
that everyone rides at their own personal pace. Sometimes those paces are close
and riders stay together. But often times, those paces are different according
to the various levels of fitness and energy of each rider on any given
day.
Before
taking off, it’s a good idea to huddle up and get clear on any turns needed to
stay on the route, and easily recognizable meeting places to stop and regroup.
So if everybody’s clear on the route turns and stops, they’re less likely to take a wrong turn or get stranded from
help due to a mechanical problem or injury.
Unplanned separation can happen fairly easily, if there's no clear knowledge of the route ahead. If you happen
to be leading other riders and you’re unclear which way to go on a turn, stop and wait for the other riders to tell you the right way. Otherwise, you may end up riding alone, looking back, and eventually realizing you’re probably on the wrong road! Best thing to do then is to
stop, and call or text message the rider who knows the route –
assuming of course, that there is phone reception in the area. I’ve cycled in
more than a few areas that are out of phone reception, and have gotten temporarily lost
this way. All has ended well so far, but when those situations have come up,
I’ve ended up putting in the old “bonus miles” to get back on track.
At
worst, you get lost on a lonely road in the woods, there’s no phone reception,
you have a flat, possible injury from a fall, and it’s getting dark. (I did say
at worst!) You can only work hard to
stay calm and retrace your route.
At
best, you put in a few extra miles, hopefully not many of them on climbs, meet
up with your cycling friends, and continue on. But the pre-ride communication
is the way to avoid such problems altogether.
And....it's good to be clear to fellow cyclists that ride at a
slower pace, when you plan to ride ahead at your own faster pace, and where
you’ll meet up ahead. That, I can say from experience, will definitely
help keep riders of different levels still talking to each other at the end of
a ride!
Til next time, remember to always put on a helmet before every ride. Then while cycling, do everything you can to keep the rubber side down!
-- Mark Eric Larson
Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit:
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf
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