Started biking this weekend

[THEFAN]

Up here in Maine we are having a very unusual warm and mild winter. 30 and 40s mostly. No snow at all too. So, with the gas prices at 3.65 I decided to get my bike out and tune it up. With gas at 3.65 for sure it will be 4.00 by April/May. So I figure start getting ready now. This weekend I started to bike all over the island. A little cold but after a bit I was feeling good and warm. My family and I have sat and talked about a lot of what ifs and we have decided to bike all that we can. The only time we plan on using the truck is for work and off island adventures. Even the off island adventures I will try and barter something to cut the cost of gas down.

I know a lot of locals hate seeing bicylest on the road but I'm sure after this summer a few more people will wake up and see that things won't be going back to the old days. I'm usually pretty good at seeing things ahead of the curve. Probably because of my survival up bringing, but I feel a big tighting the belt again. I am pretty well off in live too. No bills and my childs future is covered unless we collapse of course but still I prepare and plan for the worse. Not that we don't enjoy our PRESENT days of course. I just feel there is a calm before a big storm coming. Just a share. Thank you for reading my ramble.

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm planning on getting my bike out too. Only problem being, I don't really live close enough to any place to use it for more than pleasure.

 

[FarmerChick]

I bike for exercise and fun. I just gave my bike a tuneup and bought kiddo a new bike...bigger one...kiddo is growing LOL
we bike constantly while camping

roads here won't allow bikers usually. I can't take the chance of getting killed here. no way for me. I wish I could tho.

GREAT FOR YOU!!! go for it. We are $3.58 right now...and climbing UGH Yup, I am driving less for sure!

 

[moolie]

We're having a nice winter as well, over 42 already this morning and forecast to go up to 50 today. I love my bike, we are about half a mile from our grocery store and only about 2 miles from one of our year-round farmer's markets so I can actually accomplish something when I'm out riding, although I do love just getting out there in the fresh air. I need a better basket, or paniers though so that I can bring home more than fits in my backpack. I'd LOVE one of those 3-wheelers with the big basket on the back, like this:

We're lucky that our city has an extensive "pathway" system for bikes (lots of year-round commuters who bike downtown) and joggers/rollerbladers.

 

[Joel_BC]

Bike's are great. My wife and I each have a bike. We use mountain bikes, as they are good for dealing with the gravel roads and the hills. We don't do much highway riding with our bikes, because the wheels/tires on m. bikes aren't the greatest for asphalt. Plus we have big log trucks and chip trucks on our highway, and don't like riding on their routes.

We sometimes bike to the 'wide spot in the road' where there is a small gas-station/grocery-type store, a cafe, and a teeny natural-foods store - a distance of about five miles each direction, from our homestead. We see friends and acquaintances there. Often we don't have time for that, though, and so just take a ride of a couple miles, up and down the hills, for exercise, enjoyment, and to see wildlife and the neighborhood in general at ground level. It's pretty nice... how much more of things you see from a bike than through a car window! It's a lot like being on foot, but swifter.

 

[hqueen13]

I never really learned to ride a bike well enough, I had a lot of orthopedic surgery as a kid, so I just physically couldn't.
Around here, I wouldn't do it anyway. There just isn't enough room for bikes and cars at the same time.

 

[Joel_BC]

I never really learned to ride a bike well enough, I had a lot of orthopedic surgery as a kid, so I just physically couldn't.
Around here, I wouldn't do it anyway. There just isn't enough room for bikes and cars at the same time.

Well, horses are beautiful animals. A bike has no real personality, only "characteristics". It isn't a living, breathing, warm entity capable of affection... a horse is. So, if I had the needed terrain and room and shelter for a horse, I might well go for one, instead of a bike.

Riding a bike gives a certain kind of exercise out in the open air, maybe good exercise especially if there are some hills involved. So that's great. I understand that riding a horse can provide the rider with good exercise too... I wouldn't really know, because I've only ridden slow, sure-footed, walking "trail horses" up mountain trails now and again (enjoyed it, though).

 

[Denim Deb]

When I was injured in a car accident several years ago, I ended up w/nerve damage-L4 and L5 in my back. This affects my right leg. The neurologist I saw recommended horse back riding as therapy. It took me awhile to be able to ride for long periods, but I did wonders for my leg. I'll never be as good as I was, but I'm much better than I was.

 

[THEFAN]

Queen said it best " I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike." We need bike smiley.

 

[so lucky]

Although I don't ride a bike myself, I am careful of them on the highways and try to respect their right to be there, even tho our roads are narrow with hills and curves. Local bikers who are actually going somewhere get over on the shoulder if they hear a car approaching. The activity that tics me off is when there is a big "ride" scheduled and all the city-folk come to ride in their pretty lycra outfits. I find them generally to be rude and obnoxious, riding in the middle of the lane, refusing to move over so a car can pass. They ride two and three abreast, so if I tried to "make" one move over, it could cause a crash. So cars have to drive behind them for looong periods of time, at 20 mph. And don't tell me you don't see me back there! Just my little pet peeve for the day. If you wear lycra and live in the city, I'm talkin' to you!