Category: cycling (Page 9 of 37)

My website has been torturously slow to load – it has been for months and months. If you come here very often you probably know this.

I tried various things to speed it up, including contacting my webhosting provider Dreamhost, loading various plugins and asking my tech support guy aka husband for help (and he usually fixes everything).

All to no avail – until yesterday when I inadvertently fixed it. You know how it works: you’re looking for something else – completely unrelated – and then you stumble upon something you had given up on finding – or fixing in this case.

It’s so fast now, it’s like me on a bike….

One of the most difficult things about getting started with bicycling is deciding what type of bike you should get.

On the surface a cruiser type bike seems like a good bet. They are usually cute looking bikes and look like they would be comfortable to ride.

Although is it true somewhat that they are comfortable to ride, it is equally true that they require more effort to go. Those big, plush tires and the heavy frame means you have to work harder to pedal that comfy, cute bike around. For beginners particularly, this can be put a quick end to any interest in bicycling.

A better choice, particularly for people concerned about balance, is a bike with a step-through frame. This type bike is often referred to as a city or urban bike. They usually have 28 or 32 mm tires, often an aluminum frame and often with an internal geared hub. The beauty of a bike like this is maintenance is low, gear shifting is easy – with the push of a thumb, generally – and the bike isn’t a heavy tank, thus more enjoyable to ride.

The bike below does not have an internally geared hub, it has a rear derailleur but is still easy to shift. The bike below is a great bargain in my opinion, currently on sale for $449 (and no Public isn’t paying me to say that).

I remember when I paid $350 for my first “real” bike, a Schwinn hybrid, I thought it was so expensive. The local bike shop convinced me it would be worth it (kept thinking about how much cheaper I could get a Wal-Mart bike) and it was. It cost roughly a dollar a day for one year, an investment that I could enjoy for years after which I did.

With many things, the old saying that you get what you pay for, is true. It’s true with bikes, especially entry level bikes.

The trick is to get a decent bike that fits you. Visit your local bike shop and talk to them. They’re great about answering basic questions and getting you started. When I bought that Schwinn I had been to the shop numerous times talking and test riding before I ever actually bought the bike. I knew nothing about biking so I had a lot of questions!

Test riding at least a couple of bikes is a good way to find the best bike for you.

Where the hell have I been?

I’ve been on my bike 6 hours.. oh wait, that was Lance’s lie…

Anyway, I have been on my bike trying to pick up every mile I can. Last week I rode nearly 100, this week only 30 70 (somehow forgot about a 40 mile ride on Monday) so far.  The other place I’ve been primarily is sitting at my computer, like now except I’ve been doing “school work” instead of blogging.

I’m taking 4 classes online at present and they are keeping me very busy. I’m doing lots of reading and writing  – but no arithmetic so it isn’t too bad. I’ll try to do better at keeping up here at the blog, but keep in mind you can always find me at For the Love of Bikes page on Facebook, click here or on the Facebook icon to your left (or Twitter).

Hope all is well and that you are able to take advantage of the great riding to be had in my favorite season of all – Fall.

Recent shots from rides:

The I Can Bike camp ended Friday, and as advertised, most of the campers could ride a regular two-wheel bike on their own! If you’ve ever taught anyone how to ride a bike you know what an astonishing accomplishment that is.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I Can Bike is a national program designed to teach individuals with disabilities the skills to ride a bike independently. Their approach is solid, using a variety of different sized rollers in place of wheels/training wheels they teach the skills necessary to ride a bike. As a person’s skill develops they move to a smaller roller, allowing for more movement of the bike thus mimicking the feel and movement of a two-wheeled bike.

For instance my rider, Parker, Monday used the full size roller; on Tuesday he progressed to the smaller roller and most importantly rode on the front of a tandem with one of the instructors. This gave the instructor a good idea of Parker’s biking abilities and any areas he might need to work on – like steering or leaning.

On Wednesday Parker and the other riders made a big jump in their biking ability. There were way fewer starts and stops and more fluid pedaling and better turning. They were also faster which meant more running for volunteers to keep up with them!

Thursday is known as launch day – the day the rollers come off and participants ride a regular two-wheel bike and use a hand brake for the first time – outside. Up to this point we were inside in the gym. I wasn’t able to be there on Thursday unfortunately so I missed the launch, but from what I heard they primarily worked on braking and using either a power start (using the traditional foot on upturned pedal to start) or a frog start which is both feet on the ground pushing off for a count of 3 then pedaling.

On Friday Parker graduated from the “frog start” to the “power start” and as the session went on his braking and pedaling became smoother. His balance and turning also improved as did the speed in which he rode – and for volunteers (and Parker’s dad) the difficulty in running to keep up grew exponentially!

Watching Parker and the other campers biking around the parking lot was incredible. The transformation that took place over 5 days was nothing short of amazing and to be a part of it was something special.

Besides being a great guy, Parker had a very cool bike, retro style with a crimson and cream color scheme going on.

Although this was Oklahoma City’s first I Can Bike camp, the plan is to do it again next year. I plan to volunteer again and encourage you to consider it. You can find more information here.