Something I've been doing

[Black wallnut]

I got tired of being out of shape and overweight as well as tired of the scorn of my Dr. I started riding my bicycle this spring again. Last year at the end of February I purchased a Schwinn Broadway and rode it several times a week into last fall. In March I resumed by starting with a three mile loop and increasing distance and speed. Now averaging 6 miles a day.

Last week of March my cell phone also just happened to suddenly stop working. I'd been wanting to upgrade to a smart phone but kept putting it off due to the higher cost. After seeing what my phone carrier was offering for free upgrade phones I bit the bullet and had them send me a HTC Droid smart phone. While browsing through apps to grab for it I stumbled across Runkeeper I started using it March 29th. Since that date I've peddled and hiked over 224 miles. What a great app.

Who else is cycling for fitness?

[Larryl]

Does meaning to count?

[sailor55330]

I mountainbike. Singletrack is my favorite.

[dbhost]

Does Wii Island Cycling count?

Seriously... It's a decent workout... But yeah, I have a Schwinn mountain bike (I don't recall the model) that I ride down the trails around the Bayou by the house. I stay the heck away from the streets. Those people are nuts!

[atgcpaul]

Who else is cycling for fitness?

Mark, thanks for the inspiration. I pretty much stopped riding my bike after
our daughter was born almost a year ago. I used to bike to work 10 miles
RT a few days a week. I knew the situation was getting bad when I
decided to ride to work one day only to get to my locker to find that the
janitorial staff had cut off the lock and thrown away all my spare clothes.
Luckily, my wife was working from home that day and she rescued me.

I do the drop off and pick up for daycare so no more regular riding. I used to
log over 2000 miles in a season but now it's 0. I'm tired of my expanding
wardrobe. There are some cool T-shirts I miss wearing.

However, my excuses have got to stop. Thanks to you, I've decided to log a
few miles each night after dinner.

Who's with us?

[LinuxRandal]

I picked up a Wallyworld mountain bike a few years ago. Road it for a bit, then found a Pacific brand, at a used sporting goods store. It seemed like a better bike (looked like someone had spent more times assembling it) and I preferred its trigger style shifter over the twist style. Yes, it turned out that Pacific was also a Wallyworld brand, but it was $50 well spent. I rode it fairly regularly for a couple of years, and lightly two years ago. Work got in the way last year, but I am now considering buying a actual, lighter, bike store bike. I am mixed as to what I want (moutain, hybrid or street bike), and have a recommendation of an officer friend. (Redline Cyclocross)

My old bike, unless I find a beach cruiser that I like, cheap, may get one of those inexpensive motors on it. Cycle up to the hardware store runs, or to go longer and when I tire, start the motor to help me back.

[jackellis]

I did up until about three years ago. I can't really cycle here during the long winters, but the snow has finally stopped so I have also run out of excuses.

It's 72 miles around Lake Tahoe, with some pretty tough hills. I did the whole thing once and got more than half way around a second time. I'm not too old to do it again, at least not yet.

I ride bikes that are hybrids between touring and mountain bikes. 1.25 inch wide tires and heavier frames, but the upright position is also more comfortable.

[LarryG]

Who else is cycling for fitness?

With 6800 miles last year, I suppose I qualify. My 2011 cycling log shows 60 rides to date, averaging 44.5 miles each.

Big numbers? Yeah, I guess ... I know guys (and gals!) who do far more ... but it wasn't always so. When I started riding seriously some 19 years ago, for much the same reasons as Mark, I would load my bicycle into the car and haul it to the nearby industrial park where I rode back and forth, back and forth, along a quiet side street until I had racked up a whopping three miles. That was as much as I could do.

Fast-forward to last month, when I traveled to Ohio and did back-to-back "century" (100 miles in one day) rides for the first time ever, at age 58.

So a tip of my Campagnolo cap to all you who are just starting out. Keep turning those cranks, keep putting in the miles. There is no better way to see a small piece of the world than from the saddle of a bicycle.

[smorris]

I'd be interested how that Droid works for you. Everyone we gave them to for business use returned them within a couple weeks and asked for their blackberries back.

[Pappy]

Who else is cycling for fitness?

My old bike, unless I find a beach cruiser that I like, cheap, may get one of those inexpensive motors on it.

Mark, I log 50 miles a day 5 days a week when the weather is good.

She's a bit hard to pedal, but the motor takes up the slack......

[gsmittle]

I have a 20-year-old road bike hanging from the garage ceiling. Does that count? I used to ride a lot (>100 miles a week), but since marriage, children, and back issues the poor thing hasn't hit the ground in years.

Maybe I'll tune it up and try riding once the weather cools a bit…

g.

[Black wallnut]

I'd be interested how that Droid works for you. Everyone we gave them to for business use returned them within a couple weeks and asked for their blackberries back.

So far the only complaint I have about my Droid is the pathetic battery life, about a day, and signal strength is not as good as my Razor had.

LarryG I thought you were one and Sam as well. IIRC there are or were a quite a few more.

[LinuxRandal]

Mark, I log 50 miles a day 5 days a week when the weather is good.

She's a bit hard to pedal, but the motor takes up the slack......

[ATTACH]16941[/ATTACH]

See here at 1.55 (seen several painted like antique motorcycles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYdHFI-dgio

My motorcycle experience, makes me a little leary of them. First one I ever rode, was being "restored" and the "forgot" to tell me he didn't have the brakes done yet, when he told me to test drive it. (had a front brake no rear)

These are slower, safer, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

[wardprobst]

Mark,

I have a Giant hybrid I ride mostly around the neighborhood to work out our border collie. You got me thinking I need to get out more!

Thanks,
DP

[JoeyGee]

I started riding about 3 years ago, at about 20 mi each time. I bought a cheap bike at Target, and now I am looking at upgrading to a "real" bike. I have yet to get out this year, between kids' activities, work and my own school.

I'll have to check out that Droid app. I just my first Droid and I love it.