Biking it

[daiku]

Thanks to TJ, I have a bicycle again, so today I did something I'd been thinking about for a while: I rode a bike to work. It took me 27 minutes to get here, while it usually takes me 10 minutes in a car. Not a huge time difference, I can live with that. Thankfully, it's pretty much a straight shot from home to work, and a bike path 90% of the way

Comments

[sketch_says]

I couldn't agree with you more and am happy you got that. I used to ride EVERYWHERE when I first lived in riverside. I miss having a bike ALOT. Hope you enjoy it, man

[roadriverrail]

It'll happen gradually. I've been commuting since September or so. Now, I do 60+ mile trips on the weekend just because.

Trust me when I say you'll notice the extra money in your pocket when you're not putting it in your gas tank, too. Cycling for work and all applicable errands has been a strong stabilizing force in my week-to-week finances.

As for the gears...are you really using all 7 of them as it is now? Could you tell me more about the bike in question? I have plenty of experience and could help you make it work for you.

[daiku]

It's not that I'm using all the gears... not sure of the term, but I was wanting a higher gear differential - a set of gears more suited to long term high speed cruising. The bike is a mountain bike you'd find at Walmart or Target type. The sitting position is upright and comfortable, but I would like to know your thoughts on the best type of seat for regular riding comfort.

[roadriverrail]

The thing about seats is that pretty much everyone has different needs, so you're going to have to play around with that a bit. The one that's worked the best for me is made by Specialized. It has a channel cut out of the center where your perineum sits and it has some bumps in the back for your "sit bones". This seat has been a godsend to me, since I was putting a lot of pressure on my perineum before. You may want something similar. Or, you may be one of those types that find the big, squishy cruiser seats works best. This is really one of those places where going to a bike shop will be helpful, if you can do it, because the folks there will let you actually try out a few different seats. Also, don't be sold on magic, high-tech words like "gel". It's really more about the seat's shape and position. Lots of people try to fix their seat problem by throwing a gel pad on top of that. Now, they have two problems, and they're out some money

[mental_circles]

excellent! great progress, on many levels.