Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.VinSwift
06-15-11, 10:52 PM
Hi all. I'm a relatively new biker. I mean, I had that good ol' 50$ mountain bike from Wal-Mart when I was 14, but other than that, my new hybrid is the only true bike I've ever owned. I'm only 18, and just graduated at the beginning of this month.
For the past six years, from middle school all through high school, I've been so dedicated to track & field (sprinter, 200 & 400 :)) that I hadn't even looked into other sports, let alone into something recreational, like biking. I really wish I had, because I'm loving biking a lot more, and it probably would've helped my times anyway! One of the best things about running track, or doing any sport, is being in shape, but an injury at the end of the season meant I can't exactly lace up my running shoes for a while.
That's when I started looking into other things, and found biking to sound very, very interesting. In about a week, I went from thinking about it, to researching, to getting opinions from friends and the LBS, to buying a 400$ bike on bikesdirect. In hindsight? Not the best idea. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Motobecane Cafe Latte. But had I thought it over, taken some time to actually read all the specifics, and tried a few bikes on my own? I definitely would have picked something with drop handlebars. Other than that, the bike is a god-send. More than once I've woken up in the dead of the night, strapped on some shoes and a helmet, and just gone. There's nothing like it.
I've only had the bike for a week (I feel like a kid with his first girlfriend, haha), but I already love it. I'm planning on getting some drop handlebars in the near future and, in the far future, maybe even a bike that isn't the cheapest thing I could find. But that's all later. Right now, I'm going to go out on a ride.
-Swift
For the past six years, from middle school all through high school, I've been so dedicated to track & field (sprinter, 200 & 400 :)) that I hadn't even looked into other sports, let alone into something recreational, like biking. I really wish I had, because I'm loving biking a lot more, and it probably would've helped my times anyway! One of the best things about running track, or doing any sport, is being in shape, but an injury at the end of the season meant I can't exactly lace up my running shoes for a while.
That's when I started looking into other things, and found biking to sound very, very interesting. In about a week, I went from thinking about it, to researching, to getting opinions from friends and the LBS, to buying a 400$ bike on bikesdirect. In hindsight? Not the best idea. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Motobecane Cafe Latte. But had I thought it over, taken some time to actually read all the specifics, and tried a few bikes on my own? I definitely would have picked something with drop handlebars. Other than that, the bike is a god-send. More than once I've woken up in the dead of the night, strapped on some shoes and a helmet, and just gone. There's nothing like it.
I've only had the bike for a week (I feel like a kid with his first girlfriend, haha), but I already love it. I'm planning on getting some drop handlebars in the near future and, in the far future, maybe even a bike that isn't the cheapest thing I could find. But that's all later. Right now, I'm going to go out on a ride.
-Swift