A few years back, as retirement approached, I bought a Vespa motor scooter and wondered why I'd waited so long to get on two wheels here in Hawaii, where cycling is enjoyable 12 months of the year. After taking the plunge and stepping away from the job, I spent more and more time on the scooter on Oahu, added a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle to the stable, and decided to buy a motorcycle on the mainland and do some long-distance, two-wheeled touring. Four years later, I've cycled through 49 states -- only Alaska is left on the bucket list -- and six Canadian provinces.

As much fun as that's been, it's now time to pay more attention to staying healthy. When I came to Hawaii from Northern California in 1987, I brought along my Campy-equipped 1985 Cannondale SR900 and picked up a Miyata MTB after I arrived. After the rolling hills of Marin and Sonoma counties, urban biking didn't agree with me much and my job didn't make finding time to get out on the road easy. Eventually, the bikes ended up hanging in the garage, where they were mostly neglected for more than 20 years.

I thought walking the golf course three or four days a week would be enough exercise, but that wasn't true. I need a daily aerobic workout to control my weight, tone my muscles and adjust my attitude. So, I got the bikes down, cleaned and lubed them, bought new tires and tubes, replaced the derailleurs on the MTB, bought a couple of new saddles and started riding.

Now that I'm retired, I don't have to brave the urban commute. I can go in the opposite direction, enjoying scenic lookouts, beach parks, mountain and sea views, and freshly paved country roads. A few weeks of this and the pounds are coming off.

I found lots of help, advice and camaraderie at the modernvespa.com forum after I got my Vespa. Our local Vespa riders rely on MV for answers to mechanical questions, sharing experiences and photos, organizing rallies and meeting new friends. I'm hoping to find Bike Forums offers a similar experience.

I've already found threads here that have helped me better set up my bikes. I've added Brooks saddles to both, replaced the quill stem on the Cannondale with a taller and shorter threadless stem, swapped my old clipless pedals for new ones and rewrapped the bars. I've got another 10 pounds to lose but I'm doing 10 to 20 miles a day on the road and am confident they'll be gone soon.

So, that's my story ... and I'm sticking to it.

Welcome aboard

Cheers FlanHi, welcome to BF!

I know what you're saying... same here.

--J

Hello FlanHi,

Good to have you join up.

Welcome to Bike Forums!

Welcome to BF!

Welcome to the forums, we have a classic and vintage forum you may be interested in checking out.

I've never been able to figure out if I'm classic or just vintage

Welcome to the Bike Forums ! The Vespa reference brought back some fun memories of a bright red '65 Allstate made by Vespa for Sears. It had a windshield, spare tire behind the seat, and I tried my best to ride the wheels off of it! That was in the mid '70's, we traded 4 10 speeds for it. tom