Kilgore_Trout

not to get too personal now, but i suffer from depression, and there's just an awesome joy in riding my fixed gear. whether i'm riding in the street or on a bike path; rocking out to some his hero is gone or chilling to some explosions in the sky, i feel at ease.
it might be kind of cliche, but there's sort of a zen, or one-ness i get when riding.
i know that part of this is scientific with endorphins or whatnot, but it's still a nice thought that bikes = happiness.

inputs? anyone else share my feelings?

deathhare

Distractions from the lame parts of life are always good. Too bad more people dont have the same. Here, they jump in front of subway trains or leap from 15 story buildings instead.

iridetitus

i rode mine on a 5 mile flat loop last night as a part of base training. it was night, i had my HID helmet mount light kickin', and there was a slight chill to the air (it was about 55 in atlanta last night). at one point i looked down and had been riding for 1:10 w/o even realizing it. i love that freakin' bike.

do yer thing, man. and keep yer head up.

queerpunk

the feeling i get from a good ride is similar to that feeling i get from that first warm day in the spring. quiet, beautiful, alone.

DoshKel

Riding also got me out of the depressive rut I was in. I used to take a lot of drugs, and when I started riding it helped me get through it all when trying to stop. I was in bad shape right my Jr. year of highschool, and entered the hospital one to many times.

So, in a sense, riding saved my life .

Kilgore_Trout

i don't think so..
my taste in music is very eclectic, and especially when i ride. i'm either listening to very mellow, usually instrumental music, or something like his hero is gone, world burns to death, or other such bands.

blamp28

Kilgore,

There is nothing in this world that gives me the same release of tension, escape from daily crap etc that riding does. It is one of the primary reasons that cycling is my chosen form of exercise. The sounds of the bike, the sounds of nature when I'm off road or the sounds of the country as I ride trough. Those are my music. Keep up the cycling - the best DRUG there is!!!

powerames

um, that sounds like exactly what i said. i don't see the contradiction...

paule

Riding is good medicine and not only provides the physical release but also a community.

Keep riding and stay involved.

Good for you.

Kilgore_Trout

ah, i didn't mean that we don't listen to the same music, i mean that as far as i'm aware you and i are not the same person, as similar as our musical tastes may be.

nvm

godless scum

riding is certainly the best cure for my depression i have found. as long as i can build up the will to get out the door, i'm good. also, there may be no better feeling than tearing around philly on a cold night with your friends, being reckless.

p.s. if you'd like a link to download an advance of the new explosions album, pm me.

Loooty

The major difference between cycling and many other forms of excercise is that of fun. Bikes are fun.

Frankie Fixed

Overheard my boss say to her boss, "I don't know, I don't think Frankie cares about anything but riding that bike."

It was 19ş, indigo blue and the sun just a line of fire on the horizon when I left the house this morning at 7:00. I'm still buzzing from my ride into work. The bike keeps me straight—that and a shot of flax oil in my oatmeal.

Loooty

You'd better believe it.

soyboy

over time you get used to hearing that from co-workers, family, girlfriends, friends, neighbors, bartenders, and so on and so on

sfcrossrider

My day always begins and ends with a ride (I ride to work). Just the thought of the ride home paints a smile on my face.

teiaperigosa

what's the flax oil do?

mattface 

Are you sure? Multiple personalities often go along with clinical depression.... when you're riding by yourself, do you usually go side by side, or in a pace line?



OK, now that I'm done making fun of the mentally ill, I have to agree with you whole heartedly. Bike riding is the best. It keeps me physically fit, and does so much for me emotionally. The feeling I get from a good ride runs the gamut of positive emotional responses. Often it's a sense of inner calm, like queerpunk said. When I'm feeling conflicted, cycling helps me focus. When I need my ass kicked I can go out and kick my own ass on the bike. When I want to be entertained I can ride just for fun. Sometimes it even feels like falling in love.

DoshKel

It has omega-3 fatty acids in it.

Usually vegans and veggies eat it to get the fat, iron and other nutrients. The actual seed has tons of fiber.

GirlAnachronism

My best days are always those that start with a long ride...I find myself happy and energized all day, long after the calm of the ride has been overshadowed by the million little things that make up the rest of the day, and I fall asleep plesantly tired.

queerpunk

flaxseed will make your poo like clockwork.

DoshKel

The first time is always the best .

Shiznaz

The physical and mental sensations I experience after climbing a viciously steep hill on my fixed gear, or doing a hard long sprint can only be compared to another physical activity I'm sure we all enjoy and don't get enough of. After the climax of both activities I close my eyes, inhale deeply through my nose into my abdomen, slowly let the air leak out of my mouth despite my pounding heart, and totally forget any problems I have in my life.

enlightenment can only be obtained through medititation if you are more disciplined that most of us. We need some kind of activity to help us empty our minds but the net effect is similar. I am a rock.

Aeroplane

Oh man, way too many punchline opportunities here: erase my viewing history and close the browser, give him a lollipop and wipe his chin, get dressed and sneak back out of the zoo, etc.

I love riding, it is super fun. It's about as close as I get to flying on a regular basis.

SpiderMike

All my bicycles are open aired decompression chambers.

And if cycling has taught me one thing about flying.... when I go over the bars I land better than many airline pilots.