My bike was old. It was a heavy, inexpensive bike. I hadn’t ridden in years. Since I decided to start riding to see if I liked it and if I could even do 10 miles for the ADA Tour de Cure ride I wanted to join, I took the bike out. Now, I mentioned before in “How I Started Biking” the ride was a little scary. I took the bike lane. I had to watch for cars.  I only rode about 10 miles, and at a slow pace. But I found it was exhilarating.

I started riding a couple of days a week. Just short rides. The longest one I did was about 15 miles on a Saturday morning. I was not tired and didn’t hurt the days afterward. Yeah… this was fun.

I decided it was time to get a “real” bike. To me, that meant a better bike and one that hadn’t been wrecked a few times by an errant teenager who borrowed Mom’s bike.

I went to a bike store. This decision wasn’t hard. I didn’t know too much about bikes. I wanted to get something in a specific price range, that was the right size, and that would help me get better at biking. I was also lucky enough to have a knowledgeable person come along with me.

I found a few bikes I liked in my price range. I had to check sizes though. I found a black and fuchsia one — that was the one! 52″ — the perfect size for me.

I wasn’t ready for clips yet. This new upgrade had toe cages, though. The bike store made sure that I had everything set on my bike. They adjusted the seat to me. I got water bottle cages — gotta stay hydrated during the ride. I also got a headlight and taillight (learned about lumens, which is a whole other topic). A helmet is a must! I made sure I got one before I left. And let’s not forget a bike bag to put in my spare tire, CO2 kit and any other necessities for the ride.

That wasn’t all, though, to go with my bike. There are a lot of gadgets you can get to make riding more comfortable, more productive, safer. One that I decided was not a luxury was a bike computer and heart rate monitor. These two things have allowed me to see how far I have come since last year. I was riding at a 10mph pace or so to start. I improved to 15mph in just a few months. My heart rate was high at the beginning. After a few months of training, I was able to ride at a good pace with little effort. For me, being able to see those data points gives me a boost to keep riding — I actually SEE the improvement, not just think I am improving.

When I got out on my new bike, let me tell you… the difference was striking. I couldn’t even lift the old bike. I had to have my 6′ teenage son lift it up to the bike hanger in the garage. This new bike I could lift easily. Oh, the new bike does not go in the garage either. It has a special place in my house where I park it. It gets cleaned. The headlight and taillight get charged so I am ready to ride the next morning if it happens to be before the sun comes up.

Pedaling with the new bike was so much easier. There was much less effort to get started pedaling. What I thought was just fun but took some work before on the old bike turned into complete fun and very little work. The work was now in remembering to use my core to ride, keeping my pedal stroke even, and not locking my elbows. After a few months of riding, I decided on another upgrade – a bike fitting and clips.

The bike fitting made a huge difference. The fitting adjustments were specific to me. The seat was adjusted to me so that the angle and height were perfect. That included being measured according to the angle of my knees and hip when my foot was in a specific location. Wow — this was math. How could I go wrong!?! The handlebars were adjusted to fit me, too. The distance from the seat to the handlebars is very important, I learned, and that fine-tuning meant no shoulder strain.  I had also decided to get bike shoes and clips. These took some getting used to. My bike was on a trainer for the fitting, so I just practiced clipping in and out over and over. (Later in the coming days I would just ride around the block practicing clipping in constantly so it became second nature.)

After being fitted and getting clips, I found it even easier to ride. The bike fit me perfectly. I didn’t have to fit myself to the bike. That sounds so simple of a concept but until you feel it for yourself, it is easy to dismiss the importance of the fitting. I am so glad I did it, though. My bike fits me and riding is fun and pain-free.

Regards,
Diana | TeamOne