reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,160 
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Post by reuben on Dec 21, 2023 15:30:31 GMT -8
Remember Ron Bartle? Well...
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Travis
Trail Wise!
WYOMING NATIVE
Posts: 2,586
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Post by Travis on Dec 21, 2023 16:27:04 GMT -8
He rides because he enjoys it. I can't think of a better reason. I listened to his and his family's story for the same reason. Thanks for the video.
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Post by hikerjer on Dec 22, 2023 19:30:42 GMT -8
Great video about cycling but maybe more importantly, about life. I absolutely love riding my bike. I do it all I can and whenever I can. When people ask me why, I always have the same response: it’s healthy, it’s cheap, it’s environmentally sound, but frankly and most importantly, it’s just a lot of fun.
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Deborah
Trail Wise!
Yes, that's me.
Posts: 1,115 
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Post by Deborah on Dec 23, 2023 10:31:00 GMT -8
When I was riding a great deal, the first push off of a ride was always a bit like the starting a ride as a kid. |
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,684
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 24, 2023 8:46:07 GMT -8
I love(d) to ride, and still do, when I can get past the fear :( Having a lot of good paths in the Seattle area really helps, though I’ve not been riding consistently enough to really enjoy it. I’m mostly okay and streets where cars aren’t going fast, but I don’t think I could go back to doing the sort of rides we used to do in the Bay Area, and definitely no shoulders on fast roads, which I used to tolerate fine :(
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,927
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Post by ErnieW on Dec 24, 2023 9:26:39 GMT -8
From 14-21 I pretty much lived on a bike. I had no car. When I got a car driving to the trailhead pretty much took its place.
Fast forward to about 15 years ago. My car got stolen. For a number of reasons my partner and I decided to do a year without a car. I definitely learned you can get by without a car even in the NYC suburbs. We do have a decent mass transport system although far from perfect. Between rentals and loaners from friends when we really needed a car we survived.
But during this time I bought a folding bike. I could take it on the trains during peak. But being older and not having been on a bike for years, going like just 10 mph was so scary. Over the next couple of months I got over that and was riding very boldly. Even though we later bought a car I kept riding.
Then the twins were born. I kept riding, although not quite as much, until they were like three. Unfortunately I had a series of bad close calls with cars. Mostly due to people on their cell phones. I had a family and didn't want to be killed or maimed so I have barely used a bike since.
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,160
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Post by reuben on Dec 24, 2023 9:30:30 GMT -8
I love the general area where I moved to this year, but nowhere is perfect. A small local grocery has two flavors of Whoopie Pies and at least two brands of various flavored moonshine, but alas, my doctor would probably tell me that such a diet of such is forbidden. There seem to be really great local trails for day hikes, although it's currently hunting season, hence my post regarding blaze orange. Some of the trails are open to mountain bikes and maybe horses, but I haven't had time to be on any of them in any fashion. All I've done is spoken with a local ranger regarding trails, invasive species (no hiking/riding/anything allowed at the moment on a certain trail), hunting season, etc. I still have a lot to do at the new place. As far as road riding goes, which is by far my preference, the local roads have either wide shoulders or none at all with lifetime locals zipping around them (and the blind and semi-blind turns) at 50mph because, well, they've lived here all of their lives, and know every turn by heart, and aren't expecting cyclists. The few cyclists I've seen have been on the wide shoulders. The same goes for runners.
I'd really like to just spin from home rather than deal with a car (and the pollution of same), but it looks like I can only really go in one direction if I want to ride from home. I may have to drive a ways to a good staring point, or take calculated risks. It's all TBD. In any case, if I can still ride like Benjamin when I'm 90, I'll be pretty darn happy. |
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Travis
Trail Wise!
WYOMING NATIVE
Posts: 2,586
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Post by Travis on Dec 24, 2023 10:04:17 GMT -8
For almost ten years, walking, running, and biking were my only forms of transportation. Trailheads were near enough I could ride or sometimes walk to them. Then I moved to an area with better trails but farther distance from my home and more treacherous roads for riding a bike.
I quit riding for nearly 20 years. A few years ago, in my early 60s, I got on an old bike and rode a few miles. I was clearly out of practice and did not trust the traffic at all. But the memories of the freedom, open air, and knowing I was operating under my own power brought a lot of good feelings back.
I've never had a really good bike, and occasionally I think of buying one. But for now I still hike to get exercise, and to get further from traffic — still using my own two legs.
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Image Credit / Coolkat
