Monday, September 13, 2010

The Weekend and Biking

I was doing a really good job of watching my intake and staying within my limit this week.  Until the weekend.  I should have kept track but I didn't.  My fault.  I snack more when I don't keep track.  I eat larger portions when I don't keep track.  I eat out of the garbage when I don't keep track.  Okay, maybe that last one isn't true. 

Lesson from this weekend:  I need to log my calories ON THE WEEKEND too.  It's harder, but it needs to happen.  I should probably blog more on the weekends too.



I've been keeping up with my 30 Days of Biking.  Although I only biked about a mile today I still got on my bike.  Other days I'm biking upwards of 20 miles.  I'm hoping to get my stamina up so by early October I'll be able to survive the Grand Rounds, 50 miles of bike trails around the city of Minneapolis.  I've invited my brother, Erick, to come down some weekend to ride the trails with me.

I'm learning a lot about cycling and lusting after a new (used) road bike.  I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and I'm hoping to pull the trigger soon on buying something.  I have an idea about how much I'd like to spend, but I don't know how much of a project bike I want.  Then again, I've only been biking for about a month.

The bike I have now is fine.  I just want something that is better designed for the kind of biking I'm doing.  Should I stick with what I have or should I take the plunge and get a new (used) bike?

6 comments:

  1. My experience, and words I've heard from "real bikers" (I am not a "real" biker) -- Invest in a lightweight bike. It doesn't matter if it's used or new. The lighter the bike, the more enjoyable your ride is going to be for you because it's less work to haul it up a hill. So my vote is on lightweight, not on the newness of it!

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  2. Buy a penny-farthing as illustrated in Fig. 1

    Cheerio!

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  3. I'm totally digging how you've taken to biking! I'm still on my first post couch potato bike, so I don't have much to offer you, but yes, a road/light bike makes sense.

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  4. I'd stick with what you have for now...just think of how nice it will be once you get the light one--like a feather!

    Nice work on the biking! Next up: weekend Calories.

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  5. I went to Erik's Bike Shop earlier this spring and test drove bikes, asked a lot of questions, and got a feel for what I needed..

    ..then I went to Craigslist. I bought a hybrid for $300, I'm only disappointed that it didn't have shocks, but other than that, it works great!

    I'd suggest you test drive bikes and ask people who know more about biking...

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  6. I say stick with what you have. I have a 'comfort' bike, which is (i think)a heavier hybrid. I pine for a light weight bike, but I'm still working hard on my current bike and losing. I am considering a new(used)road bike as my ultimate goal...with the hope I might reach it by next summer to fully enjoy it.

    Great to hear you're still on the 30 days of biking. It's a great time!

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