Learning to ride a bike all over again
A photo of my brand-new bike, taken after this morning's ride.
Last week, I bought my first ever road bike. I picked it up late Wednesday night with some help from a friend. We barely managed to get the bike to fit into the back of my 2023 Chevy Bolt. Turns out, my car is a lot smaller than I thought.
I should probably mention that I've wanted a bike for years now. It was never a top priority, until September of last year, when I made it one. I planned to pay off my credit card debt before letting myself go bike shopping. If I'm honest, I think cycling has to be my most expensive hobby yet. Seriously, the bar for entry is high, and it's the reason I hesitated getting into the sport for years. Apart from the bike, I needed:
- a bike helmet
- 2 bottle cages
- 2 water bottles
- a phone mount
- front/rear lights
- a bike stand
- an air pump
- tire levers
- chain lube
- a tire patch kit
- a multi-tool
- a saddlebag
Theoretically, once I have everything I need, I shouldn't have to worry about spending money on new gear for a while.
My reason for getting into cycling in the first place was for the cardio. I weight lift, but I don't do any cardio. At most, I might walk 6000 steps a day - sometimes less. I knew right off the bat that running was out of the question. I've tried time and time again to stick to a program, but I fail every time. I'm beginning to think that maybe I don't enjoy running. So, I figured I should probably stick to something that I enjoy doing. Cycling seemed the most obvious choice, seeing as I have fond memories of riding my bike through the desert as a kid.
While cardio remains my top priority, my goal is to ride far and wide - maybe go on a group ride or try bike-packing. Right now, my dream is to ride the Shimanami Kaido in Japan. From what I've heard, just about anybody, regardless of their cycling experience, can enjoy it.
If this is something I want to do then I should probably get to riding.
