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Jumping on the bike wagon

Two big problems have developed in my life: gas prices suck and I haven’t had any significant exercise in about 5 years. The former makes my wallet lighter and the latter has made me heavier. The solution to both of these problems is a good old fashioned bicycle. We went over to Pat’s 605 Cyclery to pick out a beach cruiser for Sarah and I asked about what would work for starting a bike commute. I was pointed towards the Trek “hybrid” bikes that where close to my budget.

I had done some research on bikes and knew the major differences between road bikes and mountain bikes, but didn’t know a whole lot about hybrids. Hybrid bikes are just that, a hybrid of the two that combine the skinnier, smooth tires and gearing of a road bike with the frame and seating position of a mountain bike.

I grew up riding fairly generic street bikes and rode mountain bikes a couple times up in Mammoth, but besides that my bike experience was pretty limited. I was looking at the Trek 7.2 FX and went in for a spin around the parking lot and I was sold almost immediately. I’m pretty out of shape and it was fun just riding around in circles.

Sarah’s beach cruiser was ready to go home and I couldn’t let her ride alone so I went ahead and bought it right there. Good thing I did because the next bike they would have ordered was going to cost $70 more because of price increases for rubber and all the components getting passed to the consumer. At $480 after tax it wasn’t cheap, but I see it as an investment that will reduce my gas bill and help me get into shape. Instead of driving Saturday morning, we road 8.5 miles around town so the savings have already began.

I’ll post more on all of this, but this will definitely bring some big changes in my life.

Quick specs

  • 20″ aluminum frame
  • Shimano shifting components, 18 speeds
  • 700cc x 35mm wheels

And Sarah’s beach cruiser

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Seriously considering a bike commute

To follow up on my gasoline consumption post, I’ve been considering buying a bike and commuting to work. I use to ride my bike a lot as a kid and rode to school off and on from 4th to 7th grade. It was my main mode of transportation growing up and was a good source of freedom. Since then I haven’t been on a bike much except for a couple rides down Mammoth. I’ve been researching bikes and figuring out some of the logistical problems a bike commute presents.

One of those problems is getting to work without being completely soaked in sweat. I don’t think there are any locker facilities available in our building and changing clothes in the bathroom doesn’t sound ideal. Not a huge deal so I’d just have to find what works best. If I leave early enough in the morning I doubt my usual casual business attire will be a problem.

A bike commute would also force me to bring my lunch, eat locally or go out with coworkers. Bringing lunch would be the frugal approach. I’d probably start bringing lunch and then eat out once a week.

My commute is convenient right now so I haven’t had a problem working a 5/40 schedule. Riding a bike would introduce a little more overhead into my daily routine and I’d probably switch to a 4/40 with Mondays off. This would force me to get into work earlier so I can still get home at a reasonable time. I’d end up with a whole day off and would accumulate holiday time since most County holidays fall on a Monday.

The more confusing part is figuring out what kind of bike to get and how much to spend. I’ve never rode a road bike and just a handful of mountain bikes so I’m really not sure what I need or what I prefer. From what I’ve read a road bike might not be best for navigating city streets and handling rougher spots. I also like the idea of doing some light trail riding so I’m leaning towards a hardtail mountain bike; no suspension helps keep pedaling efficient. Just have to go down to the bike shop and see what’s comfortable.

Last thing to consider is the cost of starting up a bike commute. Bike, helmet, lock and who knows what else could start to add up. As is I’m spending about $550 a year on gas to commute. If I started bringing my lunch and switched to a 4 day work week that number could be reduced by 60% so that digs into the savings. With that in mind I’m looking at a budget of $400 for everything to get started.

I’d see hard savings in fuel costs and maintenance, but more importantly I’d be getting exercise and opening up a new avenue for outdoor activity. Considering the cost of a gym membership this is easily worth a couple bucks a day to me. This could be the dropkick I need to reform my sedentary lifestyle and get into shape.

Anyone have bike commuting experience or general bicycle knowledge to share?

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Fighting the urge to acquire “stuff”

Every once in a while I catch myself wanting to buy some particular item for no good reason. A while back it was Star Wars books. I felt I needed the entire 9 book Rogue Squadron series and other books to fill in gaps in my collection. I read through the Rogue Squadron series and now those books are sitting on the shelf with little hope of being read again. I’m probably going to put them up on eBay and get some money out of them. The heart of the problem is why did I even have to buy them in the first place when the library probably had them for free.

I guess owning the books brought me some sort of satisfaction. This satisfaction wears off quickly once the usefulness of an item has been fully realized and then you’re left with “stuff”. I read the books and know I’ll never read them again, but I’m still reluctant to part with them. Maybe we all have a pack rat inside of us telling us to hold onto stuff.

I think my urge to collect comes from a young age where advertisements encouraged us to be good little consumers and spend money on anything and everything. Anyone remember pogs? They were just cardboard circles, but I had to collect the stupid things. I think they’re out in my parent’s garage now taking up space. Some items might have real collectible value, but my pogs are probably worth a cent or two each.

Anyone else have stuff that’s ripe for listing on eBay or Craigslist?

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First Christmas On Our Own

This will be our first Christmas on our own and it has led to some interesting developments. I’m down for just sleeping in and having a nice relaxing morning. Anybody have stories about their first married Christmas or adjustments that had to be made in family traditions? And of course our first Christmas tree.

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