ever tried this?

[M'Sharak]

where a parka. Its a hilly area and varies in length. Some streches go for 2 miles itself to only 0.2 miles. The first good length is a hill. I will be passing by a shopping center, and over a bridge. I also don't have the right bike for this. Its not a any kind of speed, just pure leg muscle. Its brake is reversing the pedals.

You'll definitely want to get a better set of wheels, yeah. Try hitting the garage sales where you live and see if you can pick up a used mountain bike for not much. The distance isn't a problem, though; I used to do a comparable ride to and from work, five days a week in a fairly hilly area - on a 60s-vintage Schwinn Varsity which was built like a battleship and weighed a ton. Should be a breeze on today's bikes.

I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like. It's got a basket, a bell that rings, and things to make it look good.

I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.

It needed something.

 

[Roger Wilco]

ONE heck of a work out right?

Not really. 6 miles might feel like a workout if you're really not used to cycling at all, but it's only 20-30 minutes depending on your speed; just enough to get a little sweaty maybe if it's hot but not enough to get sore muscles once you've done it for a couple weeks.

Go for it, it's really not that big of a deal. And if your current bike is trash invest a couple hundred dollars in a new bike or a good used one, I guarantee it will be one the best purchases you'll make in your entire life.

 

[SmoothieX]

I used to do a 13 mile loop in around 45 minutes, which is nothing to write home about on a road bike. Then I had this misfortune of moving to a big fucking sprawling suburb where it's suicidal to ride your bike most of the time.

 

[farmkid]

If you haven't ridden in a while, you'll be rather saddle sore after the first day. It will last for a few days then you'll be fine and you won't be sore anymore. Don't let it stop you.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Well, 6 miles are about 10 kilometres, so I'd say it should take 30-40 minutes (considering a flat surface and a reasonable pace). Not really a big workout, more like a good warm-up. But if the weather is good and the landscape pleasant, I'm sure it would be one fun ride.

Now, I loathe cycling (nothing against it per se, it's just not my thing), so what do I know.

Yeah, I was just going to say you can't possibly have any clue about cycling. Italians do not use bicycles... ever. It's fine as a sport for people who like doping but other than that... nope. Cycling is for tourists (even though it's surely a safer means of traveling than riding on the back of my cousin's Vespa *shudder*).

Germans on the other hand... a friend of mine spent 6 weeks cycling from Karlsruhe in south Germany to Sicily and he said the Italians thought he was crazy which does sound like a very reasonable attitude.
Another friend of mine cycled round Sicily on a tandem. Apparently everybody was being very nice to the "two funny gay guys on a weird bike" and they were invited to random meals and drinks a lot.
They aren't even gay but they didn't bother correcting that impression. 2 men on one bicycle was probably just too exotic for the Sicilians specially considering they just spent the nights sleeping under some big plastic canvas cover thingy on random fields.
Man, they have some stories to tell about that trip... Sicily will always stay in their hearts.

 

[backstept]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXU7EVXs2A[/yt]

 

[Roger Wilco]

Another friend of mine cycled round Sicily on a tandem. Apparently everybody was being very nice to the "two funny gay guys on a weird bike" and they were invited to random meals and drinks a lot.
They aren't even gay but they didn't bother correcting that impression. 2 men on one bicycle was probably just too exotic for the Sicilians specially considering they just spent the nights sleeping under some big plastic canvas cover thingy on random fields.
Man, they have some stories to tell about that trip... Sicily will always stay in their hearts.

Tandems are hilarious. I don't really know why but it always makes me smile when I see people on a tandem ride by.

 

[{ Emilia }]

In a desperate attempt to get back on topic: What, is there no public transport available???

With my student card I can use the busses here for free and even go to a couple of other cities (some 100+km away) by train.

 

[KJbushway]

No, bus stops not anywhere near where I am. I don't know anybody from the school, since I have been off for a year and mostly stayed home.

I can't buy a whole new ten speed, so I will go around and see in a junk yard or like someone suggested yard sales.

I plan to ride there and back before even going to school, so that I can get used to the distance, route and the hills.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I think you will find that it is very common for college students to bike to school, both short and long distances. In fact, unless campuses specifically ban it, most students get around the campus itself on bike as classroom buildings can be very spread out and you may only have a few minutes in between some classes. You should visit UC Davis - there are millions of bikes everywhere, they have a Bike Barn where you can rent one for the day, and you have to have your bike registered.

You don't "have" to have your bike registered there. When I mentioned graduate school, that's where I was. I rode my bike there for 7 years, and it was never registered. Of course, I bought my bike used, and it had a blue sticker on it that looked rather similar to the one you get when register your bike, so that probably had something to do with my ability to get away with being a scofflaw.

You're absolutely right about there being a lot of bikes there. The city's logo is a bike, for cryin' out loud.

I lived in Davis for a couple of years and my boyfriend is currently a grad student there, and the day we moved out of the city was a happy one. Though the bike police are pretty strict there and I knew several people who got tickets for the silliest things, the bikers in downtown still act like they own the place and seem to have no regard for their own lives. They weave through stop signs like nobody's business. So glad to be away from that!

 

[TerokNor]

Registering bikes? Like you have to do it with cars? Never heard of that before. Do they get little number tags like the cars too?

TerokNor

 

[KJbushway]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike, guess I shouldn't have ran a red light once.

 

[PlixTixiplik]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike, guess I shouldn't have ran a red light once.

The rules of the road are not only the law, but also will make it safer for you - so definitely follow them! Biking will save you money and you will get in shape (it's a win-win) so I say go for it!

A couple tips - riding on the sidewalk may seem safer but it actually is more dangerous for you because drivers turning right or left don't expect bicyclists to be coming off the sidewalk. It's also not courteous to pedestrians and is illegal in Georgia (that's not true in all states) so don't do it!

The legal and safest lane position for you to bike is a couple feet out from the curb (the gutter is not part of the roadway so you are not required to and shouldn't ride in it). If there are parked cars make sure to also ride a few feet out from them in case drivers open their door unexpectedly (it's called the "door zone"). If the lane is too narrow (so that drivers cannot safely pass you with 3 feet of space), you should ride closer to the middle of the lane (somewhere in the right third) - that way drivers will merge over to the left lane rather than squeezing by you dangerously.

Bicycling is not significantly more dangerous than driving a car, but here are some tips for safe riding.

 

[JarodRussell]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike, guess I shouldn't have ran a red light once.

No kidding.

 

[{ Emilia }]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike,

You JUST found out?

I mean, what were you riding your bike on so far?
Rivers?

 

[RoJoHen]

In a desperate attempt to get back on topic: What, is there no public transport available???

With my student card I can use the busses here for free and even go to a couple of other cities (some 100+km away) by train.

You silly Europeans and your easily accessible public transportation.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike,

You JUST found out?

I mean, what were you riding your bike on so far?
Rivers?

Well, apparently he's never gone farther than 6 miles on his bike so it probably wasn't that dangerous.

 

[RoJoHen]

I just found out that I have to follow the rules of the road when on a bike,

You JUST found out?

I mean, what were you riding your bike on so far?
Rivers?

Well, apparently he's never gone farther than 6 miles on his bike so it probably wasn't that dangerous.

When I go on bike rides, I use the bike path along the river. Rules of the Road need not apply.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Registering bikes? Like you have to do it with cars? Never heard of that before.

Me neither. I am fairly sure that for normal recreational use, a bicycle doesn't have to be registered.

But it can be useful if your bike is stolen...

 

[O'Dib]

That's about the distance my U was when I lived in France, and I did in fact mostly go to and fro by bike. It would be about 30 minutes in each direction. If it rains, the rear wheel needs a guard, or your ass is soaked. Never multitask. No switching up playlists on the phone while riding. I have two chipped (albeit handsomely fixed) teeth to prove it. It's crap as far as workouts go, did nothing to offset the copious amount of wine and cheese I was consuming every day. Well unless you count the fact I didn't gain any weight while I lived there, although I was hoping to get even more slim, 'cause I guess that's kinda their thing.