NinaV and that sure is a pretty bike... If you like it and you've comfortable on it that's what's important...
Misti -- keep tackling those hills eventually you WILL conquer them...
Helen -- get your bike checked... my chain often falls and is always very easy to get back on with no problem... hope it's nothing serious...
I haven't biked in a few days I've been working 10 hour days and I'm not used to that tomorrow should be the last long day... I haven't gone in the evenings because the humidex is so high ...
Helen, sounds as if you may need to take your bike in... hope you get it in good shape soon!
And LOL Ilene... I don't think I will EVER conquer all these Seattle hills but I am besting SOME of them anyway! I know what you mean about the long days... with my commute mine are 11 hours so it is hard to get out there in the evenings!
I haven't posted in this thread before, but I love riding my bike and do it every day, so I figured I should say hi!
Currently, I own a mountain bike - nothing special. I've gotten more and more into cycling lately, and want to either get a road bike or a BMX bike. Very different, I know, but both have their advantages: both are light weight and much more general fun than regular ol' mountain bikes. Road bikes can go extremely fast, with their aerodynamic posture and large wheels, and BMX bikes... well... when I was younger, I was into doing neat tricks and I think it would be fun to get back into it.
Here's what I wonder:
how fast can BMX bikes really go? I know I can get to about 32 MPH (flat surface) on a mountain bike - I measured it with one of those digital signs they have at construction zones for cars to make sure that they don't go over the speed limit, and I know on a road bike, I could probably hit 45+ - on average, I ride around 15-20 MPH on my mountain bike ...I wonder if a BMX bike will go that fast with the moderate amount of effort that I normally put in, or if I'd have to work twice as hard to achieve the same speed?
Wow I sure won't be the one to answer your questions! You sound like quite a biker. I've only had mine a couple of weeks and had not ridden in years so I am doing well to pound my way 10 or 12 miles although it IS almost all up hill going.
Misti: going uphill on a bike is great exercise... but what about downhill? Most of the time, once you climb uphill, there's a certain peak you reach in which you get to go down... going down is the best part.
My problem is that my ride to work is nearly all downhill, then I spend the day dreading riding back up it again! Still, at least it persuades me to take the bike in the morning because I think it isn't that hard and conveniently forget the ride home...
I managed 3 days this week for the first time. I'm trying to decide whether to ride in tomorrow or not, I might just get the bus because I need to buy a day ticket later in the day for a night out, so may as well use it for work too I suppose and have a bit of a rest day from biking.
Oh for sure, Shane! That is what is neat about the place I usually ride. The opposite of Helen's... my ride is about 5 miles almost all uphill. But wow what a ride coming home! Can't get complacent though as LOL I still have to keep control of the thing!
My ride to work is pretty balanced - lots of going uphill AND going downhill, though the ride home just FEELS so much faster, because I'm always dreading *going* to work and looking forward to being home. It's a 9.5 mile ride - sometimes, I don't know how I even do it. It felt SO long at first, and my legs were always sore, but I knew that since I work ten-hour days (4 days a week), I probably wouldn't get exercise any other way. Plus, for those of us who bike to work, we get exercise in the morning AND in the evening - great stuff.
That's a great plan! I would love to bike to work but it is way too far. So I walk on my breaks and lunch and do my biking or water aerobics, whatever, afterwards. It is kind of tough since with my commute I work 11 hour days but hey ya do what ya gotta do!
I have a new bike too, a hybrid, not expensive but did my first ride last night. I used to bike a lot back in college and haven't since. I suppose I kept seeing the pictures of skinny Kate Hudson in magazine's riding her bike, and it reminded me of how much I used to enjoy riding bikes. In this town there are some nice trails, one follows a river and has some hills. I saw on amazon that they make such a thing to attach a child's bike to the back of an adult bike, so if my three year old gets tired I could do this. He had me up at 7 am this am, Sat, as he was so thrilled about his new "racing" bike. This bike is for four year olds but he's almost a year advanced so he's very happy and proud. I even "counted" walking with him riding his bike as a little exercise this am. But I'm looking forward to some daycare too when I can really cruise. I have too thin of legs and a heavy upper body so I'm thinking I could build some leg muscle doing hills and burn fat. It's just such a pretty time of year too.
Hi Horsey... sounds like fun with you and your son! And like you, I have skinny legs and heavy upper body too so not so concerned about getting weight off my legs but building strength and the bike sure seems to be doing it.
Misti, do you ride up hills for this? You are 5'9 like me... this top heavy figure is odd, it's only since I gained weight but I think my shoulders have always been a little big. I've been losing weight - just 7 lbs but a start - and my legs have gotten skinnier. I read once you lose weight in the reverse order that you gained it so if I gained any in my legs it's first to go, but I think I've lost some muscle too. Does biking work the calves too? I think I need to find some mountains to hike as well, best shape my legs were in was when I went to college in the most insanely hilly campus in California. I had muscle and toning. I rode bike too a lot.
Can anyone tell me, those little computers at stores that measure mileage and fat burned - that you put on bikes, do they work? And what brand? Saw a few at Target and online. Since I'm being a bit obsessive these days it would be nice to know distance and calories at least.
Hi Horsey... well no, actually I ride up hills because I live in Seattle and if I go anywhere there are hills. No way to get anywhere without going up and down hills. And I would think it would work most all the leg muscles but haven't really studied up on it. I also do a lot of hard water aerobics -- not just calisthenics type but with weights and underwater and stuff -- as well as a lot of walking and also working with free weights.
and that sure is a pretty bike... If you like it and you've comfortable on it that's what's important...
tomorrow should be the last long day... I haven't gone in the evenings because the humidex is so high ...
I know what you mean about the long days... with my commute mine are 11 hours so it is hard to get out there in the evenings!
I've only had mine a couple of weeks and had not ridden in years so I am doing well to pound my way 10 or 12 miles although it IS almost all up hill going. 
... So sorry I can't help with your question either I just wanted to welcome you...
Most of the time, once you climb uphill, there's a certain peak you reach in which you get to go down... going down is the best part.
