45 minute ride today.

I neglect my bicycle.
I bought a GEL seat so was motivated to ride for 45 minutes today. The temperatures are finally beginning to be more reasonable. I see 60's in the forcast which I will ride more often.

20 minute ride

I rode around my neighborhood for 20 minutes. There are some nice little hills.
Heart rate was at 90BPM. I'm going to purchase a gel seat cover before I extend my riding time.
I think I'll run a mile before I lift weights.

Finally, more time for my bicycle

I have a very minor running injury. Beginning today I'll be riding the bike either instead of running or in addition to running. If I only run a mile I will ride the bike and I will be lifting free weights.

Two Mile Bike Ride

Added a ride to my running today.

Finally, I rode my bike 17 minutes

Rode approximately three miles on my bike today. There was one hill I didn't think I was going to make it up, but I did and it showed me I need to practice at using the different gears.
I've been feeling guilty about neglecting this portion of my training plans.
I've decided to train for speed not distance in my running program so I will add more cross training.

4 + miles

I wanted to make sure my back tire had enough air and I let the air out instead. Wow! I don't even know how to put air in a bicycle tire. Maybe I need to go to a bicycle workshop.
I don't think the guage works on the bicycle pump. I was going to return the pump to Walmart, but I couldn't find the recipt. I guess I could take it back anyway, but I don't want to do it today. It actually filled up the tire well enough. It was just aggravating to me to have to guess by feeling the tire. I finally underfilled the tire by my guess, then went for my ride. It's a good alternative to running and I haven't ridden in a while.

Rode the bike today...

It's been several weeks since I rode the bike. The weather has been terrible, with rain and heat and humidity. Today we got a break with cooler temperatures although it is still very humid.

I ran my first 3 miles today and wanted to make it a perfect day so I took the bike out for a spin. I didn't ride very far, just far enough to be able to say "I rode the bike today".

Took the bike for a spin.

Since my sport of choice is running, I have to remind myself to ride the bike.
Today I rode the bike. It was fun. I tried to be sure I rode it a mile. There are a few hills in the neighborhood and it was fun coasting down them and even driving up them.

2 miles . . .

Rode the bike for two miles. My old friend "knee pain" reappeared. I quit riding a stationary bike because of knee pain. My last job as a cashier also caused chronic knee pain.
Enjoyed the ride and road with the gears in 3, 7 and in that configuration there wasn't the clicking I had noticed when riding the other day in the other gear.
Practiced stopping and starting and making corners.

I bought some WD-40 to lubricate the bike. After reading some of the online reviews I decided to get some "made for bike" lubricant. I took the WD-40 back to Walmart! There were mixed reviews of the WD-40, but I decided the two dollas savings wasn't worth the possible risk.

Rode the Bike 1 mile

I enjoyed my very short bike ride. There is a sound of light metal striking meta. I don't know where the problem is with my bike but I need to find out very soon. It sounds like the pedals are striking something.

Practiced Riding Bike Today.

I practiced changing gears and braking for about 15 minutes. I enjoyed the riding and I am gaining confidence as I learn about the bike.

What! I have to use both bike brakes....

I read some more information from my bike manual. I've taken all the "don't fly over the handle bars" advice to heart and I'm afraid to use the front brake. Now, I at least, know about the gears and my next project will be to conquer the front brake.
I spent the first part of this very cloudy day clearing a path through my back yard. The distance won't be significant, but it will be long enough to practice gear changing and braking. I won't have to worry about cars and some inclines will be available. I'm going to buy a bicycle pump very soon. One of my major concerns as I clear the pathway is to be sure there's nothing there that will cause a flat tire. I'm not concerned with the roughness cause I figure that will make the path even more of an adequate training area. No, I'm not going make ramps to start sailing through the air or popping wheelies! My short term goal is to learn about the bike and begin to feel secure enough to drive the bike on some very easy off the road trails. The roads in my neighborhood are relatively safe for riding and I could get a couple of miles of asphalt practice easily. The biggest danger is the occasional dog and I think I'll arm myself with a spray bottle. There is a small patch of woods in my neighborhood that I've noticed a rider riding a motor bike of some kind. The space off the highway on the main road is fairly broad and I could go a long way using that route without having to be concerned about getting run over. Just a couple of miles from my house is a real biking trail. My long term biking goal is to feel secure enought to strap my bike to my car and go to that trail and ride my bike. At some point I'll make the trip a few times a week.

Day 2

I rode my bike for about ten minutes. I'm getting used to the hand brake and I practiced starting, stopping, doing a wide turn. I tried out different gears. I like the high gear right now, because I feel that I have better control of the bike. It will also be a better work out for my legs. I need to practice properly sitting on the bike seat.(Can you say gel seat and padded pants?)

I am very satisfied with this bike, it's a smooth easy ride. Seems to be the right size for me. The only problem I had was I intended to pull the gear lever to do an adjustment and I pulled the brake instead. Yes, I could dismount quickly and safely from this bicycle if I needed to. I was concerned that the bike was too big, but it seems that it's ideal for my height of 5' 4.5". It's a good size for me from the seat to the handle bars too.

My bike is a women's Schwinn Ridge front-suspension 26 in mountain bicycle.
*Schwinn Women Specific Hydro-Formed 6061 Aluminum Alloy Frame
*Women specific wider padded saddle and shorter top tube
*Women specific smaller grips and brake levers
*Shimano ® 21 speed rapid fire shifting
I was looking for a bike that would be good off road as well as on. I do plan to go to bike trails and ride on the roads close to my home, but I do not plan to ride on the streets. I paid $200 for the bicycle. I called several bike specialty stores and found out they didn't have a bike for less than $350, the car rack they sold was $100 and their selection of helmets started at $40.00. I paid $200 for a bike, $8.00 for a helmet and $35 for a car rack. Although I learned later the front wheel comes off easily like the seat, so I could have saved the $35. My dilemia was purchasing a bike then getting it home. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to put the car rack on the car and load the bike properly. I bought the bicycle at Academy Sports and the sales guy was so nice. He made sure the bike was properly attached to the car. I'm sure I'll use the rack in the future and I may soon want a better helmet, but this set up will be fine for now. It's been many, many years since I drove a bike and I agree with the quote "you never forget how to ride a bicycle."

My New Bicycle

My new Schwinn mountain bike.