Biking Life

There have been many places that I have been to that I have really enjoyed biking in. One of my favorite places for biking is San Diego, California. Biking is so common there with many people participating in it. It has been a couple years since I was last in San Diego, but I remember being surprised as to how many people I saw biking. I really enjoyed biking in the areas by the beach. There were many places by the beach that would let you rent bikes whenever you needed to use one. I hope to go back to San Diego one day in the future to bike there again. Another place that I remember really enjoying biking in was Chicago. During the summer, it is a fantastic place to go biking. Just like San Diego, there are places where you can go and rent bikes whenever you need to use one. I enjoyed biking by the lake as it is very nice to look at during the summer. It is important to remember that both San Diego and Chicago can get extremely hot during the summer so it is very important to prepare accordingly. Bringing extra water is very important during the very hot days. Other places that I have enjoyed biking in has been forest preserves in Illinois. I have seen many forest preserves in Illinois and have enjoyed all of them a lot. I enjoy how big some of them are so it offers more places for you to bike.

There are many physical and mental benefits to biking. One popular benefit that comes from biking is that it decreases stress levels. This can be said about many different types of exercise, and biking is no exception to that. Another good benefit to biking is that it can improve joint mobility, posture, and coordination. All three of these things are super beneficial to people. As I previously stated, biking is able to decrease stress levels, but it can also reduce anxiety and depression. Many people struggle with all three of these, so it is good to know that biking can help combat all three of these problems. Another physical benefit to biking is that it strengthens leg muscles. Although this may seem obvious, it is good to know that it can strengthen leg muscles without overstressing your joints. Another physical benefit of biking is that it can lower cholesterol levels. This is able to reduce your chance of possibly getting a stroke or heart attack. In terms of mental benefits, biking has been able to increase people’s ability to focus. As someone who constantly needs to be able to give undivided attention to what I am working on, this is one of the benefits of biking that I enjoy the most. Like I said earlier, biking is able to lower one’s chances of getting a stroke or heart attack, but is also able to help lower someone’s high blood pressure. There are many more reasons as to why biking is so beneficial.

There are many biking races in the world that many people enjoy watching. The first race that I want to talk about is the Tour de France. The Tour de France is considered the hardest biking race in the world, which makes sense as to why so many people watch it. The Tour de France was started in 1903. There has been a massive issue in Tour de France regarding doping, which is essentially using performance enhancing drugs while competing. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Lance Armstrong, participated in this, which greatly cost him. The Tour de France involves a variety of terrain where some parts are flat, but other parts can be difficult to bike on. Another popular biking race is the Tour de Suisse. The Tour de Suisse is very popular in Switzerland. The Tour de Suisse started in 1933 making it much younger than the Tour de France. One connection between the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France is that many bikers will do the Tour de Suisse before they try to attempt the Tour de France. Another popular biking race is the Vuelta a Espana. The Vuelta a Espana was started in 1935, which is pretty close to when the Tour de Suisse started. The first winner of the Vuelta a Espana was Gustaaf Deloor. There are many other cycling races held around the world that are extremely popular. The only one of these three that I was aware of was the Tour de France as that is always a huge event.

There are many famous bikers that are still talked about to this day. The first biker that I want to talk about is Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong was an American cyclist who won many races in the Tour de France. However, he was eventually forced to stop competing due to possible cheating. He was being accused of using performance enhancing drugs, which he eventually confessed to. Although people were disappointed in hearing that he had been using performance enhancing drugs a lot, he has still left behind an enormous legacy as one of the world’s most famous cyclers. Another biker that I want to talk about is Laurent Jalabert. Laurent Jalabert is a French cyclist. During the 90’s he was thought of as one of the best bikers of that era. However, one interesting fact is that he had never won the Tour de France. The third biker that I want to talk about is Miguel Indurain. He has actually won many races in the Tour de France. The next biker that I want to talk about is Bernard Hinault. Bernard Hinault had actually won about five Tour de France competitions which showed that he was an extremely capable biker. The Tour de France competitions he won took place between the 70’s and 80’s. He is now retired but he is frequently thought of as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, and for good reason. There have been so many incredible cyclists over the years, and I find it fascinating seeing how far some people are able to push themselves.

Bike locks are absolutely critical when it comes to biking. It may seem obvious at first, but there have been times in the past I have seen bikes left out in the open with no locks. The first bike lock that I want to talk about is the Kryptonite New-U New York Lock. This lock comes out to around $112. That may seem like a lot, but two of the main strengths of this lock is that it is not only high security, but is also relatively lightweight. The lock also comes with 16 millimeter hardened steel shackle. Another bike lock that I want to talk about is the OnGuard Brute LS. This bike lock is much cheaper than the previous lock, which is about $51. Two of the main strengths are that is secure and also has a wide shackle that offer even more lock-up options. Personally, I would be willing to pay more for a quality bike lock if it was actually more secure compared to what else was on the market at the current time. The third bike lock that I want to talk about is the Hiplok DX lock. The difference between this lock and the previous two locks I mentioned is that the Hiplok DX lock is that it is able to clip to a biker’s waistband. This is actually really helpful because it no longer needs to be put in pockets which can get uncomfortable extremely quickly. These are just three popular bike locks that are on the market, but there are many more.

Because I have been biking a lot in recent years, there have been many experiences that have stuck out to me. Some are very fun, and others were not as enjoyable. One biking experience that I did like a lot was when I went biking in San Diego. I was very excited to bike in this city, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The weather was always nice and there were great places for biking. I have biked in different areas of woods before, and have yet to find one that I did not enjoy. All of the ones I have been to have been great for biking. One experience that I remember being pretty bad was when one of the pedals I had on my bike came off for some reason. I tried seeing if it could be attached again, but nothing worked. Later, I had to take it into a shop to get it repaired. Thankfully, they were able to get it back on, and it felt as good as new. Another experience that was not that great, was when I was using a bike that had an issue with its chain. The chain would consistently slip out of place to the point where the entire bike became unusable. Once again, I had to bring this other bike into the shop, but again, they were able to fix it. Some advice I would offer so that others do not have to have similar experiences, is to get your bike looked at as soon as you notice something might be wrong with it. I made the mistake of not doing this, and because of this, the problems got worse. Overall, I am happy that I have had great experiences with biking, and that I have also been able to learn from bad ones.

Once you have finally decided that you do want to start biking, you’ll have to find a bike that is suitable for beginners. Thankfully, there are many bike models are specifically designed to be great for people that are just starting to get into biking. The first bike that I want to talk about is the Cannondale Trail 6. I have previously talked about Cannondale, and how they are one of the world’s biggest bike companies. The Cannondale Trail 6 is designed for beginners and comes with a very nice aluminum frame. The current cost is about $825.00. While that may seem like a lot, I truly believe that a bike is an investment you will not regret. The next beginner bike that I want to talk about is the Co-op CTY 1.1. This is a solid road bike that comes with wide 40mm tires.  Another feature is that it comes with disk brakes. This beginner bike comes out to around $599.00, which is much cheaper compared to the Cannondale Trail 6. The next bike that I want to talk about is the Kona Rove. This beginner bike is solid for gravelly trails. The Kona Rove also comes with disk brakes. The current price for the Kona Rove is about $1,199.00, making it the most expensive bike of the three that I have talked about. There are many more bikes that are suitable for beginners, but as I have said in previous posts, it always important to do research as to what bike would suit you best specifically.

Source: Bicycling.com

Gear is a common part of the biking hobby. Many people are fascinated as to what the greatest gear on the market is. I personally never was too into learning about gear, but it is undeniable that many bikers love learning about this stuff. The first piece of gear that I want to talk about today are biking helmets. One helmet that I want to talk about is the Giro Register MIP. (Tom’s Guide) One of the benefits that this helmet offers to people is that it is comfortable. However, one downside is that it does not have a chin protector. (Tom’s Guide) This could be a possible dealbreaker for some, but I am sure that for others they would not mind, as it makes up for it with how comfortable it is to wear. Another piece of gear that I want to talk about is the Shimano Road Shoes. (Outside Online) These shoes are also very comfortable and are also light. (Outside Online) However, I would be hesitant to actually purchase a pair of these, as they are around $425. (Outside Online)  I could understand as to how some bikers would be interested in purchasing these, but for someone like me who is not that interested in biking gear, I would hold off. Lastly, another piece of biking gear that I want to talk about is backpacks. Backpacks for biking seem pretty important to me. One popular biking backpack is called the Patagonia Black Hole 25L. (Cycling News) Two good reasons as to why this backpack is so popular is that it is both durable and water-resistant. (Cycling News) I think it is great that the backpack is water-resistant. Overall, these are just three pieces of gear that some bikers think are worth the price.

Sources:

Tomsguide.com

Outsideonline.com

Cyclingnews.com

Whenever someone has made up their mind that they would like to purchase a bike, the next big decision they have to make is deciding on what specific bike model they want. With the many different bike models out there, it can be extremely confusing which bike would work best for you. Today, I will try to make it less confusing, and will tell you about some popular bike models that people recommend. The first bike that I want to talk about are Trek bikes. Now this is a bike brand that I actually have used many times before. Trek is actually the largest biking brand in the United States. (Bikes Reviewed) Different Trek bikes have different prices, for instance, cheaper ones can cost around four hundred dollars, while more expensive ones can cost up to twelve thousand dollars. (Bicycle-Guider) Since twelve thousand dollars seems to be way too much for many people, I will go into detail on the four hundred dollar one instead. The four hundred dollar bike is called the 820. (Bicycle-Guider) It is a mountain bike, and is also the most affordable bike that Trek offers. (Bicycle-Guider) They come with rim brakes and twenty six inch tires. (Bicycle-Guider) The 820 is actually a good bike model for people that are just looking to get more into biking. Another popular bike brand is Cannondale. (Global Brands Magazine) They make mountain bikes, road bikes, and much more. (Global Brands Magazine) However, it is important to know that Cannondale bikes are pretty pricy compared to other bikes, although some would say that they are worth the extra money.(Global Brands Magazine) One of the more popular models of Cannondale bikes is called Synapse.(Bicycle-Guider)  They are road bikes that come with carbon and aluminum frames.(Bicycle-Guider) Something that I think is great about Synapse is that there are bikes more geared towards beginners, and others that are more high-end models. (Bicycle-Guider) These are just a couple of the most popular biking brands in the United States, but there are many more. It is important that everyone does their own research when choosing what bike would be the best for them.

Sources:

https://bikesreviewed.com

bicycle-guider.com

globalbrandsmagazine.com

Hello, today I will be talking about places that are very good for biking. One place that I have seen many people talk about on the Internet is San Francisco, California. (New York Times) I myself have never gotten to bike in San Francisco, but I have been biking in San Diego, which I would highly recommend. One of the reasons why San Francisco is such a great place for biking is that there are many beautiful views you can see when you are biking in that area. (The Culture Trip) In San Francisco, biking has grown by about 184% since the year 2006. (SFMTA) This statistic shows just how many people participate in this activity in San Francisco. Another city that is great for biking is Denver, Colorado. (My Move) Not only is Denver, Colorado a great place for biking, but it is also a great city for walking in. (Denver) One reason as to why the city is such a great place for biking is because of the multiple bike parks it has in it. (Denver) I have never been to Colorado before, but after learning this new information about how great Denver is for biking, I would love to visit it someday. Another city that is great for biking is Seattle, Washington. (New York Times) One of the many reasons as to why Seattle, Washington is such a good place for biking is that the bike lanes are amazing to ride in. (Bicycling) The city has taken a lot of steps to make this bike lines even safer than they normally would be, such as using lean rails for bikers who need to stop. These are only cities in the U.S. that are excellent for bikers, however there are even more cities that people would also recommend for bikers.

Sources:

New York Times

The Culture Trip

SFMTA

My Move

Denver.org

Bicycling.com