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A Bike Ride Down Memory Lane
For most people, their first bike is something very special. For as many people there are, there’s a kind of bike to fit them. Road bikes, mountain bikes, racing bikes, folding bikes, and many, many more. Do you remember back when you first learned to ride a bike? Most people are familiar with the phrase, “It’s like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget!” Of course, the vast majority remember HOW to ride a bike, the issue is forgetting WHY they rode in the first place all that time ago.
Think back to childhood and remember that free and nostalgic feeling. The summer days of pedaling to a park or a friends house, racing down the sidewalk, or heading into town for the day. While you remember the good ol’ days and reminisce, allow me to give you even more reasons why you should go get a bicycle right now.
The Ultimate Workout Machine
One of the greatest forms of exercise, biking allows you to basically sneak in a good workout while also providing something utilitarian like getting from place to place. Riding your bike is undoubtedly great for your health and is arguably one of the most important reasons to bust out the bike. Biking leads to health. Not only does it get that heart rate up, but it’s also better for you than running! It’s less impactful to your joints and you can go further and longer on a bicycle than you can on your own two legs.
It is incredibly good for your heart, lowering your risk of coronary heart disease by 50% and is beneficial for your immune system by making it stronger. On top of it all, yes, you’ll lose weight as well. (There’s actually nothing else to explain really, all of this just HAPPENS when you ride a bike.)
Save Some Money
Are you familiar with the term “investment”? It basically means you spend money on something expecting some benefit or return on it in the future. Bikes should be the poster child for this concept. When you buy a bike you are agreeing to save a ton of money later on. Not only will you save a ton on gas and bus fares, you no longer have to worry about finding or paying for parking.
You increase the value of other things like your car. You save money on filling up your car and then again on repair or resale of that car because it’s not as abused. Most typical car journeys can be made on a bike in under 20 minutes. Short trips that suddenly start and stop your engine are horrible for your car. Replacing a drive with a bike ride saves you money in gas, oil, parking, and maintenance. Maintenance on your bike is much cheaper and if you know where the nearest bike repair station is, you can fix and adjust your bike for free as well. Finally, it can save you a ton in gym fees. Why bother going to a place you may not even want to go to sit on a stationary bike when you can take your actual bicycle to a place you do want to go?
Discovery Just Outside Your Door
The last point I’d like to bring up is arguably as important as the others. Get to know where you live. Like, REALLY get to know it. In a car or bus your flying through streets as fast as you legally can and you miss a lot of what’s actually around you. Riding a bike, your pace lets you observe more. Finding ways to get where you need to go off the roads can lead you to some great discoveries.
Exploring on your bicycle, you could find a beautiful park you never knew was there or a local shop for something you really, really like that you’d been missing out on all this time. You’ll learn a ton more about your city and even more about your community while on a bike.
See You Out There!
These are the main reasons to get a bike right now, but have you remembered why you rode in the first place yet? That freedom and exhilaration of being able to go further than you ever thought possible with your own power? It can be a great hobby or even lifestyle with an uncountable number of forums, sites, and bike blogs. I hope you’ve been thinking back and recalling all those memories you had on your bicycle back then.
Don’t let me decide for you whether or not to get a bike. Let the younger you, sitting there with a helmet and a giant smile atop you’re first two-wheeler be that reason. Let that rush, that fun, be the reason you choose to ride on. There are so many new benefits to biking now, but you already knew you were getting one after that first line, didn’t you?
