Well, not exactly Dallas. A suburb just outside of Dallas. And not exactly "most." But, much of my driving.
I hate this fucking metroplex. I've lived here most of my life and the long-term plan is to move. But, that's on hold due to outside factors, so I'm trying to make the best of it here. And the number one thing I hate is how much I have to drive. I feel like you have to drive just to go take a shit in DFW.
It's also making me fat. I could get away with it when I was in college and walked everywhere on campus. But now that I work from home, I'm trying to use walking as my new exercise but it's just not practical in a lot of scenarios. Maybe I can replace driving with my basic, everyday errands?
A 15 min drive to the grocery store will be a 25 min bike ride. 17 min drive to friend's house will be 37 min bike ride.
Questions:
1) I haven't rode a bike since I was 9. How TF do I not get hit by cars?
2) If I do this long enough (say 2-3 months), will I lose enough pounds? Say, 10-15?
3) Newbie question. A lot of stores don't have bike racks. How do I park my bike safely for the ones that don't?
Edit: This is the bike I have. Please don't be discouraging if it sucks. I borrowed it from a community center. That's what I have for now. https://ibb.co/tQ0hLwP
by PineappleAfter563
2 Comments
Man, the Metroplex sucks for riding. I hope it’s gotten a bit better in the 10 years since I left, but it wasn’t a fun place to ride when I was there.
> 1) I haven’t rode a bike since I was 9. How TF do I not get hit by cars?
First, you need to get comfortable just riding, then you need to get used to riding with moving objects around you. For the latter, if you can get to White Rock Lake on a weekend, there were always a ton of cyclists and pedestrians, where you can het used to riding with all sorts of things going on around you.
Then you need to start finding decent routes to the places you want to go to most. I know that’s tricky, given the number of high-speed arterial roads without shoulders. I never did figure out a route from my home in Plano to my friend’s place in Lewisville, so don’t be surprised if you have troubles.
Then you will just have to get used to riding with cars in tight spots. Make yourself visible, learn when to take the lane, and expect a few pants-pooping moments along the way.
Also, see if you can get a bottle cage mounted on that bike. Shit gets hot and you’ll need water.
> If I do this long enough (say 2-3 months), will I lose enough pounds? Say, 10-15?
If you don’t start eating more because the riding makes you hungry (which happens a lot), then it can definitely help.
> A lot of stores don’t have bike racks. How do I park my bike safely for the ones that don’t?
You may have to get creative and look for a nearby railing or some such to lock it to. I’ve used shopping cart corrals a bunch when I went shopping.
Make sure you [lock it up properly](https://www.bicyclelaw.com/bicycle-safety/how-to-lock-your-bike/).
I recently got back into biking after a new job that makes bike commuting more realistic. I’m 51 and haven’t ridden actively since I was in my 20s. It is good that you have a bike to start with, but my recommendation is to get an ebike. I would not be able to handle the hills around here if it was all under my own power, and even if the “purists” don’t like it, every bike is one fewer car on the road. You can get a decent starter bike for <$1000.
As far as safety goes, choose the most bike friendly route, wear high-vis clothes, get a rear-view mirror (but don’t rely on it 100%), and taillight. Take a longer route if it means more residential or bike-friendly streets.
Safe parking means a visible location and a lock that at least would require a thief to make a lot of noise with an angle grinder. You don’t need a bike rack as long as there is an object set in concrete that the bike and lock can’t be lifted over (signpost, shopping cart corral, etc).
If you have never ridden a pedal-assist (i.e. legal) ebike, it is still serious exercise, but you have more control over how much work you put into it. Basically on the lowest assist settings, the motor makes up for the increased weight of the bike, so it is more like a regular ride, but on steep hills, the higher assist makes it more like a not-so-steep hill. In other words, you can work your way into more strenuous workouts.
I got mine from Upway, where they sell used and “new” dealer overstock. Their website is good because even if you don’t buy from them you can get an idea of what bikes are available due to their inventory, and their customer service chat is helpful and responsive if you have questions.