My cycling experience up to now has been pretty limited. I do have a
bicycle. . . It's a blue Murray, it didn't cost much. It has one
speed (i.e. no gear shift), and no hand brake. The rear wheel is
shaped a bit like a potato chip and *almost* rubs against the frame at
one point in its rotation. I rode it up and down the jogging trail a
few times before I got tired of it, then left it in the garage for a
few years. After the tires rotted down, I bought a set of solid
(airless) tires, so I won't have to worry about that anymore. I didn't
get the tires on exactly straight, I can see the front tire sort of
wobble as it goes around. They don't feel the same as the old tires,
but they work OK I guess. I never wore a helmet, because I thought
they look goofy.
In summary, I'm not a cycling enthusiast. Please go easy on me!
For a while now I've been aware of a company called Bigha. They make
some pretty neat green laser pointers, I got one for my telescope.
While shopping for lasers, I noticed they also make a funky kind of
bicycle. . . I looked over their website, it looked pretty neat to
me. Mighty expensive too, but you know. . . it did look attractive,
and I'd never seen anything like it before. I could afford one. But
would I ride it, or would it rot down in the garage? (Or end up on
eBay?)
Anyhow, I just had that Bigha cycle in the back of my mind for a while,
for several months. Then, as it happens, I was made aware that I
*need* to lose about twenty pounds and *keep* it off. I need exercise.
Walking isn't enough of a workout. . . Running is too hard on the
joints. . . How about cycling? Maybe I should get a new bicycle?
Maybe I should get one that's smoother and more efficient, and with
gears so I can climb hills with it. I started thinking about something
that I can ride around the local area for fun and the much-needed
exercise.
Maybe it's time to get serious.
So I turned to Google and did a little research, and was surprised to
find out the Bigha bike is a "recumbent" bicycle, and it's not a recent
invention of Bigha, and actually there are a *lot* of other companies
making recumbents in a lot of different models. Who knew? And there
are the trikes, ooh. . .
I'm seriously considering a new bike or trike. I haven't made any
decisions, I'm just surfing and bookmarking sites and taking it all in.
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any bike shops within a pretty
long distance from where I live. I'm not *exactly* asking for
opinions, because I've been finding plenty of those. I'm really just
saying hello, I'm here.
However. . . If anyone has suggestions for me, I don't mind hearing
them either. Things seemed a lot simpler before I discovered that
there are so many options available to me. I'm finding there's a lot
to study up on, it can be almost overhwelming.
--
Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas