What I Love and Hate About Bicycling

All the rain we’ve had has allowed me to change up my summer fitness routine.  Long walks, short runs and bike rides have been added into the mix of walking to the gym for an early morning workout.

Wait.  Did I say “bike rides”?  Yes, I did.  I have no reason not to ride my bike more, but for some reason I just don’t.  And the thing is, I need to ride my bike.  For the health of my knees.  Per my doctor’s suggestion.  Five years ago, I might add.

I have a love hate relationship with my bike and here are the reasons why.

Love

The Actual Activity

Bicycling has never been exercise to me.  Riding is all about enjoying the outdoors.  Going fast or conquering hills is unimportant.  Being in the outdoors on a leisurely ride is so nice.

Basket

A removable wicker basket with a handle is the absolute the best upgrade I made on my bike.  Admittedly, it makes me look a bit like the Wicked Witch when I’m riding but it’s so handy.  And beautiful. 

The bike shop that installed mine is sadly no longer in business, but a similar one is on Wayfair.

Water Bottle Holder

Well, this is sort of love and hate.  It is great having a dedicated bottle holder, but it’s a bit too big for a plastic bottle and a bit too tight for most steel bottles.  Whipping out a drink in the middle of the street doesn’t really work, so I have to pull over, drink, replace and get going again.

Padded Seat     

Well, it helps.

Hate

No kick stand.  I have no idea why, but hub and I bought these hybrid bikes years ago and the bike shop said they don’t come with kick stands.  They either need to be dumped on the ground or leaned up against something.  Pain in the neck.

Storage

Hub’s bike is clear up to the ceiling so a ladder needs to be used to get his down.  Guess how often that one gets ridden?  Mine is easier to get down, but I don’t love lifting it off the wall.

My Rear

Remembered the padded seat?  It doesn’t help enough.  This is how that works.

Day 1 is a lovely ride watching the bunnies, smiling at the roadrunners, enjoying the breeze.  Now I’m all stoked to go again.  Day 2 I hop on the bike and immediately my rear is protesting.  I never make it enough days in a row for my “muscles” (yeah, right) to adapt.

Are there fitness goals you have and for some reason you just put them off?  Laziness, inertia, difficulty.  I’ve pondered on all those reasons, but with biking, it’s mainly all about my rear.

And aren’t you happy I didn’t post a pic of my rear?

Kitty News

Mandy is our shy cat.  Or she’s just a jerk who hates us.  Probably the latter.  In any case, you rarely see me post pictures of her because she rarely interacts with us. 

But here she is looking so cute on a towel on our bed.  Why do those cats like to lounge on laundry?

DF Jill shared a snap of her darling helping assemble a puzzle.  How many shots have you seen of naughty Roxy having her way with our puzzles?

Lounge on laundry, lounge on puzzles.  Cats really are tiny little mysteries.

If you’re still reading and didn’t stop when you read the word “kitty,” I am sending blessings on you for a wonderful weekend.  XO