I Got a Bike
 

My sister and brother-in-law are on their way to Iowa to ride in RAGBRAI. They stopped by our house and spent the day and night with us, and my brother-in-law gave me his old bike. It is a road bike with 5000 miles on it and is in good shape.
I have decided that this is my new exercise choice. My goal is to ride in RAGBRAI next Summer.
I went for a ride today around my subdivision. Man, I really felt it in my legs. Im going to have to get in shape.

Sweet! At 5000 miles, there should still be a TON of life left in the bike. The Ride Across Iowa is always something I've been interested in as well, ever since reading about it way back in high school. Worthy goal to shoot for!

I know what you mean about the legs. Completely different muscles than walking. I did a lot of mountain bike riding a couple of weeks ago on our New Mexico camping trip. First ones to "feel the burn" for me were the outside muscles at the top of my legs.

This just might be the impetus for me to go out and get my old Zeus racing bike back in running order.

This years theme for RAGBRAI is "Pie". So every small town that is a stop along the way, there will be pies to eat everywhere.

last year my bro-in-law camped next to Lance Armstrong.

Can you ride your bike with no handlebars? :D

Very cool. There are a handful of cyclists here, including me, though I've had issues riding lately. Feel free to post if you have any questions. Is a dynasty forthcoming? :)

/tk

I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it

Went out and took a look at my old road bike, and it won't take a whole lot to get it back going again. I'll order the parts so that they will arrive when I get back in town next week. I like riding my mountain bike on the trails, but I do miss the ability to haul ass on the street.

I was thinking of a dynasty. But I always let them fade away. I may try again.

I have decided to start riding everyday, at least in my subdivision. It is a mile around the streets with a couple hills. I figure this is a good way to start.

+1'

I don't know why I call him Gerald.

Hey! I got a bike yesterday too.

I had this ten-year-old mountain bike that always got flat tires (yes, I tried whatever you will suggest to fix it). Got so frustrated with it that I just stopped riding. I had "Buy New Rims" on my list of things to do from before our first child was born.

Finally went and looked at new rims yesterday. Realized that I should just get a whole new bike instead. Picked up a mid-range Specialized mountain bike, and went for my first ride in years yesterday. Felt great. And no flats! Funny how you forget how much you enjoy certain things.

So, tarcone, did you ever get around to riding in the RAGBRAI? Hard to believe that it was 4 years ago when I posted that it wouldn't take much to get my old road back back in riding shape. Well, let me tell you. It is hard finding parts for a 35+ year old racing bike. I finally tracked down the last couple of key pieces, and took it for a quick ride tonight. Man, I've missed this bike. It was the one I used back in high school when I was racing. That was 20+ years and 50+ pounds ago. :) Not 17 and 135 pounds anymore.

Awesome Cartman! I recently got a new road bike that I've been riding a bunch more lately (did about 90 miles last week on it).

I saw that you found me on Strava :) That's the modern touch on the handlebars. I repurposed my old iPhone 3GS to help track my rides.

I never did ride in RAGBRAI. I fell out of riding. No one to ride with and my motivation went away. I had fun when I was riding. I need to start again.
Has it really been 4 years? Jeez. Where does the time go?

I rode it the summer after graduating from high school. Pretty sure that "pie" has been the RAGBRAI theme for the past 30+ years. Or "beer." If you do end up doing it, don't be surprised if you manage to weigh more at the end of the week :D

That's a beautiful bike! Good to see more cyclists coming out of the wordwork here. :)

I only realized lately the bump in fitness I got from riding 2-3 miles to/from law school over the last 3 years, and how much slower I feel now that I'm driving to work.

Yep. I grew up in Iowa and remember the time they stopped in the city park across the street from my house. I had a great time. :)

The bike in the pic above was getting a bit long in the tooth. I had some other parts start to go in it, and instead of continuing trying to track down parts, I broke down and got a new frame and a Shimano 105 groupset.

I finished up the build late last night, and I just took it outside to snap a pic and take it for a quick shakedown ride. It was at that point I realized I mounted the brake levers/shifters on the wrong side. Oops. Hopefully I can just remove the handlebar tape, remove the levers from the clamps, and just swap them with the cables still attached.

Mabes I should look for a true road bike (my current is a hybrid) and get out on some country roads. Bismarck ain't the friendliest town for cyclists...

Everytime I decide I really want to get into actual distance cycling there's some sort of accident and a cyclist gets killed around here.

Other than that my life is almost perfect for it...my commute is like 12 miles roundtrip, there's a couple different options for ways I could go to make it a little longer/flatter/whatever.

So I always get real close to taking the plunge and then weigh it from a risk/reward perspective and back off.

There's a gym right next to my office - I mean I could even work up a sweat and then shower before work in the summertime. Really the safety thing is my only issue with it.

I started bike commuting in 2012 and while I have had a few mishaps along the way, my physical and mental health is so much the better for it.

If anyone is interested in taking the plunge, I am happy to answer any questions or point you to any resources.

Well, there's some motivation if you need it. :)

Whew. Was able to just remove the handlebar tape, unbolt the levers, and swap their positions. Only took about 15 minutes. I was dreading having to pull all of the cables and re-setup everything.