Riding a Bike is Not, Just like Riding a Bike!

By Bill Russo

Whoever said “it’s just like riding a bike - you never forget”; obviously was under 25 years of age.  If a person were double that number and tried to ride for the first time in a quarter of a century, they’d be shocked to find out that “riding a bike is not like riding a bike!  You do forget!”  

As a young boy and for the first few years of being a teenager, I rode a bicycle for transportation more than recreation.  Back in “The Day” my Mother didn’t even have a driving license let alone a car. If I wanted to get somewhere I had four choices – my two feet or my two wheels.  

Once I got my “license” and all the freedoms that went with it, I quickly abandoned bicycles forever!   ‘Forever’ turned out to be the more than four decades I spent in the working world.  At retirement time, I moved to Cape Cod where the abandoned railroad right of way has been converted into the most serene and beautiful bike path you can imagine. 

 It runs for almost half of Cape Cod; from the Village of Dennis to just short of Provincetown, a distance of 26 miles. A major extension into Yarmouth towards Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal, is under construction. The eventual goal is to have a 64 mile paved bike path that will go from Gray Gables, the Welcome Mat of Cape Cod, to the end of the island/peninsula - the sand dunes at Race Point Beach in Provincetown.

Watching all the fun the bike riders had along the trail, I decided to re-enter the world of cycling.  I chose a moderately priced one speed ‘cruiser’ because it seemed most like the 26 inch Monarch I got for my 12th. birthday. The bike shop assembled my new speed demon and as soon as they finished, I loaded it into my RV and motored to the Head of the Trail at Route 134 in Dennis. 

 

Rolling the ‘blue beauty’ out of the van I walked it from the parking lot to the beginning of the trail. I made ready to hop on it just the way I did back in those thrilling days of yesteryear.  Planting my left foot by the front wheel, I swung my right leg up in a huge arc that would catapult me into the saddle and also give me a little jump start even before I began to furiously pump the pedals.

I knew something was wrong when my foot crashed into the rear tire about two inches below the back fender!  I figured I had somehow miscalculated the height and that all I needed to do was to repeat the procedure.  So once again, I firmly deposited my left foot slightly behind the front tire and tried to hurdle my right foot over the seat.  This second attempt was slightly better than the first.  I managed to smash my shoes into the fender instead of hitting the tire!

My confidence shaken, I began talking to myself.  “Hey what’s up with this?  When I was 12 years old and about a foot shorter, I could leap into the seat as effortlessly as the Lone Ranger jumped on the back of the great horse ‘Silver’.”

Flexibility!  Forty years of mostly being sedentary is what changed! My brain however was still sharp.  I had the answer.  Rolling the bike beside one of my picnic table benches, I licked the problem.  Stepping up on the wooden bench, I transferred into the bike seat with ease. 

All set for action, I pushed off from the bench with my left foot and stomped down hard on the pedal with my right.  I gained a fair amount of speed with that single thrust.  It should have been a good thing – but for some crazy reason I wasn’t balancing the bike very well.  Though I was trying to maintain a straight line, I had to keep swinging the handlebars back and forth to prevent the bike from falling. 

In a few minutes I improved enough that I could sustain a steady course at a moderate speed.  Stopping the bicycle and getting off, was another matter entirely.  I nearly fell as I tried to get off the bike, which should have been the simplest thing.

The good news for me was that within a few weeks, my legs got used to stretching again and getting on and off the bike became routine.  Riding a few miles was tiring for a short period, but soon I could easily negotiate a round trip from Dennis to Eastham and back.  

One thing never came back, my balance.  As a teenager I could ride, ‘no hands’, for miles and was even able to develop a rudimentary steering system by knee movement alone. 

Nowadays, if there’s no one else on the trail and if the pavement is especially level with no twigs, acorns, or piles of leaves on it; I can remove my hands from the handle bars and hold them up in the air for as long as ten or fifteen seconds!  After that, the front tire starts veering and the bike begins to list, and I begin to imagine how painful falling is going to be (helmet and kneepads don’t protect everything) so I quickly grasp the handlebars in time to prevent the crash.  

If you’re considering going back to bike riding after a layoff of many years, the first few weeks will be difficult, but you will soon re-learn enough so that you will be able to safely navigate bike paths, and lightly used trails.

Stay off the roads!  Many automobile drivers are courteous and extra careful when they approach people riding bikes, but there are an amazing number of people who will purposely  come within an inch of hitting you.  Some get so close that the draft, or back wash of air from their vehicle, can knock you down.  Thousands of people are hurt and even killed every year in car-bike crashes. 

With that caveat, if you’re still up to buying one - here’s some advice on purchasing your new bike.  The best recommendation would seem to be “Try before you Buy”.  But in my case, if I did that I probably never would have bought the bike because of the initial problems I’ve had.  If you are confident in your skill and ability, you certainly should try the bike first.  

One of the major factors to consider is what style of riding you will be doing and where you will be doing it.  Will you be transporting your bike to a bike trail or other protected area?  Will you be doing any street riding?  If so will you be riding in the city or in rural areas?

There are more options in bikes now than there have ever been. 

Before we discuss conventional bicycles let’s take a look at the EAs.  

‘Electric Assist’ bikes are becoming very common.  They have a battery that allows you to pedal very lightly and still achieve 10 to 15 miles per hour for several hours before needing to recharge.

There are two main types of batteries for ‘Electric Bikes’.   The cheapest and heaviest are SLA batteries – Sealed Lead Acid.  These are similar to car batteries.  They work well but their weight reduces the speed and range of the bicycle.

Lithium batteries give far more range to the Electric bike, but not a great deal more speed.  In order to keep the bikes from being subject to registration and other ‘motor vehicle’ regulations, the speed and power of all electric bicycles is limited.

If you feel that you don’t have the strength for a standard bike, the electric may be the way to go.  They are available at major retailers in-store and on their websites.  They are also available from dozens of online sellers.  My feeling is that I prefer to buy from Sears, Kmart, Target etc. because I feel confident that If there’s a problem, it will get solved.  I don’t feel the same way about some website that could be based 12,000 miles from my house. 

Here' a picture of my SM24, which I purchased through the Kmart website.  I got an excellent price and have had not any trouble with this bike, which is made by Yukon Trails.  As you'll see, I hook a trailer filled with camping gear to it and ride the rig to a State Park about 12 miles from my house.

Here's another look at my sm 24 - It's 24 inches high instead of 26, my concession to age.  The next one I buy will be the type that we used to call a 'ladies bike'.  So many men are going with this type of unit nowadays, that they are being marketed as 'step thru' bicycles.

On to regular bikes. 

Cruisers.  These are modern versions of the old single speed models.  They are usually big and can be very pricey.  If you just can’t stand the thought of gears and various speeds, then the cruiser could be for you.

English Bikes.  Also called Raleighs, after their most famous manufacturer; these bikes have three speeds and they don’t have that complicated looking set up by the back wheel that is called a ‘derailleur’ system.

 English bikes have a High, Medium and Low Speed lever that uses internal gears at the rear wheel hub. In the 1960s in the United States, Raleigh’s “English Bikes” posed a serious threat to the traditional American Schwinn style one-speed cruisers. 

English bikes are more beefy than the ‘derailleur’ and they generally are more durable.  The good old 3-speeder also will probably not be on a first name basis with the local bike shop, as will the more complicated bikes. In many parts of the world, “English bikes” are still the most popular choice for commuting and other types of utility biking. 

 

The photo below, shows a classic 3-speed English Bike from the 1950s - at this writing this beauty was listed on E-Bay as a 'Buy it Now' for a mere $29.00. It even still has the original metal emblem stating, "Made in England". After I finish writing this blog, I shall probably head back to Ebay, but I suspect the bike will be gone by then! 

Mountain Bike: They are durable and can be taken off road.  Equipped with fat tires, and wide handlebars, they use the complicated derailleur system which does allow an incredible array of different gears and speeds including low gears that will allow the rider to mount rugged terrain that would stop any other two wheeler.  

Road Bike.  The road bike is built for long rides, like the 52 mile round trip on the Cape Cod Bike Trail.  With the thin tires, and compact handlebars, their light weight makes them ideal for speed demons or for anyone who wants to log a lot of miles without herculean effort. 

Hybrid Bike: As the name suggests this bike combines some of the features of the road bike and some of the qualities of the mountain bike.  It’s neither this nor that but is perfect if you want to experiment with multiple riding styles. 

Recumbent bike.  The first time you see one of these you’ll laugh.  It looks like the rider is laying down, because, he or she pretty much is laying down while riding the bike.  They may be great, but for me, if I’m going to be lying down on a summer afternoon - instead of being flat on my back on a bicycle, I’d rather be laying on a poolside lounge with food and beverage close by and the Boston Red Sox game on the radio.  

 Happy Trails to You!  

Visit my Amazon Kindle  author's page to see my books including the Ghosts of Cape Cod, https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Cape-Cod-Bill-Russo-ebook/dp/B01BL1TP7U, the Cape Cod Figure in Black, and the Creature From the Bridgewater Triangle.  Also visit my Smashwords pages where I have a number of free short stories and books.