Reasons to Start Biking
Gas prices, need for more exercise and the desire to be “greener” are all great reasons to take up biking. However, you may have some questions regarding the health benefits or physical advantages of biking. We must consider several factors when considering biking as a mode of transportation or fitness, including whether your route is favorable to biking, your choice of bicycles, whether biking is a good choice for you physically and how to take up biking safely.
In general, biking is an excellent choice of transportation and is quite common in many areas of the world. Common reasons given for decreased biking popularity in the United States are longer distance commutes, fewer transportation routes conducive to biking, general lack of personal desire or habit and job demands for transportation during the work day. While some of these factors are likely quite valid, one of the biggest anecdotal reasons for the decreased use of bicycles for transportation in the United States is the general love for our automobiles. Without a public demand for better biking routes and other improvements, the changes are likely to be slow in developing.
Let's assume you have decided to use your bike for transportation to work and have a safe route to use in getting there. This route needs to be free of interstate highway use with dedicated biking lanes preferred. Additionally, the route should be well-maintained and free of holes and loose gravel for the most part. To start out your new endeavor, consider biking just a few days per week. Just an average of two days of biking per week could decrease your gas usage by 40 percent (an average of about $500 to $700 per year with gas prices at $2.50 to $3.50 per gallon). Other things you will want to prepare as you plan your new commute might be:
- Leave a change of clothes at work for changing once you arrive.
- Use a portable storage drive or email work from home to your work computer instead of toting a laptop.
- Plan ahead for lunches.
- Install storage bags (saddle bags) on your bike.
- Make sure you have a place to store your bike once you get to work.
- Always wear visible clothing and a helmet.
Learn about bike safety considerations on the next page.
Safety Considerations
In addition to visible clothing and a helmet, other safety considerations to make sure your bike is in good working order. Have it serviced by a bike shop if needed. Special attention should be paid to tire condition and brake function. Brushing up on your local bike laws is also a good idea. In general, always ride with the flow of traffic on the right side of the road and use hand signals to indicate stopping and turning. Remember, drivers are not always looking out for your presence on the road. Again, the more people are using their bikes for transportation the more aware automobile drivers will become.
Is your body ready for biking? Thankfully, biking is a relatively benign activity in terms of physical demand for beginners. If you do not want go at it with the intensity of a rider in the Tour de France that is okay. You can go at your pace and build speed as needed. Since biking is a non-impact activity, most of us tolerate it rather well. The most common complaint for beginners is “saddle soreness” as you get used to the bike seat. This generally improves over time, but getting a good seat on your bike is extremely important. Other areas of the body that may need to adapt to biking are the hands, wrists and neck. This is especially true if you have a road or touring-style bike as opposed to a mountain bike or hybrid. The more leaned over your body is, the more stress is placed on the hands and wrists. Likewise, the further the body leans forward, the more the neck must tilt back in order for the rider to look straight ahead. Therefore, picking the right bike and getting the proper bike fit is extremely important and is best done by the representatives at your local bike shop.
As a physical activity, biking is less demanding on the heart and lungs, so beginners do not get out of breath as easily. Additionally, coasting while biking allows the rider to continue moving down the road while essentially taking a quick rest break. Biking is a great activity for developing leg strength without inducing the impact that activities like running bring. One of the great things about biking for transportation is that as it is done more regularly, fitness improves. As fitness improves, you can ride faster and longer which makes the transportation aspect more effective while providing even greater health benefits. Who knows, you just might get hooked on biking! Ride on, be safe!