by Nalin Ratnayake
Everyone in Idaho either owns a mountain bike or at least pretends to own one. You’ll find at least a cheap one in the garage, whether used for actually biking off-road or not. And boy, was mine cheap (as far as mountain bikes go anyway). I don’t remember how much exactly it was, but I would be willing to bet that my “Diablo Canyon” (oooh, sounds impressive) was less than $100. Without shocks or quality tires, it really was the worst of both worlds; too heavy and wide-tired for a road bike, and not quite study enough to qualify as a mountain bike in any legitimate sense of the term.
I used it though, quite a bit. I zipped around the neighborhood and to the library, and took it on several moderate dirt trails while camping with my family. When I moved down to Arizona for college, the bike came with me, for short hops between apartment and campus. And then it broke. The thread on the left pedal screw was worn beyond recognition, and eventually the thing just slid off. I left it unlocked and pedal-less on the apartment bike rack in the spring term of my junior year; it was there when I graduated and moved out of Arizona a year later, and for all I know it could still be there, rusted (yes, there are a couple days of rain a year in Phoenix) and abandoned. I did not bike for two years after surrendering my last bicycle to the elements.
It wasn’t directly for missing cycling that I decided to buy a new bike. I used to jog for exercise… that got boring. I like to explore, and jogging just doesn’t cover enough distance in short enough of a time to prevent me from getting bored. Separately, my adventures in LA were reaching the limits of the on-foot envelope. After some research, I dropped some cash on a new Breezer Greenway, a range bike (distance commuter) from Breezer Bikes.
Within a week, I was hooked to this new… sport? Hobby? Way of life? Having always owned mountain bikes (or shades thereof), the road bike makes me feel like I’m flying. It’s super-light, smooth-shifting, and came with all the features I would want: built-in lights and dynamo, rear rack with holder, and fenders to ward off water from puddles. Armed with my new mode of transportation, I can get some physical activity in while catching more scenery than jogging, and the bike+metro combination has served to expand my LA envelope like never before.
After powering through the first week or so of getting into marginally good shape, biking has become addictive for the first time in my life. Two or three times a week I’ll take a 5am morning ride before work; two weekends so far have seen 30+ mile exploration routes through the greater Los Angeles area. And free bike websites like RouteSlip have let me define and share my own routes and track my progress in terms of both elevation and distance.
In just the last week, another good reason to cycle has come up… apparently my cholesterol is quite high thanks to a genetic predisposition and the lingering college diet. Under doctor’s orders, I’ve begun tailoring my cycling into an effective and fun cardio fitness regimen, which I hope will help raise my HDLs and overall resistance to heart disease. (Look for an article on my new healthy cooking adventures soon by the way).
For fun, health, and the environment, allow me to strongly recommend the fine sport of biking. Check your local metro agency or city website for bike route maps. Fellow residents of Los Angeles County, your one-stop pdf for Metrolink regional transit, light rail, subway, and bike routes is on the MTA website. Bus routes are on the main MTA site.
Get out there!
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