I got a bike! My New Biking Obsession
As you might imagine, my kitchen produces copious amounts of food. Not a day goes by that I don’t have something simmering on the stove, baking in the oven or smoking on the grill. I mean, it’s great, don’t get me wrong. My family loves trying new recipes each week. But there is a downside… or rather, a backside… or more specifically, MY backside. I mean, those calories have to go somewhere, right? So I work them off with exercise. Except, here’s the thing… I am allergic to exercise. It’s probably my least favorite thing to do. Give me a choice between doing dishes and jumping on a treadmill, and I’ll choose doing dishes every. single. time. For years I’ve been searching for a type of exercise that will keep me moving on a regular basis. I get bored SO easily. I’ve tried yoga, Pilates, even Zumba. You should see me attempting to shake my behind to Latin music, it’s pretty hilarious. But none of these adventures stuck; I eventually got bored with all of them.
Then I discovered biking, and my whole world changed!
Momo is a big fan of our new bikes.
It all started on a recent trip to Miami. My husband and I rented some cruisers on the boardwalk in Miami Beach to work off some of the pasta and cocktails we’d consumed the night before. We rode for over an hour in the Miami sunshine, peddling through the gentle ocean breeze. We pushed ourselves and worked up a sweat. The time flew by. Before we knew it, we’d worked off some serious calories and had a great time doing it. We ended up renting bikes every remaining day of our trip. We got to the point where our bodies craved that hour of movement.
Then we came home, and it was back to the treadmill. See, we don’t live in a very bicycle-friendly neighborhood (streets are super curvy and narrow), or we probably would have gotten bikes a long time ago. As I went back to my monotonous jogging routine, I started wondering if we could somehow make the bike thing work. I have a Jeep Cherokee with a hitch, after all. What’s to stop us from getting a rack and taking our bikes out to ride? There are so many awesome bike paths in Southern California. Plus my husband’s birthday was coming up, and he is the hardest person to buy a gift for… but I had a feeling he would love this.
Linus Dutchi and Electra Townie
So obviously, I went for it! I bought us two cruisers, a sage-green Linus Dutchi 3-speed for me and a black Electra Townie 7-speed for him. Aren’t they pretty? I love the vintage styling! We added bells and my husband got a rear-view mirror. I added a canvas saddle bag to the back rack of my Linus so we can carry water bottles and whatever else. It’s detachable, so I can ride to the farmer’s market, shop a bit and reattach it before riding home. How cool is that?
We also got a hanging rack for the back of my Jeep, but quickly found that it was scratching up our new bikes a bit, plus it was kind of awkward getting the bikes on and off the rack. I exchanged it for this platform T2 rack by Thule. So far, no complaints! Super easy loading and unloading, integrated locks. We’re happy campers.
Our T2 rack by Thule
I was worried that once we got the bikes that we might not actually take them out much… you know, the hassle of loading and unloading them. But we’ve gone riding almost every day for the past few weeks. We love it! We feel amazing and it’s helping us to stay trim. Pasta is on the horizon… why worry when I know I can work the calories off with a beautiful ride the next day?
I think with exercise, half the battle is finding something you love to do. My husband and I are now officially bike nerds, and I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.
Do you like to bike? What is your favorite way to exercise?
Jyoti Kalapa says
Beautiful she is enjoy cycling.
Pamela Eads Meliher says
I want a bike like ypurs
Gordon Mitchell says
Very Pretty
Richard Horst says
Classic, beach cruiser.
Sandi Sowers Worthman says
Love the market bags for all the yummies you might pick up on your adventures
Mydear Kawshka says
Happy Trails!
AC Batya-Boston says
Love it!
Barbara McCarty Brookhart says
Very nice!
Robin Becker says
You should plan a culinary bike tour :). I’ll go!
Michelle Costin McCarthy says
Beautiful bike you can get a basket to carry the pup
Tori Avey says
Michelle I have totally considered that actually! 🙂
Antje Lücke says
Very beautifully oldschool.
Carol Diane O'Brocki says
I love it!!!
Beard and Bonnet says
It’s so pretty!!!
Debbie Rust Lindstrom says
It just needs a wicker basket!!
Lisa Abboud Zitner says
Adorable!
Gary Iggy Rome says
Oh a Linus , good choice
Amy Gordon says
Super cute! I love it! What kind? I want one in powder blue!
Tori Avey says
Amy it’s a Linus Dutchi! Electra Townie has a beautiful powder blue one too, I was considering it for a while but ended up with this one instead. 🙂
Amy Gordon says
Awesome ! 🙂
Samantha Shapiro-Ferraro says
Now you need a cute basket and bell!
Roman Baird says
Helmets are for sissies. Ride that bike! It’s fun!
Nice bike!
Robin Pomerantz Laidlaw says
Such a hipster you are!