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?
Hello! I’m so happy that I found this post. I have been researching bikes for myself. My husband bought a Townie and loves it. I’m undecided between the Townie and the Linus Dutchi. The only thing that’s holding me back from the Linus is the thinner tires. I was thinking the tires on the Townie grip uneven roads and sand a bit better? I would appreciate any feedback! Thank you.
Hey Steph! This is a pretty old post. Believe it or not, since this was written I’ve switched to a Townie! It does seem to grip the road better. Both are great bikes, but honestly I prefer the ride of the Townie more – and it’s lighter, so easier to put on the rack.
Hi Tori,
I just came across your post and wondered if you had any issues with the bike rack holding the Linus by the wheel in front of the fender? We just got one like that and our Townie has fenders like your Linus.
Hi Jim– no, no issues so far. The only issue we had with this rack was the tire straps wearing out fairly quickly, but we recently upgraded to the Thule Pro and it’s a big improvement.
Just came back from cycling in Israel and found your blog while searching for recipes of all the delicious dishes we ate during our vacations.
Cooking and cycling are a good match.
Keep enjoying it!
I have a Linus bike too and I love it so much. I brought it to Canada with me (where I live) from Cali and it gets so many compliments. It’s joy to ride and it’s great to see other people loving their Linus too!!