Liz McCarthy

Last week I decided I want to start bike riding. My though process mostly involved not wanting to go the gym anymore because it’s so nice outside but wanting some physical activity I actually enjoy.  Plus, we live in a great neighborhood for bike riding — quiet streets that aren’t too hilly.

I did some minor research on bikes online with little help. I talked to a lot of people, scoured Craigslist, and finally just decided to bite the bullet and get a bike at Target. The options on Craigslist were all over the place (literally. I don’t want to drive to Chantilly for a used bike), and mostly road bikes or kids bikes. Or they required some work and I’m just not wanting to get into that.

I didn’t want to spend more than $100 (since this is a little bit of an experiment), but the bikes at Target were between $199 and $250. I opted for the later because it had a better design and fit. I went for a hybrid since I didn’t want the crazy curved handlebars (road) or the big wheels (mountain).

Getting the bike home was a bit of a challenge since I was alone and had to shove it into the trunk. I broke a nail. I did it, though. All by myself.

Since it was a holiday weekend, I’ve been busy and haven’t had a lot of bike riding chances. After a couple times out, I know this was a good choice.

I’m going to use the endomondo app as per my aunt’s recommendation to track my rides (distance, timing and calories). I wish there was something similar to C25K for bikes.

I’m really looking forward to this. I want to eventually venture out to the nearby bike trails (since Arlington has so many!)  and hopefully down by the mall (but that will require a bike rack or metro with a bike. eek). I still need to get a helmet and some other bike accessories.

For now, happy riding!