Time To Take Up Bike Riding

If losing weight doesn't convince you, the sheer fun of the wind in your hair surely will

No matter your fitness level, clothing size, age, or litany of aches and pains, you can enjoy the fun, adventure, and health benefits that two wheels can bring. Whether you haven't ridden a bike in years or want to start incorporating it more regularly into your cross-training routine, here's what you need to know to get started.

If you can walk, you can ride.

"Cycling puts very little impact on your joints, so it's kind to your body," says bike fit specialist Andrew Pruitt, EdD, director of Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Colorado. "Even if you have pain walking, you can still ride a bike, because it isn't weight bearing." In fact, most people find that they are able to cycle comfortably when they're well into their 70s and 80s.

Philadelphia attorney Rick McMenamin, 66, began cycling when a knee injury sidelined him from running. "I still wanted to exercise, and cycling was something I could do without putting stress on my knees," he says. "I started riding with my wife on mountain bikes." Six months later, Joe Wentzell, owner of Breakaway Bikes and a cycling coach, convinced him to buy a road bike and start training more seriously. "I was amazed at how much progress I made in 1 year. I've trained regularly with Breakaway team members and have even done a few time trials in my age-group," McMenamin says.

Cycling is an especially great way to up your activity when you're out of shape, because you can go farther right off the bat than you would walking or running. "If you can walk half a mile, you can ride a bike 5 miles," Dr. Pruitt says. "This boosts your confidence and makes you more likely to stick with the activity." Thanks to technology updates, bikes can take up the slack for any strength or stamina you might lack. "Bikes today have lots of gears for the steepest grades," says Lorri Lee Lown, head coach at Savvy Bike, Redwood City, CA. "You can even ask a bike shop to add special, very small climbing gears that will allow you to spin your way up any hill."

You can pedal off pounds.

Your legs and butt—the largest muscles in your body—are the power drivers for any bicycle, which makes cycling a great lower-body toner, as well as a major calorie burner. In fact, even moderate cycling—riding 12 to 14 mph—burns more than 500 calories in only 60 minutes, and many people (even novices) can easily bike for an hour or two. This makes cycling a great way to slim down, whether you have a little or a lot to lose.

Elizabeth Seifert, 47, a Web designer/IT specialist in Woodstock, GA, took up cycling just before turning 42, because she wanted to shed her last 10 pounds of baby weight and was bored with the gym. "Never once has riding felt like exercise," she says. Not only did she lose the weight, but she found a new love: "There's an indescribable sense of freedom you get while riding a bike. You feel like a kid again—I'm hooked."

Dinah Hannah, 49, a clinical laboratory scientist from Salt Lake City, started cycling when she was at her heaviest, carrying 240 pounds on her 5-foot-6 frame. "I knew I needed to lose weight. I tried running, but I developed arthritis in my feet and knees," says Hannah. "Then I heard about a commuter challenge where you had to get to work without driving for 1 week." Even though she didn't own a bike and lived 15 miles from her job, Hannah decided to go for it. She bought a mountain bike and—after scoping out a route with the lightest traffic—gave it a try. "I made it to work in just under 2 hours, and since there's no weight bearing in cycling, it didn't bother my joints," she says. "I thought, Wow, I can really do this!" Soon Hannah was addicted: "I loved riding so much that I started training for centuries—100-mile rides—and charity rides like the MS 150, which covers 150 miles in 2 days." Within 2 years, she lost 100 pounds, going from a size 20 to a size 6. "Last year, I did Race Across America on a four-woman team. We won first place for our age-group," she says.

You can do it safely.

Like skiing and other outdoor sports, cycling is as risky as you make it. You wouldn't hop off the lift and barrel down a triple diamond run out of the gate, and you shouldn't try riding down supersteep roads or in heavy traffic if you're new and unsure of your skills. "Start small and work up to more challenging routes as you become comfortable," says Lown.

Just as you did when your parents took off those training wheels decades ago, begin by practicing the basics (starting, stopping, shifting gears, and turning) where there's plenty of space and little traffic, like a parking lot or a park. Make sure you're comfortable and able to control your speed—especially on downhills—before taking your bike out for a true spin. When you feel comfortable, you can vary your routes. Talk with your local bike shop or club to find out the best spots to ride, or discover popular routes with the free app MapMyRide. Download it to your mobile phone and it will automatically find routes that other cyclists in your area have ridden. "Women my age say, 'I don't know how you do it. I'd be a nervous wreck,' " says Dede Muhler, 68, a tree pruning specialist from Oakland, CA, who rides an average of 5 to 7 hours a week. "But it's no more dangerous than 100 things you do every day—and there's nothing else like it."

You'll make new friends.

"Cycling is a great way to stay active as you get older, because it's not as isolated as running or other activities," says McMenamin. Looking to make some cycling friends? Consider joining a local club. "Cycling clubs are a wealth of information on how to ride and improve your skills. Plus, you'll be surrounded by other cyclists and make lots of friends to ride with," says Lown.

You see the world differently.

The real beauty of bicycling is all the amazing places it can take you. There's simply nothing in the world like rolling through fields of wildflowers, pedaling along the edge of the ocean, or soaking in the scenery of a mountaintop vista. "Cycling opens up worlds of territory to explore, providing a more intimate understanding of nature and the terrain," says Muhler.

Ruth Andrews, 60, a retired nurse from Simi Valley, CA, agrees: "I love that you're outside and can take in the sights and sounds—it's beautiful." Bicycling also opens the door to a variety of fun vacation possibilities. "I've biked along the Riviera in France and through the mountains of Girona, Spain," says McMenamin. "Challenging yourself on the climbs while taking in the beauty of these areas is quite an experience.”

 

 Choose your bike wisely.

You wouldn't dream of waltzing into a car dealer and plunking down your cash on the first car that caught your fancy. You research, test-drive, and find a dealer who treats you well. Do the same with your bike purchase. First rule: Go to a bike shop rather than a big-box store, says Lown. "Bike-shop employees are more knowledgeable about bike selection and proper fit," she says.

And while there's a dizzying array of bikes to choose from, you can whittle down your choices by considering where you'll ride, says Lown. If that's primarily pavement, go for a road bike or touring bike with comfortable, more upright geometry—as opposed to aerodynamic (very hunched forward) race geometry—which you can buy with flat handlebars (instead of curvy racer handlebars) and wider tires for comfort and stability. If you think you'll just ride to take care of errands, consider a cruiser or town bike, which sits you more upright and may have carrying capacity. Heading for trails and rough paths? A fat-tired off-road bike is in order.

Keep in mind, if the last bike you bought had a banana seat, you will likely have a case of sticker shock. Today's high-end bikes are crafted from feather-light, durable materials like carbon fiber and come equipped with finely tuned components (brakes, gears, and shifters) that provide a dreamy ride but boost prices upward of $1,000. Don't panic—you'll still get a great bike at the lower price points.

A proper fit fights soreness.

The number one thing that keeps many people from cycling is discomfort, especially in the nether regions, says Dr. Pruitt. This is where the right fit comes in. Your bike shop will adjust your position to distribute your weight properly on the saddle (the technical term for the seat) and handlebars and make sure your back isn't too stretched out and your knees track properly.

The shop's experts will also make sure that your saddle fits your sitz bones (the two lowest points on your pelvis that take your weight when you sit), which should support your weight on the rear of the seat. Whether you need a wide saddle or a skinny one has nothing to do with the size of your derriere but, rather, with the width of your sitz bones, says Dr. Pruitt, who helped develop what Specialized Bikes has playfully named the ass-o-meter, a gel-filled cushion that measures your sitz bones. (You sit on it and stand back up, and the imprints of your sitz bones are there for all to see.) If the saddle on your bike isn't immediately comfortable after a proper bike fit, continue to try others till you find one that is.