When you first started...

[mimitabby]

when I started I thought 5 miles was a long long tiresome ride.

[sundial]

Wow, so many E lovers here. Kathie, you'll increase your mileage in no time. It doesn't take long with muscle memory kicking in.

Emily and Lisa SH, I'd like to see your interior bike holder. Do you have to pop the front wheel off to use it--like Honda's bike rack? You can PM the pics so as not to hijack this thread further.

Well I'm off to ride. I'll check back later.

[IFjane]

*Insert whine here* I want an Element!!

[RoadRaven]

Kathie, you are so very right about setting goals.

One of my 'mistakes' when I first started was to set my goals too high: to climb this hill in this time, or to race with that average.

I've realised now that with cycling, the fitter you get, the smaller the improvements for the same ammount of effort. And as I can't find more time in my days to make "more effort" than I have to settle for small but steady improvements.

So I guess I'm saying, make your goals achievable.

For example, 3 years ago I wanted to ride 50kms.
2 years ago I wanted to ride a 50km race and complete it within a time based on my training times.
This year I have a definite time I want to be finished in and am training and doing club races over those roads so I am really familiar with it.

If you are interested in goals etc I have a thread in the Race Results forum which has plenty of goal setting and readjusting in it.

Stay focused and enjoy... enjoying is critical.

[Kathie]

*Insert whine here* I want an Element!!

Woul you like cheese with your wine?

Kathie, you are so very right about setting goals.

One of my 'mistakes' when I first started was to set my goals too high: to climb this hill in this time, or to race with that average.

I've realised now that with cycling, the fitter you get, the smaller the improvements for the same ammount of effort. And as I can't find more time in my days to make "more effort" than I have to settle for small but steady improvements.

So I guess I'm saying, make your goals achievable.

For example, 3 years ago I wanted to ride 50kms.
2 years ago I wanted to ride a 50km race and complete it within a time based on my training times.
This year I have a definite time I want to be finished in and am training and doing club races over those roads so I am really familiar with it.

If you are interested in goals etc I have a thread in the Race Results forum which has plenty of goal setting and readjusting in it.

Stay focused and enjoy... enjoying is critical.

Thank you so much for your input. I'm going to check that thread out. I hear what your saying though. I don't want to set my self up for failure. I feel as if I've found something I'm connected to and I don't want to mess that up.

BTW...I rode 16 miles today! That's a first! I'm really drained now. It was so hot.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily and Lisa SH, I'd like to see your interior bike holder. Do you have to pop the front wheel off to use it--like Honda's bike rack? You can PM the pics so as not to hijack this thread further.

I PM'd you...

Emily

[Tuckervill]

I posted pics in this thread of my Element with the bikes inside.

In addendum to that post, I put my son's mtb and my road bike on the little rack (that's my mtb on the right in the pics) last weekend. I didn't pull the seat out completely, just flipped it up. I actually had both seats up, and there was plenty of room. But then I had to pick up my grandson who needs a car seat, and I was afraid the other seat wouldn't go down. But, it did!

I didn't make canvas wheel bags, either, as stated in that thread. I happened upon some at Nashbar for just $10 so I bought them. I hang those from a hook or just stick them in there.

The little board DOES slide around a bit if there's nothing wedging it in place. I put some kind of grippy feet on the bottom, but that didn't really help. So I just took a little wire and wired it to the tie-down loop at the back of the car. My son's bike tire ends up resting against the back of my seat so that keeps it in place, too.

Notice that I staggered the bikes so as to nest them together as closely as possible to get as much room for other cargo. I wouldn't go for the Honda bike rack, as that requires you to put your bike smack dab in the middle, and you can only put one in because of the way it is attached to the spare wheel cover. But if one bike is all you need to put in there, then go for it!

Here's a pic of my E doing its other job:

Karen

[sundial]

Karen, your E is very nice! Tango Red?

When I'm headed out with my bike, I just unfold the one seat and hang it out of the way and roll the bike in with the handlebars resting over the head rest of the other seat. If it's both of our bikes, I hang both seats out of the way and bungee in the bikes. It works for us but I've got a Thule rack on the way.

A few years ago hubby made me a platform for the cargo area and covered it with auto carpet (found at O'Reilly's). He made it so that the large dog crates could set above the wheel wells in the back. I wonder if I could make it work for the bike accessory.

[emily_in_nc]

You gals who fold the Element seats up against the windows, you don't find that it really hurts visibility when driving? I did that exactly once in my E and felt like I had HUGE blind spots. So, the seats are hanging with rope and pulleys my DH rigged up near our garage ceiling most of the time, and the back of the E is just wide open for bikes, luggage, whatever! We also have Thule racks for the top for kayaks.

My E stays pretty dirty from living on a gravel/dirt road, which gets muddy when it rains, so I won't post a photo here!

Emily

[sundial]

I like to hang only one seat at a time because I'm so used to looking out the side windows rather than the side mirrors.