Mea Culpa - a cautionary tale

[redrhodie]

I was kind of afraid to mention this because I'm new here, and I'm not sure how you guys will react, but I don't actually have a bike yet! I've been doing all my training on various exercise bikes at the gym. I want to get to where I can do 100 "miles" at the gym before I really decide if I want to fork over the money to get a bike that would be good enough to allow me to do endurance events.

I would really like to do actual events (other than the driving involved... I hate driving), but it's a lot of money to spend for a bike and all the accessories needed. And I like reading at the gym, and I'm not sure whether reading or actually going somewhere will work better at inspiring me to bike more. I've worked up to doing four-hour rides at the gym, in which time I can read a whole book. I like accomplishing two things at once

They're really 2 different things. Even if you're in amazing shape from stationary biking, cycling will use different muscles, and you'll need to learn how to ride. There's so much more to it, traffic, balance, coordination, just to name a few, that you'll need a bike to learn on.

I think you should start thinking about getting a bike if you do intend to do events soon. You won't know if you like it until you ride one outside. You don't have to spend a lot of money on gear. A lot of the stuff you wear at the gym will work. You'll need a helmet and gloves, which you can get both for for around $50. Although there's a big expense in getting a bike, you can always sell it if you don't like it. Bikes hold their values pretty well. Can you borrow a bike? You can also buy one used.

Also, there's no shame in riding indoors if that's what you like.