Plague Diary, In Which I Ride Bikes
May. 12th, 2020 04:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydyTurns out, attempting to ride a bike after 25 years of never being on a bike, is...well, like riding a bike. There's a Nice Ride bike-share station right near our house, and I have been a bit bored.
Nice Ride bikes are heavy, stable as fuck, 3-speed step-throughs (which we used to call "girl's bikes, back in the day). I really, really like step-throughs. First of all, they are much easier to mount. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, I can wear a skirt and ride (hence, "girl's bikes). Having to change into pants every time I want to ride a bike would be at very best deeply irritating. I got a monthly pass, as it is only $18 and it give you unlimited rides, up to 60 minutes per. Since I barely make 30 minutes, the additional time is not relevant at this point in my life. My neighborhood is relatively flat, and mostly residential streets. 3 speeds is pretty sufficient. So far, I have been riding 7 times, and not fallen off even once. I also haven't run into anything or anyone, though there have been some near misses. I am wobbly as fuck, thank god these things are stable little tanks.
The problem, such as it is, is my tailbone hurts. I took a very slightly longer ride about 5 days ago, and was in a lot of pain for several days. Yesterday and today, I have taken fairly short rides, about 15 minutes, and while I'm still in some pain, it's not so bad as it was. The nice boy at the bike shop said that it takes about two weeks to acclimate.
Oh, yes, I did chat on-line with a bike shop. Because, yes, I am thinking about buying a bike. Which is probably a bad idea in several different regards but... well. The bike I took a shine to, on-line, doesn't seem to be in stock, anywhere. It is the Electra 7D Step-through Cruiser, which is only $350, and looks to be a pretty nice package. The ones in stock are the Townie and the Loft, which are similar, but several hundred dollars more. They are aluminum rather than steel-framed. If you search at Amazon, you get sixthreezero bikes, which are apparently Electra knock-offs. Consumer Reports no longer evaluates bikes, so that's no help. (I am annoyed at CR, which has not been helpful for several purchases of late.)
If my tailbone will just fucking acclimate, this could be fun. And even 15 minutes exercise is better than none, so I'll take it. (I am not looking to lose weight. It'd be nice, but it won't happen. But I am hoping that moving a bit more frequently will reduce the general achiness that is being 58.)
If you have any advice about bikes, I am very interested. I am really only interested in tooling around relatively flat places for fun, at a very leisurely rate. I also very much want a step-through.
Nice Ride bikes are heavy, stable as fuck, 3-speed step-throughs (which we used to call "girl's bikes, back in the day). I really, really like step-throughs. First of all, they are much easier to mount. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, I can wear a skirt and ride (hence, "girl's bikes). Having to change into pants every time I want to ride a bike would be at very best deeply irritating. I got a monthly pass, as it is only $18 and it give you unlimited rides, up to 60 minutes per. Since I barely make 30 minutes, the additional time is not relevant at this point in my life. My neighborhood is relatively flat, and mostly residential streets. 3 speeds is pretty sufficient. So far, I have been riding 7 times, and not fallen off even once. I also haven't run into anything or anyone, though there have been some near misses. I am wobbly as fuck, thank god these things are stable little tanks.
The problem, such as it is, is my tailbone hurts. I took a very slightly longer ride about 5 days ago, and was in a lot of pain for several days. Yesterday and today, I have taken fairly short rides, about 15 minutes, and while I'm still in some pain, it's not so bad as it was. The nice boy at the bike shop said that it takes about two weeks to acclimate.
Oh, yes, I did chat on-line with a bike shop. Because, yes, I am thinking about buying a bike. Which is probably a bad idea in several different regards but... well. The bike I took a shine to, on-line, doesn't seem to be in stock, anywhere. It is the Electra 7D Step-through Cruiser, which is only $350, and looks to be a pretty nice package. The ones in stock are the Townie and the Loft, which are similar, but several hundred dollars more. They are aluminum rather than steel-framed. If you search at Amazon, you get sixthreezero bikes, which are apparently Electra knock-offs. Consumer Reports no longer evaluates bikes, so that's no help. (I am annoyed at CR, which has not been helpful for several purchases of late.)
If my tailbone will just fucking acclimate, this could be fun. And even 15 minutes exercise is better than none, so I'll take it. (I am not looking to lose weight. It'd be nice, but it won't happen. But I am hoping that moving a bit more frequently will reduce the general achiness that is being 58.)
If you have any advice about bikes, I am very interested. I am really only interested in tooling around relatively flat places for fun, at a very leisurely rate. I also very much want a step-through.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-12 10:47 pm (UTC)I assume you've thought about padded shorts?
Can you raise or lower the seat on the rental bikes? I would suggest trying different heights, and also adjusting how far back/forward you sit. You could also try tilting forward more to take pressure off your tailbone, although that adds pressure in other places.
I owned an aluminum road bike for a long time and got tired of it rattling my bones on rough pavement, so I got a steel bike. I like it a lot better. Best wishes for finding the right bike for you!
no subject
Date: 2020-05-12 11:46 pm (UTC)The seats do adjust. I take it to the lowest setting, which makes it possible to mount and dismount without having to lean the bike way over.
Interesting data on aluminum vs. steel. Thank you.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-12 11:52 pm (UTC)