Just like riding a bike

Last weekend, I decided it might be fun to reclaim part of my childhood and get a bike. I have fond memories of spending hours riding around in the hot Arkansas sun, exploring my neighborhood and trying to figure out where every trail came out. It's been cooling off lately and spending a few hours outside doesn't seem like torture anymore, so I figured now was as good a time as any.

My one limitation when purchasing a bike is that I wanted to spend as little money as possible. I'm sure any of you who ride bikes regularly or know what a camelback is or who have even halfway considered participating in the Big Dam Bridge 100 are screaming at your monitors right now about how regrettable it's going to be to not have invested a little money to go to a bike shop, get fitted for something decent, and pay a little more for quality. I'm sure J&P Bike Shop in Sherwood could have hooked me up. However, my excitement about new activities like this sometimes lasts about as long as a popcicle. So I foresee more regret from spending too much on a bike than too little. I can always replace a cheap bike later if I actually ride with any kind of regularity.

So, with that in mind, I headed out looking for the best cheap bike I could find. I had an absolute maximum spending limit of $100. Based on that, I checked a couple of websites and narrowed by shopping trip down to three stores: Walmart, Sports Authority, and Academy. I went to Sports Authority first, but that trip didn't last long because they didn't have any adult bikes for less than $100. My second stop was Walmart. I went to the Supercenter on McCain and their bike section is toward the front of the store across the aisle from the shampoo. They had some a display of Schwinns on the end cap, but nothing was priced. The rest of the adult bikes were crammed together on a main aisle, which made it hard to leisurely look over the choices. Walmart had a couple of choices just under my price range, but there wasn't anything I liked enough to keep me from making my final stop at Academy.

When I got to Academy, I found that they had the largest selction of the three stores when it comes to bikes for all ages. They were split up into girl's, boy's, women's and men's, with each section roughly arranged by price. This layout made it very easy to narrow my choices down. They had several options under $100, including the bottom-dollar deal of the day for $59. After pulling a couple off the rack and weighing my choices, I finally settled on one for $80. It was $20 more than I had to pay, but it got me more comfortable grips, easier to reach brakes, and a lighter frame, while still leaving me enough under budget to get a saddle upgrade. All the bikes at Academy came pre-assembled, so all I had to do when I got home was check the tire inflation, adjust the seat and handlebar height, and swap out the saddle. I was off riding in no time!

Once I started riding around, I discovered that there are a lot more sidewalks and trails in my neighborhood than I had noticed before. I also realized that I'm not as young as I used to be. The days of spending all afternoon peddling around the neighborhood are long gone until I can build up some stamina in these old bones. So far, I've gone out riding twice, once down a trail with some gravel and rocks and once on sidewalks and paved areas. I think I'm much more likely to stick with this than if I decided to start walking a couple of times a week. On a bike, I'm able to cover more distance and everything takes on more of a sense of adventure.

I'd like to find out where some longer trails are and I might have to head to the foot of the Big Dam Bridge some weekend. I think trying to peddle up the bridge would use up too much energy and my ride would have to be shortened as a consequence, but I'd love to take off down the biking trails and see where they lead. I've already been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to get around on a bike, and I'm looking forward to getting out again.

Any recommendations out there for biking trails suited for a beginner?