Ride Your Bike to Work This Month

It's all about biking this month - Bike to Work Month. Ditch your car, skip the metro, hop on your bike. All month.

I encourage you to unite with thousands of other through the country by riding your bike to work this month. And I sincerely hope that, when the month is over, you will continue to keep bicycling to work.

OK, you reply, just why would I do something so crazy? My car is comfy. It's fast. And *gasp* I'm even protected from the wind and rain in my pile of steel and rubber. Why would I opt to ditch my four wheels in favor of two?

If you bike to work for only one month, you can:

1) Burn 18,800 calories

2) Save $88.00 in gas money

3) Attain a C02 reduction of 384 pounds

4) Brag to your friends about points 1-3

OK - you're thinking all those things are great. Burning the extra calories is a good thing and saving money and being friendly to the environment - they are all noble ideas. But we all know the real reason for digging that bike out from behind all the junk in the garage:

Biking is more fun

Give yourself permission to be a kid again. Enjoy the freedom and sensations of wind blowing through your hair. Splash through rain puddles. How bad can the day be if you can splash in rain puddles?

Wait - I can hear it now... Your list of excuses is coming... What about your clothes - you can't work in your biking clothes? What about storing the bike? What will people say??

But really, all of that is just excuses. If you really make the decision to bike to work, you'll find a way. Take a week's worth of clothes and leave them in the office or stash what you need for the day in your pannier. Talk with the security guard about some old, rarely-used closet where you can stash the bike. It might take a bit of creativity, but it'll work. If you make it work.

And so we come back to the very beginning - I challenge you, yes you, to ride your bike to work this month. Every. Single. Day.

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been touring by bicycle for nearly thirty years. She has tried all kinds of gear and equipment and discovered that sometimes, simplicity is best. For tips and information on all aspect of bike touring, check out her website.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Comfort While Bicycle Touring

Discomfort is the first thing many people think of when they hear the words "bike tour". You'll be perched on a tiny bike seat all day... Crouched on the ground cooking around a camp stove in the evening... Tossing and turning in a tiny tent all night... With the proper planning and attention to your needs, bicycle touring does not have to be uncomfortable at all - you just have to figure out what you will need to be comfortable.

Bike tourists have gotten creative through the years - they've strapped everything from lawn chairs to guitars to surf boards to their bikes. The important thing is to figure out what it is that you need to be comfortable and make sure you find a spot on your bike for those items.

For planning purposes, it'll help to think about your day in three distinct parts: biking during the day, relaxing in camp in the evening, and sleeping in your tent at night.

On the bike: Your clothes must be comfortable. You'll be wearing them all day in the sun, and they have to fit properly. Some cyclists prefer regular cotton t-shirts; others prefer special cycling clothes. You may prefer padded bike shorts or regular shorts. There is no one way to dress while biking, but be sure you're comfortable in your choice. There is nothing worse than wearing ill-fitting clothing that rubs you raw as you pedal.

Your bike also has to fit you. If possible, go to a good bike shop with experts in touring. They will be able to look at you on your bike and see if you are positioned correctly. You don't want your handlebar too low in relation to your seat or you'll have too much weight on your hands. Too short of a reach and you're bunched up, too long and you're reaching too far.

In the campsite: Think about what you'll do during the evening after a tough day in the saddle. Do you need a chair to sit on, or will you be OK sitting on the ground? Can you cook in one big pot or need a variety of shapes and sizes? Will you be comfortable hanging around in your cycling clothes or do you need something looser to change into? There is a wide variety of wants and needs in this department, so consider your needs and pack accordingly.

After a tough day of cycling, you'll be tired and need to rest. What are your needs? Make sure those items get stashed on your bike somewhere.

Sleeping: Sleeping is also a very personal issue. Some of us need big thick inflatable pads, while others are OK with a thin pad. Small, light tent or big, heavier one? Pillow? Some of us carry actual pillows, while others are content with clothing crammed into a stuff sack.

In order to perform at your best the next day, you will need to sleep well. Make sure you are properly set up to be comfortable.

Traveling on bicycle should not be a miserable, uncomfortable experience. If you pay attention to your needs, you will be able to pack in such a way that you can have your cake and eat it too!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been traveling by bicycle for nearly thirty years. She has tried all kinds of gear and equipment and discovered that sometimes, simplicity is best. For tips and information on all aspect of bicycle touring, check out her website.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Choosing The Right Shoes For Your Bike Tour

There are so many options when it comes to shoes and pedals for bicycle touring it can be confusing. Do you need cleats and special shoes? Sneakers and toe clips? What are the options anyway?

The first thing you'll have to decide is what kind of tour you plan to do. Will you be on the bike most of the day? Or will you be out hiking and sightseeing a lot? Depending on your needs, there are advantages and disadvantages of each type of shoes.

Cleats: You've seen cyclists hobbling around after getting off their bikes. They are wearing very hard soles with cleats on the bottom which help them pedal more efficiently. With these shoes, your feet will be firmly attached to the pedals so you can pull up as well as push down on the pedals, which makes your pedaling much more efficient.

With stiff-soled cycling shoes, very little energy is lost to the shoe and the pressure you exert will be evenly distributed across your entire foot which is more comfortable in the long run. They also tend to last longer than other shoes in that they are reinforced in all the places they need to for the bike.

However, that efficiency and comfort comes at a price. Due to the stiffness of the shoes, it is very difficult to walk in cleats. When you need to go into the grocery store or walk across a bridge or take a quick hike back to a waterfall, you will have to change your shoes. As soon as you arrive in the campsite, your first task will be to dig out your other shoes and put them on. Climbing an embankment for a better photo may end up being more hassle than it's worth.

Hybrid shoes: Many cyclists have found the hybrid shoes are just the answer they are looking for - a more flexible, yet still semi-rigid, rubber sole with a recessed cleat. These shoes are frequently billed as "mountain bike shoes" as they are designed for mountain bikers who can't afford the absolute rigidity of cycling shoes and yet still want their feet securely held in place to be able to use their entire pedal stroke.

Mountain bike shoes are great for the tourist in that they are reasonably efficient and much more comfortable for walking than stiff-soled cycling shoes. Many tourists find one pair of these is all they need. Because the cleat is recessed, you will be able to walk through grocery stores or go for short hikes no problem. In the campground, you can continue to wear your cycling shoes rather than having to change.

Some people, however, don't find mountain bike shoes comfortable on long walks, and need to carry other shoes for hiking or long sightseeing trips in cities. If you find yourself walking in mud, the cleats will get clogged up and you'll need to scrape them clean with a stick.

Regular sneakers: Still other cyclists prefer the simplicity of regular shoes. With this option your pedaling stroke won't be as efficient, but you won't have to deal with changing shoes. Look for trail running shoes that are designed for flexing in one direction for walking, but not to flex down over rocks or pedals. Salomons and Keens have been well tested on the bike.

This option is the least efficient of all, yet is simpler, which may be what you are looking for. You'll need to think about how to hold your foot on the pedal though - you can use toe clips, Power Grips, or spiky pedals to prevent your feet from flying off.

I recommend trying all three options and see type of footwear works best for you. I've tried them all and have found I prefer the simplicity of regular sneakers. Others find hard-soled cycling shoes to their liking. There is no right and wrong answer, so find what works for you!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel discovered the joys of bike touring nearly 30 years ago and has watched the changes in gear and equipment through the years. For help planning your own bicycle tour, check out her website, www.familyonbikes.org. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Maps For Bicycle Touring

Maps are wonderful things and can help bike tourists in many ways - mostly to prevent us from getting lost. Unless you are planning your next bicycle tour to a good friend's house a couple hours away, chances are you'll need some kind of map to guide you along.

Many people new to bicycle touring get caught up on this aspect of touring - they think they need some kind of special map and that planning their route needs to be based on some kind of special cycling routes. Nothing could be farther from the truth. All you really need is a regular, plain ol' state map.

I've toured in something like 25 countries in the past 30 years have never used anything more complicated than a standard road map. We look for back roads whenever possible and talk to local people to get their opinion. This method is perfectly adequate and many times provides far superior paths as local people tend to know what is around their area.

Another option that many cyclists enjoy is using special bike-touring maps created by Adventure Cycling. These maps are very detailed and include all the information a bike tourist might need - including where you'll find grocery stores and bike shops. Adventure Cycling has designed routes through many parts of the USA - if you plan to go where they have a route, you may decide to take advantage of their knowledge.

Google Maps has recently introduced a new feature - bike routes. You can plug in where you want to start and where you hope to end up, and they will come up with a route for you. The route is based on little-used roads and looks to be a promising resource. At this point, it is too new to know how it will pan out, but certainly give it a try for your next tour.

If you have a GPS, you can use it. Many cyclists find they prefer the ease of plugging in a set of coordinates and then not having to think about it again, but a GPS is not essential in any way. You can decide for yourself if you think the investment will be worth it for you.

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been traveling by bicycle for nearly thirty years. She has tried all kinds of gear and equipment and discovered that sometimes, simplicity is best. For tips and information on all aspect of bicycle touring, check out her website.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

How To Choose The Material For Your Touring Bike

A debate is raging over which type of bike is the best for touring - aluminum or steel. Many people find the rigidity of aluminum to provide a comfortable ride, while others prefer the flexibility of steel. In the end, the choice comes down to personal preference in the comfort department.

There is, however, another consideration that needs to be looked at - the ease of repair should something happen to the bike. If you are riding an aluminum bike, you will need to get to a specialized facility in a large city if you need anything welded on your bike. There are people in every tiny village throughout the world who can weld steel.

But really - what are the chances that you will have to have your bike welded? When was the last time you needed to weld your bike?

If your frame breaks completely nobody will be able to weld it back together so that it is perfectly aligned, and you'll need to get a new frame anyway. In that regard, it won't matter if your frame is aluminum or steel.

A more likely scenario is that something small will happen to your bike. Perhaps you'll break a braze-on or some other small, critical part. If that happens, you could be stranded with an aluminum bike, but will be able to get a steel bike repaired quite easily.

When I was loading my bike on a bus in India many years ago I broke a small braze-on that held my brake cable in place. Fortunately, I was able to get it welded back together in the small village I was in and we continued on our way. If my bike had been aluminum, I'm not sure where I would have had to go to get it repaired.

So we come back to the original question: which is better for touring? If you plan to ride around the USA where you have an easy out, it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Ride whatever you feel most comfortable on. If you plan to ride around the world, I would recommend going with steel just for the off chance that you break a braze-on or other small part. If your entire frame fails, get a new one sent out.

Nany Sathre-Vogel has been bicycle touringfor more than 20 years now and has gained plenty of wisdome during those years. You can take advantage of her experience for planning your bike travels. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

How Do I Start Touring on Bicycle?

Bicycle touring is traveling using your bicycle as your means of transportation. There are generally two types of touring - supported and unsupported.

A supported tour is one with some sort of sag wagon to carry your gear. It may be an organized tour with hundreds of riders and semi-trucks to carry gear, or just a family affair with your spouse driving the family car and meeting you at the campground or hotel at the end of the day.

An unsupported tour is one where you carry all your own gear on your bike. Depending on where you are riding, you may spend each night in a hotel so will need minimal gear or you might end up camping so will have to carry a tent and sleeping bag in addition to clothes and food.

How do I start? Just go. You don't need a lot of fancy-schmancy equipment for a short, two- or three-day tour. Buy a rack at any bike store to put on your bike, then attach your gear in whatever stuff sacks you have lying around. You'll figure out real quickly what you need and what you don't!

It won't take long before you'll realize that some bike-specific gear (like panniers - saddle bags for the bike) are very helpful and will want to invest in some. By then you'll know what you want so will be able to buy some that will fit your needs. There are many different sizes and styles, so having a bit of experience before buying is helpful.

Where do I go? Does it matter? Just get on your bike and ride! If Grandma lives a day's ride from your house, that would be a perfect destination for a first tour. Is there a national or state park a couple hundred miles away? Perfect! Just pick a road that doesn't have too much traffic on it and go.

How far should I ride each day? There is no hard and fast rule for this question. Just as there are thousands of cycle tourists, there are thousands of different answers. Some tourists find they enjoy doing long mileages - 100 or more miles every day. Others prefer a slow, languorous pace and ride only 30 or 40 miles daily. The overall average - and a good figure to plan on - is between 50 and 70 miles daily. You'll figure out within a week if that is too much or too little for you.

Be flexible in planning your distances! Winds or hills will vary your distance tremendously, as will extreme heat or cold. It's good to have a ballpark figure to shoot for, but realize that each day will be unique.

The most important thing to remember when planning distances is to be flexible and realize that each day will be its own day.

Where do I sleep at night? Each person will attack this question differently. If you are on an organized tour, you'll sleep in set spots every night. Independent tourists will have more flexibility. Some people prefer to stay in a hotel or B&B each night and plan their tour accordingly, while others choose to camp for financial reasons or because they tour in a remote area with no hotels.

To find camping spots, you may have to get creative, but rest assured that you will always be able to find something. National forest and BLM land are open for camping, and campgrounds are great - but they are not always available where you want to spend the night. You can wild camp - pull off into the woods and hide where nobody can see you - or you can ask someone if you can camp in their yard. People are generally quite receptive to bike tourists and will usually go out of their way to help you out.

Most of all, don't worry about it. All people on earth understand that you need a place to sleep and most will help you find one.

What do I eat? It is not unusual to need 5000 calories per day while touring, and you'll need to eat a lot of good food to meet that need. You will be expecting a lot from your body and will need to eat properly to fuel it.

A proper diet is critical while touring. You may be tempted to fill up on ice cream, cookies, and chocolate bars, but don't do it. Your body needs the vitamins and nutrients it can only get from good food.

Eat a variety of foods with a good balance of carbs, protein, and fat. You will most likely find that you'll need a higher percentage of fat than you are used to - the fat tends to provide fuel for longer periods of time than carbs do. Check out this shopping list for bicycle tourists for more specific ideas.

Get out there and ride. You'll learn the ropes quickly once you are on the road - don't over-plan! Don't worry about having all the "right" equipment or having every little detail of your tour planned out. Just ride - and enjoy!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been bicycle touring for many years and provides extensive resources on her site, www.familyonbikes.org. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

How To Get The Whole Family Out Cycling

Never before have there been so many options for families wishing to get out together on their bicycles. As each family is a unique entity and has needs of their own, there is no one way of biking that is best. Consider the best option for your family!

Small children will need to be connected to your bike in some way. There are a number of options available: trailer, trailer bike, tandem, or coupler to attach your child's bike behind yours.

Trailers are wonderful and are a very popular choice for many families. Your child can relax in the trailer and sleep when he wants. When he wakes up, he can either watch the scenery go by or play with toys. If you are traveling, a trailer can provide additional space for gear.

Trailers are not perfect though. Some families have found that their child sleeps too much in the trailer, and then isn't tired at night when the parents need to sleep after a busy day. In addition, your child will not be helping with the work load, which can lead to frustration for some children.

Trailer bikes are one-wheeled contraptions that attach to the back of your bike. Your child will be able to pedal when he feels like it and rest when he wants. Some trailer bikes come with gears, which is highly recommended so your child can help pedal up hills. This option has the advantage in that the child feels he is helping with the workload. When you reach the top of a hill, he knows he's helped and can be proud of his accomplishments. He is a member of a team and takes full credit for victories won.

A disadvantage of a trailer bike is that there is no easy way too protect your child from the elements. Even with proper rain gear, hands and feet are vulnerable if weather turns bad. Also, kids tend to be lulled to sleep with the gentle rocking of the bike, which can lead to a dangerous situation.

Tandems are great for family cycling. Many of the advantages of tandems are the same as for the trailer bike - the child is actively helping and is part of the team. But the tandem has the additional benefit of pedaling in sync so your child learns proper cadence and is more tied to the captain. Due to the close proximity, you can talk with your child on a tandem.

Tandems don't come cheap, which is the primary disadvantage of them. The tandem remains a tandem and you can't disconnect the stoker seat to run errands on your own. Shipping a tandem can be pricey as they are very much oversized. If you plan to travel with your tandem a lot, it is worth the extra money to get S & S couplers so it will break down into smaller pieces.

One more option that works for touring with children is a small connector that connects an adult's bike to a small kid's bike. The child can ride his bike on his own when desired, but when tired can be towed behind Mom or Dad. The two connectors currently available are the Trail Gator Tow Bar and Follow Me coupler.

When your child is a bit older, a single bike becomes an option. Not all children mature at the same rate, so it is difficult to give an age - one child might be ready to ride his own bike at age 8 while another child would need to wait until a teenager. Pay attention to your child and make the decision based on his skills and personality. Consider his physical strength, coordination, ability to be aware of surroundings, and maturity.

Many families have kids of varying ages, so find a combination of some sort works best for them. A tandem with a trailer works well, and the trailer bike companies are now making them so a trailer can be attached behind. It makes a long train, but allows a family to get out on tour - which is a good thing!

Looking to find tips and advice about bicycling with children, then visit www.familyonbikes.org to find the best advice on family bicycling.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Why Biking With Children is Good For Them And You

It always makes me sad to hear people say kids are better off sitting in a classroom than they are out traveling and seeing the world! I can say wholeheartedly that my 21 years as a classroom teacher have taught me otherwise!

Travel is good for kids in so many ways, and traveling on bicycle is even more beneficial. There are many reasons I feel seeing the world from the seat of a bike are good for both parents and kids:

* Persistance. In today's society, it is all too easy to give up too early. Kids aren't taught to stick with something even when it is hard. On a bike tour, you will go through tough times and kids will learn - when they reach the top of a steep pass or reach Grandma's house after battling a head wind all day - the value of sticking with it and not giving up.

* Some days are not so nice. In life, some days are not all we want them to be, but we plod through. On our journey, some days are cold or rainy or snowy or blistering hot - but we push on knowing that MOST days are nice. Isn't that how life is?

* Immeasurable opportunities. If a child can ride his bike across the state, country, or world, is there anything he can't do?

* Understand the unifying nature of all humankind - regardless of color/religion/language. People are people, and my kids have learned that ALL kids are fun to play with, even if they can't talk with them.

* Built in play things rather than idiot boxes. Most kids today spend way too much time with electronic entertainment. Who needs all that when Mother Nature's toys surround you?

* Creativity. On the bike, you can't carry a lot of toys. Children learn to be creative with what they find - rocks, sticks, pine cones, berries...

* Contextual learning. If you learn something in context it means a whole lot more than learning random facts and figures. When you travel, all those random facts come together and make sense.

* Active. In today's sedentary world, need I say more?

Learn more about traveling with children. Stop by Nancy Sathre-Vogel's site where you can find out all about bicycling with children and how you can take your children out too.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Taking Small Children On A Bicycle Tour

Many people think they have to wait until their children are teenagers before heading out on a bicycle tour with them. But bicycling with small children can be a fabulous experience for all involved. There are a number of options available for touring with kids:

Trailers: There are many trailers available for hauling young children behind your bike and these are great for kids up to about age five. Until age 3, they are the only option possible, but some kids prefer trailers to other means until a bit older. Pay attention to the needs of your child when making the decision.

Trailers are wonderful in that children can sleep while you are pedaling. While awake, they have the choice of watching the scenery or playing with toys. Plus - you can use extra space in the trailer for additional gear.

Trailer bikes: At age 3 or 4, your child will most likely be ready to transition to a trailer bike - a one-wheeled contraption that is hooked on to your bike. These are great in that your child can help you pedal and therefore feels more a part of the team.

Trailer bikes, as good as they have become over the years, are still not terribly efficient and you'll lose energy to the connection. Over time, that leads to a tired parent! Also, the cheaper trailer bikes do not have gears - your child will need gears if he is to help pedal up the hills.

Tandem: A tandem is the vehicle of choice for kids that are big enough to stay seated and pedal. They are much more rigid and efficient that trailer bikes, but are also much more expensive. On a tandem, you are teaching your child proper cadence for pedaling and road safety techniques.

You can buy a tandem that is quite large for your child and put a "kiddie crank" (child stoker kit) on it to raise the pedals up. That way, as he grows you'll simply lower the pedals until you can remove the kiddie crank altogether. In this way, you can get many years of service from your tandem.

Coupler with child's bike: Another option that is fairly new is to actually hook your child's bike on to the back of yours with either a Trail Gator or Follow Me coupler. This is a fantastic option in that your child can ride his own bike when conditions are safe, but can be securely attached to you while in traffic.

Getting kids out on a bike is a great experience for all involved and you'll have wonderful memories of your time together.

Want to find out more about bicycling with children, then visit Nancy Sathre-Vogel's site for tips and advice on taking children on a bike tour.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

Traveling with World on Bicycle with Children

Do you spend your days dreaming of taking off with your children to explore the world? You'll ride camels around the Egyptian pyramids and gaze in wonder at the graceful domes of the Taj Majal - with your children by your side. You'll take buses from town to town, fly from country to country, and explore back streets by donkey cart. But travel on bicycles? With children?

My husband and I have cycled over 21,000 miles through 12 different countries with our 12 year old twin boys and have discovered that traveling on bicycles with children is the best way to travel.

The bike allows you - indeed, it forces you - to get off the beaten track and see the tiny villages of the world. When one is traveling with a motor of whatever kind, you will skip over the small towns in order to reach the cities. But it's the small villages in a country that can teach you about life in that country. Cities - for all their differences - are mostly the same. In today's face-paced world, cities are becoming increasingly generic; it's the villages that still retain the character of the country, and the bikes allow us to get to know them.

Motorized vehicles encase you in steel and glass and isolate you from Mother Nature. Traveling on bicycle without the protective layer of your vehicle around you, you'll be more in touch with nature. You'll feel the wind in your hair and rain on your cheeks. You'll grind up hills using muscle power only, so will truly understand what those hills are. You'll feel the effect of altitude on temperature as you climb into the mountains.

But more than that, by touring on bicycles, children learn important life lessons that will carry them through life. They learn to persevere through hardships - knowing they will come out victorious on the other side. They learn there are times when only through teamwork can you achieve your goal. They learn that sometimes, the only thing you can do is put one foot in front of the other, set your sights on making it through the next 60 seconds, and forge ahead.

It is true that kids can learn all these lessons in other ways, but traveling on the bike is more fun!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been bicycling with children since her kids were big enough to reach the pedals. She is now cycling from Alaska to Argentina with her sons as they attempt to become the youngest people in the world to pedal the entire Pan American Highway.. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Tags: Bicycle, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, sports

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