Bike riding for 182 CONSECUTIVE days = SIX MONTHS!

Bike riding for 182 CONSECUTIVE days = SIX MONTHS!

Most of my riding is done early in the morning before work. 

I do have some beautiful areas to ride near home and work. You can catch a glimpse of that HERE.

On April 1st, I started riding each day with 30 Days of Biking. This is an international organization that encourages you to commit to ride your bike each day for thirty days (the month of April).  I rode each day in the month of April and just kept going. Thirty days, sixty days, ninety days . . . . you get the idea. After I hit one hundred days, I set a personal goal to ride each day for six months! Although I have been riding for over ten years, this is the most ambitious goal I have ever set for myself. I've ridden lots of miles -- numerous centuries and some months I have logged over a thousand miles. However, this goal required a sustained commitment of riding each day for at least 182 days, maintaining an average of over 20 miles per day.

By the grace of God, with His enabling, today I have reached that goal! I have logged over 4,200 miles in the past 6 months while averaging 23 miles a day. Rain or shine, I hopped on the bike in the morning before work and enjoyed the early morning hours of cycling. Personally, I have put more miles on my bikes than I have on our cars. For the most part, the weather cooperated. I do make a point not to ride in lightning. :-)

The chart below shows my miles for the past twelve months. I have rounded off the last six month totals at the bottom of the chart.

APR=720  MAY=618  JUL=736  JUL=833  AUG=708 SEP=600

One of the questions I am asked most is, What kind of bike do you ride?  My answer usually depends on which one I can get to in the garage! I own a few bikes. I've pictured a few of them that I have ridden over the last six months. I've also noted the total number of miles I have on each of these bikes.

Dahon Speed P8 total miles 1,225

I purchased this great little bike earlier this year for $100. The Trek Store took it in on trade and really didn't want to keep it in their inventory, so they gave me a great deal on it. It is a perfect all-around commuting bike. I ride it everywhere. I especially like riding it in the city. I like that it folds up and goes right into the back of my 1969 VW Bug.

Trek District Single Speed total miles 1,153
You can see I have detailed this bike with wood and leather

This is a Trek District single speed road bike. I also purchased this bike earlier this year. It has a flip-flop rear hub that easily converts the freewheeling single speed into a fixed-gear bike. I've done quite a bit of customizing on this beautiful bike. 

Sun EZ3 Trike total miles 154

I have sold this recumbent trike several times and bought it back. It is cumbersome and slow. I use it occasionally on slick pavements. My favorite use for this trike is riding with my grandson. We've logged some happy miles on this trike. When he was much younger, he liked riding in the seat on the front of the bike. You can see that HERE.

Giant Halfway Folding Bike total miles 3,580

This is the first folding bike I've ever owned. It is also the first bike I've owned with a mono-fork. This enables it to fold into a tighter package. It is a seven speed bike. When I bought it, I never thought I would ride it as much as I have. It is the perfect sightseeing bike. It is lightweight, maneuverable and easy to get around on. Because it quickly adjusts to almost any size person, it is a good bike to lend to a friend.

Trek R200 Recumbent total miles 25,732

This is the first and only recumbent Trek ever made. It is unique in that it has two derailleurs.  One on the rear tire and one in the middle under the seat. The two combined gives you a total of 40 gears. It is a little difficult to get used to initially, but as you can see, I have put a lot of miles on this recumbent in the years I have had it.

1964 Schwinn Varsity total miles 137

My son Matthew helped me get this Schwinn classic. It is a steel frame bike that rides very smoothly. This one is in excellent condition. Note that it does have both front and rear lights that work off the generator on the rear wheel. This classic bike was made 50 years ago. The same year that Hope Bible Church began!  For that reason, I call it the Anniversary Bike.
You can see a 1964 Schwinn advertisement for this bicycle HERE. The bike sold for $66.95 in 1964.

Trek Transport total miles 618 miles 

With the increased popularity of bike commuting, there have been a number of cargo bikes that have come onto market. This is Trek's first cargo bike. It has a large load capacity and is geared to move heavy loads. Trek makes the custom canvas bags to fit the bikes unique hauling racks. The bags can be easily removed to haul bulkier loads that will not fit in the bags. I call this my Truck and have done a lot of shopping and commuting on it. Great bike! You can see a review of this bike HERE.

Trek 1.5 total miles 9,623

This Trek 1.5 is the first real road bike I've owned. It was a radical shift from my recumbent road bike. I was not sure I would like the transition, but I do. This is a lightweight machine that I ride almost anywhere (on road) and although I haven't had it long, I've put a lot of miles on it.

That is probably more than you really wanted to know about some of my bikes. I do have a few more, but these are the ones that I have ridden the last 182 days to cover the 4,200 miles in my six month goal. Maybe my wife will be impressed enough with this accomplishment that she will encourage me to celebrate by buying a new bike. That probably isn't going to happen!