By now one must have realised that all that news about cycling - death, corruption in buying foldable bikes, park connectors, ang mo blocking bus, inconsiderate cyclists, cyclist being sued etc etc does tell one thing - more and more people have taken to cycling. It is this no surprise that bike stores are becoming a common site.
If you enjoy your food and still one to remain healthy, this is one way to maintain your health. There is no need to hit main and busy roads until you are comfortable or you can remain within places where bike tracks, connectors and cycle paths and still carrying on riding. Here is a suggested approach.
Step1:
Just get a decent mountain bike for about $150 to get you started. If you live along the East Coast, you have absolutely no excuse as there are bridge and tunnels allows you to reach the cycle path which is 10 km. Do a return and you would have covered 20 kms. After 2 weeks of steady cycling, you will feel a lot better, the aching bum is a thing of the past, the legs are much stronger. Your fitness starts picking up.
Step 2:
If you can handle the bike and want to venture on to the roads, pick neighbour streets and go online and look for cycling tips. learn about taking primary or secondary, always a slight more than an open car door width when passing parked cars etc. Start cycling for the Sunday prata or Yakun Coffee. Always be prepared to stop once you sense danger.
Step 3:
You are now a smooth suave and slim looking dude and a champ around the streets of your neighbourhood. You spend more time on the bike than in the car after office hours. Time to make a decision. Is it time to upgrade? If it is time, it can be either a really good hybrid with flat handles, light and riding becomes exhilarating or move to a road bike. You are still looking at bikes that are less than $1.5K.
Take notes: This is not the bike to ride for breakfast where you park and find it 10 minutes later stolen. This is the bike that is for sports and health. You are going to make serious distance compared to Step 2. This is when you ride along roads usually early on weekend mornings. You park your car at East Coast and ride to Changi Village to have your morning breakfast. This is when you have read numerous articles online and comfortable with cycling.
Note: Don't sell your old mountain bike as you need it for neighbourhood kopitiam runs and breakfast and nobody steals it.
Step 4:
You have arrived. You are in lycra, the bike is a serious brand, very light, there is striking bulge where your manhood is, you have serious looking shades on your head, you wave at fellow cyclists at Changi Village and they wave back, you notice the chairman of DBS and his gang drinking teh tarik, you swear that you spotted a PS or two also in the group. The only problem is that the young chicks who cycle will still call you "Uncle". Thats when you tell them that all your friends call you "Flash".
If you enjoy your food and still one to remain healthy, this is one way to maintain your health. There is no need to hit main and busy roads until you are comfortable or you can remain within places where bike tracks, connectors and cycle paths and still carrying on riding. Here is a suggested approach.
Step1:
Just get a decent mountain bike for about $150 to get you started. If you live along the East Coast, you have absolutely no excuse as there are bridge and tunnels allows you to reach the cycle path which is 10 km. Do a return and you would have covered 20 kms. After 2 weeks of steady cycling, you will feel a lot better, the aching bum is a thing of the past, the legs are much stronger. Your fitness starts picking up.
Step 2:
If you can handle the bike and want to venture on to the roads, pick neighbour streets and go online and look for cycling tips. learn about taking primary or secondary, always a slight more than an open car door width when passing parked cars etc. Start cycling for the Sunday prata or Yakun Coffee. Always be prepared to stop once you sense danger.
Step 3:
You are now a smooth suave and slim looking dude and a champ around the streets of your neighbourhood. You spend more time on the bike than in the car after office hours. Time to make a decision. Is it time to upgrade? If it is time, it can be either a really good hybrid with flat handles, light and riding becomes exhilarating or move to a road bike. You are still looking at bikes that are less than $1.5K.
Take notes: This is not the bike to ride for breakfast where you park and find it 10 minutes later stolen. This is the bike that is for sports and health. You are going to make serious distance compared to Step 2. This is when you ride along roads usually early on weekend mornings. You park your car at East Coast and ride to Changi Village to have your morning breakfast. This is when you have read numerous articles online and comfortable with cycling.
Note: Don't sell your old mountain bike as you need it for neighbourhood kopitiam runs and breakfast and nobody steals it.
Step 4:
You have arrived. You are in lycra, the bike is a serious brand, very light, there is striking bulge where your manhood is, you have serious looking shades on your head, you wave at fellow cyclists at Changi Village and they wave back, you notice the chairman of DBS and his gang drinking teh tarik, you swear that you spotted a PS or two also in the group. The only problem is that the young chicks who cycle will still call you "Uncle". Thats when you tell them that all your friends call you "Flash".