Bicycling Choices for Health, Recumbent Style

I've been thinking about this a lot.

I've mentioned previously that because of my own need for routine and pattern, I despise exercise. Something always seems to happen to break up the routine and it's hard for me to stick with something that has "breaks".

I liked biking a bit...I'm too out of shape and not too confident in myself to ride on the roads because I'm fairly confident that sooner or later I'm going to get hit by a car or attacked by a bear. Yes, I said biking, not hiking. It's a long story.

Anyway I've been trying to ride my new Diamondback Edgewood and have become frustrated by the lack of paved, relatively well-laid-out trails on which to ride...I'm a novice, cut some slack!...plus my son is four. I can't just go off riding without the little guy or abandon him while Daddy goes for a tour around a lake. At the moment his arm is in a cast so it's a little hard to give him even the option of riding around a playground. Finances are limited, so it's taking time to get a bike rack, let alone a cart to hitch up so I can pull the little dude with me (if hills are hard now, they'll be impossible with his 50lb+ weight behind me...) So what options are there?

The alternative I've been using is riding a rather old stationary recumbent in my basement. It's very basic, powered by AA batteries for the display, and it gets me to work up a sweat. I've ridden it five miles and four miles and four miles...takes twenty to thirty minutes. Not too bad, I think. While it's more comfortable than my Edgewood (SADDLE BUTT HURTS!), it does get sore still and the scenery is...well...it's an unfinished basement.

I've been emailing a guy near Hornell, NY, the Bicycle Man, asking what he would advise for biking options in the way of recumbents. He sent me information on this really sweet ride called the Sun EZ-3 USX HD, which from what I can tell has a 400lb capacity and said that an electric assist for hills installed could be done. WOW! It looks nice, I'd love to try it...I mean I'm drooling to try it. But the pricetag? $1,350. The installed assist is another $500.

Ouch.

I know, I know...for a really "good" bike, you'd easily pay that much. I have friends who race bikes and that kind of price is almost a shrug-off. But for my new Diamondback my wife paid around $350, and that price was enough for me to ask her about five times, "Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do that?" I'm a novice. I'm looking for fun exercise that I could try sticking with. $350 gives me pause. Nearly two thousand dollars for bike and accessories...that is our family vacation and more. We already cancelled a trip we were considering to the Mall of America this summer because we just didn't have the $1500 to spend on the trip. If we could swing it I'd love to do it. Practically speaking we'll probably have to consider it next Summer.

I tell myself to just wait awhile, see if I still keep wanting the recumbent. I still want to go the two hour trip and take a look at the trike (technically this particular recumbent is a tricycle). I'd love to take it for a spin, see if it's worth all that I'm reading and see if I could use it on hills or even attach a cart for my little guy to ride in with me thanks to the assist.

But...ouch.

I try looking at the pluses and minuses. With our climate, riding year-round probably isn't an option. Our riding locations are limited. Transporting the thing is probably quite a challenge. Bikes take maintenance, periodic repair and replacement of chain/sprockets/brakes, adjustment to wires. My previous bike had more replacement parts than original although it could have been a "cheap bike"; I don't know enough about the field to tell a piece of crap from a solid quality model. I can't even climb mediocre hills and most of this area? Hills. But I love nice days where the wind hits you as you ride and you hear the insects and birds. I like the idea of stopping and unpacking a picnic lunch, or riding a few miles powered by a tortilla instead of gas. Unless there's beans in the wrap. Then I guess you're power by gas instead of petroleum. It just feels better. I picture a day when I might actually be fit enough to commute in town or stop at one location and ride to a few places for errands.

Indoors on the stationary I don't worry about weather. The scenery sucks, but I won't get hit by a car and I am able to watch videos or web browse from my iPod while riding. I just need to pedal. The onboard display gives me approximate calorie output and distance...I know you can get bike computers put on your bike, I have one, I just haven't figured out how to get it all set up yet. My stationary has taken zilch maintenance aside from a battery change. That thing sat for years unused and when I hopped back on it the display popped right up ready to go. My old bike? Rusted wheels. I could feel that it needs a tuneup or cleaning of some kind. Probably lube the chain. Stationaries are all weather and pretty reliable and more routine-friendly.

Should I keep hoping someday to try the trike? Should I save pennies and go for a new stationary recumbent? Or just dump the whole idea, be glad I have what I have now, and just try focusing on going on a vacation in the far future?

Maybe this lotto ticket will be my ticket to a new 'trike, stationary, AND vacation...c'mon...