Summer Bike Riding Fun: Comparison of Destinations and Bikes

Challenge yourself this summer by bike riding for fun and fitness. Invest in a affordable recumbent bike. When most people think of a sit back, leg up kind of a bicycle, a Stationary Bicycle is usually the first image that comes to mind. That new Recumbent Exercise Bike is soon stored in the corner, unused, except as a very expensive laundry hamper.

The Ultimate in Fitness Comfort and summer fun is an outdoor recumbent bicycle. I recommend trying out different styles of recumbent bikes before attempting to use a Tandem Recumbent Bike. Unlike a standard bicycle, recumbents come in all styles and prices.

The Sun EZ-1 Super Cruiser Recumbent Bicycle is the most economical and easiest to ride recumbent. The biggest drawback is that it is too long to fit onto the bicycle rack for the city bus. If live in a flat area that has good roads to ride on then this is the bike. I use the EZ-1 because a standard bicycle caused joint problems in the neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists. Now I am able to ride more, pain free. I rode about 800 miles in the past year and lost 35 pounds from the low impact exercise. Check out video of bicycling in Chinatown Honolulu or the Ala Moana Beach Park bike path. If new to biking then pick your route to work on a Sunday to find all the back roads and alleyways. You don't want to end up stressed out from riding on a bad road with too much traffic.

For a comparison of recumbent styles and why is so much easier to ride them, then go to Kinetics. The prices can get very expensive. For a disabled person the adult sized standard tricycle is very dangerous to ride and is unstable. A Low Rider Adult Tricycle has more stability due to the lower center of gravity. It is imperative to have glow in the dark highway orange flags that hover well above the line of sight of most automobiles for greater visibility and safety.

If vacationing with a bicycle, is your destination bicycle friendly? A person would assume wrongly that with Honolulu's year round summer weather, that bicycle transportation was designed as fully incorporated as it is in Portland Oregon or Boulder Colorado. The bike path on Nimitz narrows to a gutter at times and although the posted speed limit is 35 mph, the average speed is at least 30% higher. There are no bicycle-friendly locales in Hawai'i.

Boulder Colorado has a level gold rating as being bicycle friendly. One Boulder Bike Shop that sounds expensive is Vecchio's Bicicletteria, while others seem more novice friendly sounding, such as The Fix. Boulder's bike path wends underneath the intersections so there is no need to stop for a red light. The path is beautiful and feels safe to ride on. It goes a long way and best of all - its flat. Pearl Street Mall does not allow bicycle riders, so be careful to walk your bike within the pedestrian mall.

Portland, Oregon is a bicycle friendly city rated at the Gold Level and has the largest natural urban forest reserve in the U.S. Mountain Biking in Forest Park is difficult but the park is wonderful for hiking. It is surreal to have such a seemingly remote hilly wilderness between Beaverton and Portland. Bicycle Rentals in Portland are numerous.