Downtime

Now is a great time to get quiet and think about riding in 2012. Even an amateur, casual, retro rider like myself needs real goals to push further next year. It's a great time to think about you, the bike, the family, and the challenges ahead. What are your special routes? What places have you always wanted to ride, but haven't gotten there yet? What friends could you invite to be with you next year?

It's also a great time to examine your bike, give it a thorough once over, and do the required maintenance. Time to take inventory on the parts that should be replaced and the ones that should be overhauled. If you don't want to do this yourself, several of our local bike shops have winter tune-up specials that will get your bike high performing and cost you significantly less. Check your tires, drive chain, hubs, and brakes. For those wanting to get closer to their bike and do the repairs themselves, I found an interesting website that will tutor you in all the basic repairs. Bicycle Tutor is really useful. You pay for membership and you have access to all their tutorials. It costs about the price of a good tune-up to subscribe for a year.

Downtime is also great for indoor workouts. Cycling requires staying in shape. The Freedom Valley YMCAs offer spinning classes that will challenge you. I can guarantee you a good workout and a chance to meet others, like you looking for a fun way to keep riding. The music is another reason to go. For some reason spinner bike instructors have the greatest music.

If you don't want to do the Y, check out Craig's list for some abandoned spinner bikes. Sometimes you can get lucky and get a good used spinner bike at a great price. I did. For those who really want a challenge look for rollers. These are metal tubes on a frame connected by your bike. You set the bike on the rollers and off you go - stationary but really riding! It takes a bit of time to get the hang of riding and balancing on rollers, but it is great fun. Last, but not least, is getting a wind or magnetic trainer. Your bike is stabilized as you ride indoors. As you increase speed the trainer increases resistance. These also provide a great workout.

Downtime and maps also go hand in hand. Get hold of some really good bicycle maps and plan a route for next summer. A great resource is Adventure Cycling. The have the best maps. You can get local ones and even plan a cross-country tour. Use your downtime to increase your resolve to ride more, ride with friends, and take your bicycling to the next level.  Happy Trails!