A Conversaton with Elizabeth
1998
Re: Continuing education and biking

From:          larry.m.mixson@bvs.com (LARRY M. MIXSON)
To:            Elizabeth
Date:          Tue, 3 Mar 1998 14:23:55 -0800
Subject:       Re: Continuing education and biking
 
What I liked about the on-line degree is that it is self paced, you can start a course just about anytime and work on it at your own pace. After commuting from Melbourne to UCF for 2 or 3 nights a week for several years to take one or two courses I know what it can be like. "Working" as I do now I could easily take two courses but with a real job I know that one course can be a struggle.
 
Wendy's married name is Smith and her husband name is Sean.
 
I find hard to visualize you being over weight. I would expect you to be a bit heavier, after all we are hitting 50 and putting on some weight is "expected". I once tried a friend's Nordic Track and found it somewhat clumsy to use. I would suspect that if you ski that it might be easier. The problem I have with stationary bikes, treadmills and the like is I would find it too boring to be in one place long enough to get a good work out. When I go to the club for racquetball I see dozens of people on the treadmills, bikes, moonwalkers, etc. and wonder what do those people think about for the hour they spend doing it?  Perhaps they just space out.
 
My road bike is a 12 speed Schwin which is OK but a bit on the heavy side (steel frame). Over the years I have had it I have upgraded the crank, pedals, shifter and rear gears. In retrospect I should have bought a higher end bike to start with. Last year I bought an aluminum frame Specialized (name brand) 21 speed hybrid. A hybrid is a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. It has the straight handle bars like a mountain bike, larger tires than a road bid but not the big knobby tires of a mountain bike. The sitting position is also more upright than a mountain bike for a more comfortable ride. I don't do off-road riding "mountain" riding. I do a lot of bike paths and country roads. There are several rails-to-trails (old railroads converted to bike/walking paths) in this area and I ride them a lot. Some of the rails-to-trails are not paved but are hard packed dirt. I found the skinny tires on my road bike did not do very well on these trails so another reason for the hybrid. Last year I took a three day, 200 mile ride along the length of the C & 0 Canal. It runs from Georgetown in Washington D.C. along the Potomac River (see www.canal.com and www.his.com/-jmenziesiurbanatb/trails/canal/canal.htm). It was great fun.
 
Good bikes start around $350. The under $200 bikes are more kid bikes. If you ride a cheaper bike then a good bike you will be amazed at the difference in pedaling, shifting and comfort. If you go out for 40 to 60 miles at a time like I do then it is money well spent. If you want to just "tool" around slowly a less expensive bike would do.
 
Until tomorrow,
 
Larry

My Specialized bike which I still have in 2024.

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