6 secrets to riding more often

You promise yourself every time you pass a group of cyclists on the street that as soon as you get home you’re going to dust off the ol’ bike and relax for a few miles in the fresh air, cycling.

Yet like many times before, you get home, take off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of orange juice and turn on the evening news. 

In the back of your mind, you faintly recall promising your body fresh air and sun. But the longer you sit, the less appealing pulling out that old mountain bike becomes.  Further, you begin to calculate all of the work cycling today will entail.

You have to dig your bike out from in behind the dirty clothes.  The tires may need airing.  You have to locate your helmet, and Lord only knows where you left it since the last ride.  By the time you get ready it’ll already be dark, you tell yourself.

I’ll just cycle another day, you concede. 

Confusion and lack of organization have won. 

In hopes that the next sunny day finds you happily blazing a trail, here are 6 tips to beat cycling impediments and create an effortless cycling routine:

1. Keep your bike in an easily accessible location.  Preferably a garage or somewhere with quick access to the street.  The closer your bike is to the street the more likely it will see it.  Bike hooks are excellent for saving space and are cost efficient.
2. Place your gear near your bike.  If you have to search for your helmet, gloves, and shorts every time you think to cycle you won’t cycle often.  Searching for missing gear can be tedious.  And anything that is tedious becomes work.  Biking should be fun.  Make it easy.
3. Consider riding in your neighborhood.  You don’t have to strap the bike to your car or bike rack and drive to a trail to have a good ride.  Why deal with the traffic?  You just left the hustle and bustle of rush hour getting home.  Many times a neighborhood ride can be just as fulfilling.  Create a route in your neighborhood.  Who knows, you may inspire a neighbor to cycle.  Then you’d have a riding buddy to help motivate you.
4. Purchase more than one cycling outfit.  Waiting several days for your spouse to wash your only cycling sweats can instantly kill your desire to ride.  The more outfits you have the more morale for riding.
5. Keep your tires aired.  Nothing is more inhibiting to a ride than pulling out your bike and finding the tires are low.  Instead of pulling out your bike and being gone with the wind, you now have to drive to the gas station and pay 50 cents to fill your tire.  And you pray the stations air pump works.  Instead, invest in a good cigarette-lighter air pump like a pump.  These are fairly reasonable and will save time and headache.  Many are less than $30.00.
6. Consider a hitched bike rack.  Hitched bike racks quickly assemble with one or two steps, as opposed to folding racks that require more work.  The key to staying motivated to cycle is ease of access.  The easier it is for you to cycle, the more often you’ll ride.

Remember, cycling shouldn’t be laborious.  It should be fun.  Make it easy and you’ll have many more happy trails!