The Big Breakdown

1 | It's the Bike, Stupid 2 | But Who Doesn't Love Gear? 3 | What Goes Out ... 4 | Mad Skillz 5 | Going the Distance

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It's easy to look at the hardcore road cyclist draped in lycra and be completely dissuaded from trying to ride a bike. The expensive bike that looks scary to ride; those tight clothes with loud colors that certainly can't be flattering; the aggressive attitude, especially in traffic. It's easy indeed to look at them and think, I will never get to be like them, and I never want to be like them.

But you don't have to see yourself as an uber-roadie to put a bike between your legs and take those first few pedal strokes toward a fitter, happier existence. All you really need, and this is what makes bicycling so universally accessible and enjoyable, is a bicycle. Any bicycle. Mountain bikes, road bikes, beach cruisers, 10-speeds, tandems, recumbents, fixies, choppers, hybrids, beaters … they all qualify. Two wheels, two pedals and somewhere to put your hands and butt. Its simplicity is beautiful. Maybe that's why the bicycle was chosen hands-down in a BBC Radio 4 poll as the greatest invention of all time.

Beyond the basic bicycle, however, it might be helpful to include a few other accoutrements and preparations to make your first jaunt a successful and safe one. This article looks at the bare necessities for getting started: get them taken care of and you're all out of excuses.

Next | It's the Bike, Stupid