Second, about the bikes. I picked up a bike last spring to ride to the store and with the kids on weekends. That’s how my obsession started, at least. It’s a hybrid, so is comfy on bumpier gravel/dirt trails and has the cruiser seat for comfort on longer paved bike trails. I have the basket mount on the front, for the store trips. The bike is sturdy and stable, so is perfect for attaching one of my younger kids on a trail-a-bike, which allows a 6-8 year old to pedal along on a 20 mile ride.

The hybrid is comfy, but heavy. Because of the smaller tires on the woman’s model, it’s also slower. My reward after my 3rd month averaging over 200 miles was a road bike. A step or two above entry level, but not a budget breaker, thanks to end of season clearance sales at the bike shop.

It’s a smaller frame men’s bike, which is great for my long torso. My average speed on easy rides has jumped from 12-14 mph to 16-18 mph. When I push myself on a mom’s day out ride, my 40-mile rides breeze by in just a little over two hours… and I feel just like I did as a little girl when I’d go flying down the big hill in my neighborhood, pigtails streaming behind me.