Re: HPV bicycles 600+ mpg

I just started biking this year, and I really love it. I'm pushing 40 and hadn't ridden a bike since I was about 13, so I was sort of wondering whether I was going to be able to pull it off. So far, I've been able to travel nearly everywhere I need to by bike and haven't had any problems. I'm fortunate to live in a smaller university city, so my longest round trip commute is only about 10 miles. I was surprised to find that it really doesn't take me that much longer to get places by bike, and depending on traffic patterns and how far I'm going, I can sometimes get places faster that way. It does take more planning to avoid dangerous intersections, and I don't know how committed I'm going to be in January when the temperature falls well below freezing, but so far, so good. I've cut my driving miles in half, and I'm in better shape than I've been in in years. Another side benefit is that I get to see what's going on in the community. When I'm in my car with the windows up and radio on, I feel a lot more detached from the rest of the world. My son is too young to bike very far with me, and my wife's health doesn't permit her to bike, so we have to take a car when we go anywhere as a family. The rest of the time, I really try hard not to drive.

I encourage everyone to bike, walk, take public transportation and carpool whenever possible. The biggest barrier for me to doing these things was in my mind. It's never too late to try something new.