Bycycling for Exercise--A Beginner's Guide

Riding a bike is something that most everyone learned in childhood and once you have purchased a bike and the small amount of equipment needed, all that remains is to unlock it when getting ready for a ride and ride right our your driveway. It's almost as instant and easy as running, only requiring more outlay of money and some practice to get into a biking routine. Biking is one of the best low-impact exercises besides swimming, and it's even better than swimming to get an aerobic workout and take off weight.

In a nutshell, here's what is needed to get ready to begin a riding exercise routine.
Get a high-quality sport road bike with a triple-crank gear to help going up hills for beginning overweight people or those with bad knees. Triple-crank gives your bike more lower gears and saves your knees when peddling uphill. It's very important for older people to do this because their knees are more worn than are those of younger riders. Make sure that the bike you buy is suitable to carry your weight. Get a gelatin saddle for comfort on your seat. Get some riding gloves and some riding clothes. If you begin riding with a group for 15-25 miles a trip, the gloves will really help hands from blistering. Last, get a bike bottle with carrying mechanism for carrying water and always wear a good helmet. Any bike store will help you with picking out the right equipment and I've found that the people who work there really are into biking themselves and are eager to help our novices. It's well worth the time and money to invest in a decent pair of biking shorts or tights, rather than going out in regular athletic clothes. You will feel the difference, believe me.