With my triathlon two months away, I bought a new road bike last weekend to train riding on the road. Not only am I looking forward to my race in November, but I am also excited about riding my bike to wherever, such as work, grocery stores, outdoor restaurants, or Central Park, just to name a few. Although I had ridden bikes before, riding a road bike with more sophisticated gears has given me some troubles when going onto different terrains. While simply knowing to shift down when going uphill, vice versa, is not enough; I must shift the front- and back-gears altogether to prevent wearing out the cogs and chain. I forget the gears that I am riding on sometimes; therefore, I often interrupt my rides to adjust my gears to proper positions. Within the next two months, I hope to be able to shift the gears smoothly. Here’s a picture of me and my bike before I took it out for a spin in the Central Park.

Bike Model: Trek 1.2

I highly recommend you to buy a bicycle if you are still finding a way to stay active. After living in New York City for the past three months, I find driving or owning a car to be unnecessary and burdensome (350 bucks of parking tickets and towing fee within 3 weeks, speaking of bad luck). One of the advantages is that I can beat the rush hour by zig zagging through cars and buses. Although I was scared of the reckless city drivers in the beginning, I have gradually become accustomed to the crowded roads. If I can survive riding a bike in a busy city, you can definitely ride your way out too if you are determined. By the way, you don’t need a competition road bike like the one I have. A nice “lifestyle model” bike can be as inexpensive as costing only 200 bucks. So, wear the same pairs of jeans for couple more years and you will have the saving for a nice and smooth ride!