How did you get into cycling?

For most of us, the beginnings follow a pretty predictable pattern, so I’ll skip over that part. Usually, after that initial phase of youthful cycling, people move on to mopeds, motorcycles, or cars, before eventually circling back to two wheels. When they do, the motivation is almost always centered around increasing physical activity.

Following a period of physical decline and various health issues—where modern medicine failed to provide much relief beyond a few minor procedures—I was faced with a stark choice: either rely on a wheelchair or build enough muscle mass to get back on my feet.
At that point, my capacity was limited to walking about eight hundred meters before being sidelined by pain and a cocktail of medications that felt more like a burden than a cure.
My first attempt at returning to cycling was meticulously planned; it took place after a summer of disciplined swimming and physical therapy exercises under professional supervision.
Then came that very first kilometer. I was physically and mentally crushed. I tried again a few weeks later, and then again, slowly chipping away at those initial kilometers. Success meant managing five or six miles, though I dealt with neck and back pain, numbness in my hands and feet, and aching knees.
8.7 milesI maintained that level for a few months, and then I started feeling the ability to push toward twenty miles. Day by day, the mileage increased and my strength grew. Many of my ailments vanished. To be fair, some issues remain that will likely never be fully resolved, but overall, things have improved significantly.
What once seemed impossible and completely out of reach is now effortless after nearly two years of consistency. I can cruise through fifty to sixty miles in one go, hit a hundred with a bit more effort, and I don't feel any intimidation when looking at distances exceeding a hundred.
Ultimately, regular physical activity is what keeps a person healthy. The problem is that many people give up because they cannot handle the initial physical strain or endure long enough to see those first results—which are the foundation and the whole reason for doing this in the first place.

Dana Reyes5 said:we all pretty much start out the same way—honestly, I could skip that whole part because it’s such a predictable pattern. usually, you have that initial burst of youthful cycling, then life happens and you move on to mopeds, motorcycles, or cars, and only much later do you find your way back to two wheels. and when you do come back, the reasons vary, but they almost always boil down to wanting to get active again.

after a rough bout of physical setbacks and health issues—where modern medicine didn't really offer much beyond a few minor procedures—I was faced with a choice: either rely on a wheelchair or build up enough muscle mass to actually stand on my own two feet again.
back then, my capacity was... well, maybe eight hundred yards of walking before the pain kicked in, along with a whole mess of other nonsense they called "medication."
my first attempt at getting back into cycling was actually carefully planned—I waited until after a summer of disciplined swimming and exercises under the supervision of therapists.
Then came that very first kilometer. Man, I was absolutely crushed, both mentally and physically. I tried again a couple of weeks later, and then again, and that's how those first few kilometers of the comeback started to roll in. My "success" at the time was managing five or six miles, even while dealing with neck and back pain, numbness in my feet and hands, and knee issues.
8.7 miles I kept up with that routine for a few months, and eventually, I realized I could push all the way to twenty miles. Day by day, the mileage went up and my strength grew; many of those old aches just vanished. Sure, some things lingered—stuff that probably won't ever go away—but overall, things are so much better.
What felt impossible and totally out of reach at the beginning? Well, now, nearly two years later, it’s easy. I can cruise through fifty or sixty miles in one go, hit a hundred with a bit more effort, and honestly, I'm not even intimidated by going over a hundred anymore.
It's just simple: staying active is what keeps a person healthy. The problem is that so many people quit because they can't handle that initial physical grind before they see the results—and those results are exactly what make the whole thing worth it.

🙏🙏🙏👍huge respect for your courage and willpower.

@Dana Reyes5: which post 😍😍😍

👏

Jesse Williams2 said:So, give us the backstory. When did you start? How old were you? What kind of bikes were you riding, how long were your rides, all that good stuff...

Back in the 80s, I was sixteen years old, smashing out marathons on a Rogue Speck 124 miles, then a bit later I picked up a Bottecchia Speck and kept at it. Then, right around eighteen, my meniscus decided to quit on me, and that was basically it—I was done riding for good. Until about a year ago when I hit forty-two and decided to get back in the saddle. No meniscus issues this time, but yeah, I've got a herniated disc to deal with instead. Whatever. I’m planning on getting back into long-distance stuff, maybe some serious touring.

@ Dana Reyes5 - major props on the self-discipline, the persistence, and that sheer willpower. Your story is a hell of a lesson—I'm sure it’ll serve as a solid blueprint and some serious inspiration for someone else out there. 👍

Same as everyone else, I rode my first bike when I was a kid, then took a 10-15 year break. Between old knee injuries and carrying an extra 90 pounds because I couldn't move much, I finally decided to get serious this spring. Picked up an old MTB on Craigslist for about $80. The result? I’m down to 70 pounds over my goal weight now. Once I hit under 45 pounds over, I'm treating myself to a killer Christmas and buying a real MTB. Hopefully, I can pull it off before winter hits 🙂

restlesssailor said:Same story here—rode my first bike when I was just a kid, then took a solid 10 or 15-year hiatus. But look, thanks to some nagging knee issues and carrying an extra 90 pounds of bacon because I couldn't move much, I decided to finally do something about it this spring. Scored an old MTB on Craigslist for about $150. The result? I'm down to being 70 pounds overweight now, and once I hit that sub-45-pound mark, I’m treating myself to a proper Christmas with a real MTB. Hopefully, I’ll get there before the snow hits.🙂

Man, ditch that junk. I'm in the same boat, trying to get back at it, but we're both gonna be an embarrassment out there riding those cheap tires. I guess in some rural parts of the Midwest, they view being a walking block of lard as a badge of honor, but let's not pretend that's healthy.

And yeah, get hooked on MTB. I fell for the trap too, thinking I needed a high-end rig just to meet "standards," but that's total nonsense if you aren't tearing up mountain trails. Just grab a decent trekking bike with a rigid fork—personally, I can't stand any kind of suspension unless I'm actually hitting dirt jumps—and just ride. You'll burn off all that fat in no time.

Frank Green said:Cut that crap right there. I’m trying too, but honestly, we should both be embarrassed with these tubes. Out in the sticks, they act like eating bacon is some badge of masculinity, but they don't say a word about what comes after.

Hey! My bike belongs to me and me alone. 😁 Nah, you're right, it's total junk. But honestly? It works fine for now. I’m gonna learn the ropes on some cheap crap first before I go blowing a massive stack on a high-end bike.

Frank Green said:Screw that MTB nonsense. I fell for the hype once thinking an MTB was just a standard bike, but that's stupid if you aren't hitting trails or dirt. Just grab a trekking bike with a rigid fork. Personally, I can't stand suspension of any kind unless you're actually riding mountains. Just ride it and you'll burn off all that fat.

Regarding the suspension, I’m totally with you. The best moves are when people just grab a full-suspension rig from Walmart for a steal. $167 And then after the test drive, it starts squeaking like crazy. Total nightmare. 😁

As for the weight loss, I'm good with it. I'm dropping about 6 or 8 pounds a month right now. Seems totally fine to me.

I’ve been riding since I was a kid, starting out on BMX bikes and then moving up to those old Rog Dakota models...
Nowadays, I’m mostly on an XC bike. It gets the job done for what I need, but I guess the human heart is never truly satisfied, so I've started dreaming up some new projects. I spend a bit of time scrolling through classified ads, looking for a specialized build at a decent price. Between classes and everything else at college, my studies take up about 90% of my time, so I don't get to ride quite as much as I’d like.
I’d also love to try some long-distance road riding—maybe 200 kilometers or more—but I’m still working up the nerve. Plus, I’d really like to find someone experienced to lead the way, since I’m still pretty much an amateur at this. 😁

I used to ride a bike back when I was just some kid... but over the last two years, I’ve actually started getting serious about it. I really fell in love with cycling again about two years ago, hitting about 20-19 miles miles a day. Last summer, I went on a massive tear and even rode all the way out to Pittsburgh—that trip alone was roughly 75 miles miles, which stands as my longest trek to date. I've also managed to cycle through Des Moines, Dardanelle, and Bozeman. This coming summer, I'm looking at hitting El Paso, Naperville, Lower Manhattan, Indianapolis, and Boise. I'm originally from Cheyenne, so if anyone here is looking for some recreational one-day cycling routes or wants to join up, hit me up.....

@ Dana Reyes5
That’s the way to live, honestly. When I was facing the choice, it was either invest in a bike to finally reclaim my health from a decade-long battle with Type 1 diabetes, or just buy a high-end PC and spend even more hours rotting away in front of a screen. I am so incredibly glad I chose the wheels. At first, I was so fired up I actually considered diving headfirst into some insane extreme cycling discipline. That initial burst of adrenaline eventually leveled off, though, and now my biggest headache is just the sheer hassle of riding through the city—navigating urban traffic, cruising along the coast, trekking through the woods, all while dealing with the constant anxiety of whether someone is going to swipe my bike if I stop at the grocery store. It’s this exhausting cycle of being tense at the checkout line, rushing back to the bike, and then finally feeling that rush of relief once I can hang my bag on the handlebars and coast home. It provides this unparalleled sense of freedom and uninhibited joy, like a throwback to those simpler times when you didn't give a damn about what anyone else thought of you. Mind you, I have to admit, I still would have picked the computer 😂

darkmason40;27489268. said:Honestly, I have to admit, I’d take a computer too. 😂

Forget the computer. Honestly, technology is nothing more than a necessary evil. When you’re out on your bike, you aren't looking at a screen; you're testing the absolute limits of your own endurance. And the best part? Every single time you push past those boundaries, you end up moving the goalposts even further, leaving yourself genuinely stunned by what you've actually achieved.
Just keep riding and putting in the training hours. Eventually, you’ll build up enough strength to actually feel confident stepping into a recreational amateur cycling event. Once you hit that level, everything starts to click naturally, and you'll find yourself tackling increasingly difficult and demanding stretches without even thinking twice about it.
Sports and recreation are fundamentally about health. It doesn't have to be cycling—it could be anything from walking and running to swimming. When you consistently push your heart rate up and get that blood pumping, you aren't just building physical stamina; you're sharpening your mind. Over time, people who maintain high circulation through regular activity tend to think more clearly and lead significantly healthier lives.
That’s all there is to it—just keep moving forward.👍

That’s a long story. Feels like 28 years ago, maybe a few days more. I inherited a tricycle with a bucket from my brother after he scored some Soviet-made red bike with fat tires. Back then, we didn't have paved roads, so much like Operation Desert Storm, I ended up losing most of my baby teeth because of it. Anyway, that trike had a bucket where I’d scoop up gravel from the road and dump it all in one spot. Eventually, me plus the sand just broke the thing. My brother got a Pony, and I took over the red beast, Made in USA. It was actually fast—well, I pedaled fast. Basically indestructible; those tires wouldn't puncture. I remember patching them up today, thinking back to that prehistoric tubeless solution with a tear in my eye. I rode it until I eventually swapped for my brother's Pony, though I have no clue what he was riding. Around 1989, I finally got an MTB. An 18-speed Flying Tigers, built solid, with an SR suntourov rear derailleur. That derailleur is still sitting in my garage today. That was the first bike I used for what it was actually meant for. I took it everywhere—through the Potomac River, mud, wet sand, crushed stone... I rode through water and never lubed anything except the chain. Eventually, everything seized up, but that derailleur kept working. After that iron Chinese wonder (which I rode for about 6215 miles), I bought my current TREK, and we've hit a few more 13673 miles different terrains since then. The story keeps going, hopefully...

Back in my childhood, I had the absolute classic: a Pony special edition. My first real bike, about four years ago, was a Gary Fisher Tarpon. I rode that thing everywhere—from downtown Chicago all the way out to the suburbs, through Naperville, and even up toward the outskirts of Milwaukee. It never let me down once, even when I was tearing down those sketchy trails around the local parks and hills. About two years ago, I picked up a Gary Fisher Wahoo with Deore components. You can tell immediately it’s a step up from the Tarpon. It’s still an incredible ride, though I don't get out as much lately since my schedule is packed. I really need to run that thing into the ground, so I'm planning a trip out toward the coast or maybe somewhere near Austin. We'll see how it goes.

The next upgrade on my list is either a Gary Fisher Tassajara or one of those higher-end Marin models.

I stumbled into cycling almost by accident, but man, that feeling you get? There's nothing else like it.