I rode my teen MTB a lot around the desert in the early-90s time frame but only occasionally to school. It is a big exurban school district. My junior high and high school were both on the other side of a mountain range and flood control dam. It was too far, or seemed that way. Five miles one way, and one really steep climb on the return leg (which in years since has been re-graded and given bike lanes).
I rode that bike all over Purdue, too, but never very far, or on a schedule I thought of as a commute for a job.
From start of career in 2001 til 2011 I lived in apartments, and had a dog, so my cardio exercise time was spent walking the dog. By quitting time her back teeth were floating. It would not have been fair to her to have any other plan that kept me away longer or didn't let her run. I moved in 2007 to Folsom which is way better for bike riding than nearly anywhere, and rode around some.
I can trace bike commuting to 2012 and buying a house with my gf (now wife). The dogs had a yard to pee in and didn't need regular walks. Around then I also read "Just Ride," and rebuilt my Dad's Paramount, which led me to Bike Forums for help. Also to bikes as a hobby and ownership of some nicer ones.
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Genesis 49:16-17
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 12-20-21 at 02:39 PM.