BianchiBeholder

I'm a new cyclist from Washington State.
I used to be very big into running for a few years when I ultimately destroyed my legs. After fighting this injury for a couple of years, I finally threw up the white flag, at least for now.
After severely missing my long runs on weekends and generally just missing being in decent shape, I finally bought my first bike a few weeks ago. I know literally NOTHING about bikes. I had never heard of a "Gravel" bike until recently.
I had the wonderful time of experiencing the joys of Facebook Marketplace before I finally bought a very old Bianchi Volpe. I didn't even know how to really shift gears, didn't know what a "Cassette" was, or practically anything. I was like a kid again, as soon as I got home I wanted to try it out around the neighborhood. Except when I was a kid, I had a bike remember both feet being easily able to touch the floor while on the seat. The seat is much higher than I remember it being. With that said, I fell over about 10 seconds into my ride. It was dark, so hopefully no neighbor saw a guy in his 30's eating it.

With that said, I did my first 10 miler today and I love the speed and thrill of it. I still have a ton to learn and some adjustments to be made, but I appreciate the learning curve.

delbiker1 

Welcome, and nice introduction. Cycling is, has been, a big plus my life, long term. The mental aspect of it, for me, is at least as important as the physical aspect. You will likely be surprised at how quickly you can increase both distance and pace. A huge addition for me was acquiring tools and learning to do all the work on my bikes. A lot of good advice and info on bike forums and various video platforms, and a lot of not so good.

Mchtt

Addicted ?

Desert63

BianchiBeholder
I am just joining myself and your story is similiar to mine. Where in the state are you? If the Seattle area there are some amazing rides. Like you I didnt know anything about gravel bikes. There is a ride from Duvall to Rattlesnake lake that is to die for! There is a 100k starting in Snohomish and its all bike path. That is just for starters as I rediscover bike riding and this state. Nice to meet you.

BianchiBeholder

​​​​​I'm South of you in Puyallup. So far the only trail I've done is the foothills trail starting in orting and going to Buckley. It's the perfect distance for me right now and there's hardly any ever traffic I have to deal with.

I'll have to look into the Duval one as my path will be under construction here in july

Desert63

Have you been north to Snohomish? It really is a great town to bike around. You are right along the river and if you cross the train tracks there is a nice restaurant where you can sit outside and watch people skydive. But better yet, Snohomish is the start of the Western WA Centennial trail. It is a 31-mile (each way) paved trail. You can ride as long or short as you want on it. And it has 7 trailheads with parking so you can park anywhere along the way and just ride portions of it. That was how I did it until I was ready to ride the whole thing.

avidrider

Welcome! Just find a good local bike shop. They are your best local resource for anything bike related, or advice on your bike, and where you can go to ride other than your neighborhood. And you might link up with folks that ride near you, too! New friends are good to ride with!

Smaug1

Welcome, from SE WI.

I tried to like running, I really did. But my family has bad knees and even after Army Basic Training when I was in top shape, it was never fun. Not even the paltry 2 miles we had to run routinely.

Cycling is SO much more efficient, you get to see more. There's the excitement of a bit of speed, too. You can get the same amount of cardio with no joint impact, too. (except for a bit on your spine through your butt) I hope your legs can take cycling. If not, a lot of seniors and people with bad knees are getting back into cycling with eBikes, which take that initial acceleration stress away.