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Back on the Bike: The Best Places to Ride in Your Area



On our group tours, each person is paired with their own dedicated guide, ensuring a private and intimate experience. Our tour guides are local Vietnamese experts who are highly trained, fluent in English, well compensated, and deeply passionate about introducing Vietnam's culture and food to visitors. Don't miss out on the opportunity to have the best food tour in Vietnam. Book a tour with us today and see for yourself why our motorbike food tours are the best in the country. We can't wait to show you all that Vietnam has to offer.


I just needed to give myself a chance. When I tried out bikes this time around, I relaxed, got comfortable (on a bike that fit me) and gave myself some time to settle in. And after a few minutes, I did. And it was awesome.




Back on the bike



Honestly, when you are picking out a bike (used or new), you can worry about a million things, but my coworker Ryan gave me a great piece of advice: How the bike feels to you (and how you feel on it) is key.


Accompanied by my husband, I took my first ride back on the residential streets of my neighborhood. I practiced turns and hand signals in a cul-de-sac. Got comfortable with my new helmet. Went up and down some hills. Basically, it was a fun time in a familiar, low-key (non-scary) setting.


With its soviet-esque architecture, the view of the power plant set against the natural beauty of the Snowdonia National Park was breathtaking. As my mum aptly put it, it was a physical oxymoron. Too intrigued to simply drive past, we pulled in and got the bikes out. To our surprise, not only was there a lakeside cycle route but the Sustrans Cycle Route 82 also skirts around this astounding structure.


Waking up with a view over Harlech Beach, we ventured down to the sea before breakfast for a quick dip. It was anything but a calm day at the beach, with winds howling, sand blowing around our feet, and waves crashing on top of one another. If we were sleepy before we got in the water, the adrenaline of it all made sure we were wide awake by the time we got back out.


Instead, we headed towards Porthmadog and cycled around the coastline, stopping in Criccieth for some warming hot chocolates and a cheeky bit of cake. Whipping out her trusty binoculars, my mum enjoyed sitting by the beach looking across the Bae Ceredigion to the hills and coastline of Llandanwg. We took the long way back to the vans in Porthmadog with a nice long descent leading us straight back into town. Whilst the trip may have only been three days long, it felt like a much-needed week-long adventure.


Witnessing my mum become more confident over those days, both in herself and on the bike, was such an incredible sight after seeing her struggle for so long. To show her that the confident version of herself is still there, as are her adventurous and inquisitive sides, made me, as her daughter and friend, more proud than I could have ever imagined.


Samantha Saskia Dugon is a professional photographer, currently living a Normadic lifestyle in her Ford Transit van with her dog in tow. She can often be found photographing mountain bikes, music festivals, and weddings. Away from the camera, Sam enjoys heading out on two wheels for cycling adventures on all kinds of bikes. Find her on Instagram @saskiadugon. FILED IN (CATEGORIES & TAGS)Inspiration Bikepacking Videos Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.


BIKEPACKING.com is dedicated to exploration by bicycle. We inspire and inform through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of the gear, news, and events that make our community thrive. We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. More here.


The Thule Tour Rack is meant to modify a full-suspension mountain bike into a touring bike. The Thule requires no frame eyelets for mounting, and I had no problem putting it on our Trek, but it costs $120. Given that you could solve the no-eyelets problem with P-clamps, this seems unnecessary for anything other than the specific job it was intended for.


We are committed to giving everyone the Freedom to Ride through recumbent trikes. But who are recumbent trikes really for? For one reason or another, traditional bicycles may not be working for you anymore. The benefits of a recumbent trike alleviate many of the pain points you may be feeling such as balance, pain, being uncomfortable, or fatigue. A three wheel bike ensures stability and comfort while still maintaining the joys of exercising while cycling. We offer the perfect range of recumbents by carrying TerraTrike, Catrike, Greenspeed, and ICE. Searching for a recumbent trike has never been so easy with Laid Back Cycles.


Good-quality bike lights should be one of the first cycling accessories on your shopping list. Needless to say, they are essential when cycling at night or if visibility is poor, making lights a must-have during the winter and a smart addition to your bike even in the summer.


Michelle Arthurs-Brennan is a traditional journalist by trade, having begun her career working for a local newspaper, where highlights included interviewing a very irate Freddie Star (and an even more irate theatre owner), as well as 'the one about the stolen chickens'.\n\nPrevious to joining the Cycling Weekly team, Michelle was Editor at Total Women's Cycling. She joined CW as an 'SEO Analyst', but couldn't keep her nose out of journalism and in the spreadsheets, eventually taking on the role of Tech Editor before her latest appointment as Digital Editor. \n\nMichelle is a road racer who also enjoys track riding and the occasional time trial, though dabbles in off-road riding too (either on a mountain bike, or a 'gravel bike'). She is passionate about supporting grassroots women's racing and founded the women's road race team 1904rt.\n\nMichelle is on maternity leave from July 8 2022, until April 2023.","contributorText":"With contributions from","contributors":["name":"James Shrubsall","link":"href":"https:\/\/www.cyclingweekly.com\/author\/james-shrubsall","name":"David Bradford","role":"Fitness Editor","link":"href":"https:\/\/www.cyclingweekly.com\/author\/david-bradford","name":"Anna Marie Abram","role":"Fitness Features Editor","link":"href":"https:\/\/www.cyclingweekly.com\/author\/anna-marie-abram"]}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -8-2/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate); else triggerHydrate(); } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Michelle Arthurs-BrennanSocial Links NavigationMichelle Arthurs-Brennan is a traditional journalist by trade, having begun her career working for a local newspaper, where highlights included interviewing a very irate Freddie Star (and an even more irate theatre owner), as well as 'the one about the stolen chickens'.


Michelle is a road racer who also enjoys track riding and the occasional time trial, though dabbles in off-road riding too (either on a mountain bike, or a 'gravel bike'). She is passionate about supporting grassroots women's racing and founded the women's road race team 1904rt.


Families are embracing cargo bikes as a new fun way to explore on two-wheels with multiple young children. Cargo bikes allow you to carry heavier loads than you can typically haul on a standard bike. The bikes are sturdy enough to haul more than one child at a time. Kids can be carried in a number of ways, depending on the bike: They can sit on a bench or shelf on a rear rack, in a front bucket, box or container, or strapped into a bike seat.


Longtail bikes: These let you carry children on an extended rear cargo rack that sits over the back wheel. Kids can ride in child seats that are mounted on that rack or sit on the rack itself.


Once young children are ready for their own two-wheeler, make sure you avoid the common mistake of buying a bike that they'll "grow into." Take the time to get a proper fit. When shopping, be aware that children's bikes are measured by their wheel size (not frame size). The most common sizes are 16", 20" and 24". The right size is one where your child can comfortably get on the bike and stand with their feet on the ground. We have both girl's bikes and boy's bikes at REI.


Not all kids are old enough to pedal their own bike. Enter the Coaster XT, a sleek Thule trailer built for carrying two toddlers around town. It has five-point harnesses to keep your tykes secure, plus storage room for more gear. Drop the rain shield if a storm moves in, or roll up the front screen if your kid wants to feel the wind in their hair. It converts to a double stroller. $429.95


Gear Picks by Graham Averill. Graham is a senior writer at Bike and a regular contributor to Outside and Backpacker. He lives in Asheville, N.C., where he rides his mountain bike as much as possible, but never enough.


The Hub of Detroit is a full service bicycle shop, serving the Cass Corridor since 2008. We offer used bikes for sale, used & new parts for sale, complete repair and restoration services, and custom build services. 100% of proceeds from used bike and part sales support our community programming at the 501(c)3 non-profit Back Read more


Back Alley Bikes is a 501(c)3 non-profit community bike shop, which has been operating in the Cass Corridor since 1999. Our mission is to provide cycling education and services with a focus on youth development, sustainable practices and community access. We work to achieve this mission by offering a variety of educational programs, volunteer training Read more 2ff7e9595c


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