There are ever so many “wheels” out there. They range from balance bikes for toddlers; to hybrids; and ellipticals; and even electric bicycles! Personally, I want to stick with muscle power as long as I can; and here is a summary of my own wheels.

First came the adult tricycle. At the time, I had issues with balance and dizziness, and didn’t dare trust myself on two wheels; so an adult trike was the solution. How I loved that trike! If you’re keen to start pushing the pedals, but can’t manage a two-wheeler; I’d suggest one of these. It was a lot of fun to ride. It had a large basket in the rear, handy for bringing home groceries. I rode it to work many a day. I soon had toe harnesses put on the pedals. That allowed for more efficient pedaling. The catch was, these first toe clips had straps; and I never seemed able to get the left-foot strap fastened quite properly — probably because I am right-handed.

A drawback to the trike that I had was that it came without rear fenders, meaning that anything in the basket — which was between the rear wheels — got dirty water splattered all over it on wet days. I had rear fenders added after a few rides in wet conditions. Unfortunately the only ones available in the right size were metal. I could really feel the extra weight; and it took at least a month for me to get used to it.

After about two and a half years of “triking”, I “graduated” to a hybrid bicycle. The model that I purchased at the bike shop came without fenders; and I had a set added before I even took the bike out of the shop. It rains a lot where I live!

That hybrid was a 21-speed, with three chainrings (i.e. gears at the front) and seven cogs (i.e. gears on the rear wheel). I like having all those gears.

The hybrid turned out to be a good “intermediate” bicycle. For a beginner on two wheels, it’s a lot more stable than a road bike. Starting on two wheels is hard enough without having a “twitchy” road bike. For a rank beginner, even a hybrid is very twitchy!

It wasn’t long before I had toe clips added to the hybrid’s pedals; this time, the kind without pesky straps. I didn’t feel confident about reaching down to tighten those straps while rolling! By the time I’d had the hybrid four or five months, I went for clipless pedals, mountain-bike style. Later I switched them to the road bike; and put the toe-clip pedals back on the hybrid.

The hybrid is good for commuting to work; and for running errands. Eventually I was able to procure a used pet trailer, so I can bring home bigger loads from the grocery store!

This hybrid came to a tragic end on August 31, 2022. I had it hitched to a bike rack at work; and at the end of the day came out to find it wrecked! The bike shop said it looked like someone had run into it with a golf cart. It was beyond repair; and I had to buy a new hybrid.😥

In 2013, I at last became a roadie! I’d had the hybrid not quite a year when I bought the road bike. It’s a Scott®, purchased from my local bike shop. The reason I chose the the Scott was because it seemed the most comfortable; probably because I happened to manage it best by sheer chance! I had never been on a road bike before that day.

I love the road bike. It’s much lighter than the hybrid; and thus much more suitable for long rides. I can ride in the drops when I have a headwind, an option that I don’t have with the hybrid (and of course didn’t have with the tricycle). In fact, the road bike has spoiled me for the hybrid! The drawbacks: no fenders, so I get a wet stripe up my back in wet weather (the rear wheel kicks up water high enough to wet my back hair!); and I can’t carry heavy loads. 

But I hope to enjoy many more miles on two wheels!