Bike equipment for rail-trails.

I have often spoken of the many benefits of rail trails when it comes to health, the environment, alleviating traffic congestion, family togetherness, and saving fossil fuels.

Rail trails are for everyone.

Another benefit of rail trails is their versatility. Not only are they an ideal fit for nearly all possible riders, regardless of age, size, or ability, they are also versatile when it comes to equipment. Nearly any type of cycle will work on most rail-trails. Personally, I have ridden recumbents, mountain bikes, cruisers, road bikes, and hybrid bicycles on rail trails. And I was quite comfortable in all instances. (Sometimes road bikes are less-than-ideal on dirt or gravel trails, so I use one of the other types of bikes for those trails.)

It's nice to know that you don't need something fancy, expensive, or technical to enjoy the vast network of rails-to-trails out there. Not only is it physically possible to ride just about any type of non-motorized wheeled vehicle on the rail trail network, but it's also socially acceptable. Unlike road and mountain biking, there is no expectation that you wear certain clothes and ride expensive bikes. Rail trails are like the great equalizer. Everyone from all backgrounds and socioeconomic groups is welcome. Spandex or no spandex, fancy bike or plain Jane bike, you're accepted just the way you are.

Ya gotta love rail trails.

Bike equipment for rail-trails.

Renting a bike is still the way to go on trips

I just finished paying $134 to ship my bike to Connellsville, PA to ride the Great Allegheny Passage Trail.

I much prefer to rent bikes on my trips, but the logistics of renting a bike on one end of the trail, then getting it back to the rental shop after reaching my destination on the other end of the trail just wasn't working for me.

I'm hoping that someone will start renting bikes on the longer rail-trails that will allow users to drop the bike-rentals off at either end of the trail, sort of like U-Haul does w/ their rental trucks.

In the meantime, I just took a look at the RentaBikeNow.com website. It offers rental locations in numerous locations in the U. S. and Canada. It looks like an excellent business and one that could be very helpful on future rail-trail trips. The idea of a one-stop bike rental process is very appealing and would save lots of time on the planning stages of a trail excursion.

I'll keep you posted on future rental experiences, but for now, I'm recommending bike rentals over bike shipping. Bike rentals, as I've pointed out in a previous blog, allows you to meet locals, save money over shipping, and pack lighter. It also allows you to try new bikes such as hybrids, mountain bikes, cruisers, and recumbents.

Renting a bike is still the way to go on trips

Sit-Up Cycles

I was just introduced to a whole new world of bicycling when I visited a blog called Sit-Up Cycle.

Not only did I learn about a great new category of cycles, but I also learned about a movement for liberalizing helmet laws. Some people are in favor of eliminating the mandatory helmet laws for certain groups of cyclists. Part of their argument is that the mandatory helmet laws may discourage some people from cycling and that isn't a good thing when we're trying to encourage as many people as possible to ride bicycles as an alternate form of transportation.

Another topic discussed in the sit-up cycle blog was bike share schemes. I am truly amazed how this concept has blossomed in the past few years. It seems that nearly every major city has come onboard w/ this great idea.

And finally, I learned that, although they aren't exactly the same, there are a number of different names for what I call a cruiser bike: Some other names include sit-up cycle, comfort bicycles, and shopping bikes.
Any way you look at it, there is definitely a movement to make bikes more comfortable and more accessible to the general public.

Good on ya mate!!

Sit-Up Cycles