"Why should you ride that Bicycle" Sang in the Queen esque song!!!

I have always been an avid bike rider.  When I was  young I was a proud owner of my first schwinn 10 speed blue and beautiful, my real love of bikes came about in my early 20's...  That is when I rebuilt my Grandpa's old schwinn and painted it my favorite color yellow and became a real bike riding chick.  I learned to change my own tube and all the things I would need to know to be a proud biking gal.  That bike got stolen shortly after I fixed it up which killed me.  I soon went to a used bike shop and bought another cruiser and did the same.  I included this time, a cute little basket and was on my way again..  Mon-Fri I was I was commuting from Sacramento to el dorado hills to teach..  But when I pulled up to my place at 4 o'clock everyday I jumped out of the car and anywhere I needed to go the rest of the day was on my bike..  The same for weekends..  Friday when I got home I didn't use my car again until Monday morning...  My neighbors and friends at the time were also biking gals so it made for fun days and nights.  Even now with two little girls, I would rather stick them in the little trailer and ride where I need to go, library, store, dr. appointments, to the park.. And now that I live in Davis pretty central  I have that luxury again.  I have to say that once you try it you will be hooked.   I am a leisurely bike rider..  I am not a spandexed out pro.  I just ride my cruiser and take my time to smell the roses..  Here is some food for thought on why everyone should try this form of transportation..

First lets talk benefits on the planet..

It is well known that cycling can improve the environment and reduce emissions of
CO2 as well as hazardous gasses like particles and NOx. Cars and trucks cause a lot of air the pollution in the world
 

- China and the USA alone produce close to half of the
  world's carbon dioxide...much of that from cars.

- SUVs pollute a lot more than cars.

- Most ozone pollution is caused by cars and trucks.

- Your car makes carbon dioxide based only on how many
  gallons of gasoline your car burns.

- It's not the kind of car you drive, but how many miles you
  drive it and how many gallons of gas you burn that counts.

- Car tires wear out as you drive on them and the particles
  from those tires go into the air.

- The air near within a few hundred yards or so of big streets
  is most likely polluted  with harmful particulates from, and
  stirred up by, traffic.            

 Economy:

It is estimated that replacing a car
trip with a bike trip saves individuals and society $2.73 per mile. (A typical two-mile bike
trip would save $5.56.) The benefits would be enormous if even a small fraction of
the more than 200 billion miles Americans drive each month – nearly three trillion a
year – were shifted to bike. (For an indication of just how enormous, consider that
nearly 30 percent of all trips in Copenhagen, Denmark are by bicycle. A 30 percent
mode-share in the U.S. would lead to an estimated savings of $163.8 billion a month,
nearly two trillion dollars a year.)

In addition the bicycle industry and bicycle tourism can have on
state and local economies, describes the need for bicycle facilities, discusses the cost
effectiveness of investments, points out the benefits of bike facilities for business
districts and neighborhoods, and identifies the cost savings associated with a mode shift
from car to bicycle. The evidence demonstrates that investments in bicycle
infrastructure make good economic sense as a cost effective way to enhance shopping
districts and communities, generate tourism and support business.

 Health:

There is an increasing concern about obesity and the health risk of a sedentary
lifestyle. The focus is not only on adults but also to a significant degree on children,
as lifestyle habits are founded in the childhood and adolescence.
There is overwhelming evidence that physical inactivity results in an increased risk of
getting several diseases and that it is, on the contrary, possible to reduce the risk of
the same diseases by increasing the level of physical activity.
Biking is known as a very energy efficient mode of transport. Biking on a zeroslope
with a constant speed can actually bring you far even with less expenditure of
energy than what is recommended as the minimum of various health authorities.
When, however, stops and slopes are taken into account, cycling will most probably
be as energy demanding as e.g. brisk walking.
A study of Danish adults shows that cycling to work has a very significant effect on
health. Even after adjustment for differences in terms of job, smoking, leisure time
activities and body mass index people who cycle to work have a 28% lower mortality
rate2.



My amazing finds for inexpensive bikes that will last you!!! 
 Now depending on how much money you got in yo pocket..  I will go baller on a budget first to more extravagant!!!

If you are a fan of old fashioned there are pretty cheap old cruisers at most second hand or thrift stores or look also into craigslist.

In Sacramento college cyclery

http://collegecyclery.biz/?page_id=31

People either love or hate this place but I am a fan, I have purchased 3 bikes from them.  The bodies all in great shape easy for me to make them special..  Not a bike engineer all I would do to it is paint and put white walls on them and a cute basket..  Sometimes a new seat depending on the crotch killing ness!!! ;)
What is cool about doing something like this is that sometimes you can make what you want for under $200 bones which is pretty cheap for your new wheels!!!!

R.E.I is always a good choice, they have the most delicious mountain bikes.  I am not into mountain bikes too much but my man is and when I get on his bikes sometimes I act a little gitty at how they ride..

Mikes Bikes is a superb bike shop in the sacramento area that is crazy cool..  
http://mikesbikes.com/contact/sacramento-pg201.htm
For biking accessories, these are my favorites!!!

Trailers: for our girls trailer we got super lucky, the one that I was interested in I found in Granite Bay through craigslist  and paid a fraction of the price, so look out for this model because it is a dream..

http://www.rei.com/product/798372/burley-bee-bike-trailer


For Seats:  we had to start using one of these because Bryten my oldest now rides her own bike..  So for trips to Yosemite or short bike trail rides where Bryten can ride her own bike this is a cool addition to the family for Daphne my 14 month old

http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangaroo-Child-Bike-Seat/dp/B001DF68MA/ref=sr_1_3?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818008&sr=1-3


Baskets:
For the single hot chicks, this is a must have.. I loved this when I was crusing around with my girls.  It holds your purse and your road soda ;)  It is whimsical cute and you can remove it and bring it with you!!
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Wicker-Bicycle-Basket-Velcro/dp/B001V6630S/ref=sr_1_4?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818167&sr=1-4

For the mommy in me nowadays this is a goodie because when my girls juice or snacks spill I can just rinse it off!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-MTX-Rear-Bicycle-Basket/dp/B000FI6WXQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818290&sr=1-17

Helmets:
I really trust this brand for my girls noggins!!
http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Fraction-Bicycle-Critters-X-Small/dp/B002LVZPTC/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818387&sr=1-3-spell

Bells:
Um of course got to tell people you are coming,,  ting ting ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Suzu-Lever-Strike-Brass/dp/B001MS2KHA/ref=sr_1_9?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818478&sr=1-9

Lights:
It's the law folks, and it is safe so Duhhh ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Beamer-Blinky-Bicycle/dp/B000AQU8BA/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818549&sr=1-3

However you go about it, do it..  You will be so amazed at how much fun and easy bike riding is, even for people who are not athletic bike riding is something that can for sure get your foot in the door to a more healthy lifestyle.  Not to mention it is helping out good ole mother earth..  This will be an updated post, when I find cool finds I will add them.  And if you have any cool things to add please leave a comment.  Tread Lightly!!!