Sometimes it feels like there is a primal instinct that is satisfied from cycling. Or maybe it’s just a connection to that instinct. It’s the challenge, the exertion, the risk, pushing oneself out of the comfort zone in a physical way. Stirring and satisfying one’s sense of adventure at the same time.
Taking a trip to the grocery requires riding among the 5000 lb poison spewing beasts. I must rely on my skill, conditioning, and adaptability to survive. When I return home with the groceries my body has a memory of physical exertion, as if I had been on the hunt. This feels good. It is a feeling from the body that things are as they should be.
There is also the efficiency of the bicycle that appears to humans. If humans come up with a good thing, they try to make it better. When the safety bicycle (chain drive and pneumatic tires) appeared over one hundred years it was and remains the most efficient machine of personal transportation for humans in their entire history. It is so efficient that once the bicycle is purchased, it can be operated and maintained year after year for pennies. Over a long period of time that can add up to a significant savings of money. This would be a good enough reason in itself for some to like cycling so much.
Here at Linky Innovation, we put everything we have into making the highest quality bike products on the market so that you can get maximum enjoyment out of this wonderful activity. Here’s a list of 5 reasons why we love cycling so much.
It’s a meditation.
You can go, focus on a rhythm, clear your mind, and let your thoughts wander. Overcome challenges along the way, get up that hill, and make it another 10km. You can find new places, see and appreciate things you wouldn’t normally. It’s also good exercise, gets me some fresh air and sunlight. It’s so many things.
Freedom.
I get an awesome sense of freedom when I’m flying down hills or pushing myself and my bike up the next one. I like going fast on the descent (plenty of those here in Marche). Being a competitive person, I like beating my past self and looking at all the data on Strava in the process. It’s good exercise too (lost around 13 lbs since I started just over a year ago). There’s a good mix of short (get up this hill), medium (go for a long ride), and long-term (train for an organized ride) goals involved. And it’s great to clear your mind. Also, it destroys my anxiety. If I get anxious, I just hop on my bike and ride until I’m exhausted. By the time I get home, my anxiety is gone.
It’s Great Exercise.
Cycling is amazing for those looking for a form of cardio or aerobic exercise other than running. You will burn plenty of calories just riding a few miles to the supermarket. You’ll burn many more if you get out on some trails. It’s also much easier on your joints than running.
It’s good for the environment.
Cycling is amazing not just for ourselves, but it benefits our environment as well. When you opt for your bike over your car, you are keeping harmful pollution and gas-related emissions out of the environment.
Gives new perspectives.
Because of my passion for photography, I used to hike outdoors to find the right scene and angles. I was used to this way of exploring by myself slowly, but after I started cycling, I loved this new way of exploring the world. I can enjoy the rush of cycling and see the beauty of the vast landscape at the same time, rather than just the details.
Cycling is the closest thing you can get to flying without leaving the ground. As a matter of fact, the mechanics of actual flying/piloting an airplane isn’t even nearly as fun as cycling a nice bike.
I’ll end with this quote from John Forester:
People like to travel: that is why the grass is greener over the
fence.We are walkers — our natural means of travel is to put one foot in
front of the other.The bicycle seduces our basic nature by making walking
exciting. It lets us take 10-foot strides at 160 paces a minute.That’s 20 miles an hour, instead of 4 or 5… It is not only how fast you go — cars are
faster and jet planes faster still.But jet-plane travel is frustrating boredom
— at least the car gives the pictorial illusion of travel.Cycling does it all:
you have the complete satisfaction of arriving because your mind has chosen the path and steered you over it;
your eyes have seen it;
your muscles have felt it;
your breathing, circulatory and digestive systems have all done their
natural functions better than ever,and every part of your being knows you have
traveled and arrived.
What about you? Why do you ride? We’d love to hear your opinion about it 🙂 Let us know in the comment section below!
