10 Ways to Make Cycling Fun

Seoul Cycle Design competition's "Horsey" bike is cool, but I think there are better ways to make cycling more fun.

A recent survey from England’s Department for Transportation found that far fewer adults then children enjoy cycling, so Peter Walker, the columnist behind The Guardian‘s Bike Blog, asked his readers how to make cycling more fun. Not to be a downer, but I found his top answers to be somewhat depressing. I hate to knock the efforts of anyone who’s trying to give biking a boost – I love my bike, and I’m a huge believer in the environmental and health benefits (both physical and mental) of switching from cars to bikes whenever possible. But Walker’s favorite reader suggestion is the above “Horsey” bike, one of several bike designs shortlisted for the Seoul Cycle Design competition:

Who wouldn’t feel better pedalling around with the wooden silhouette of a horse’s head, body and tail clamped to the frame of your bike? Well, maybe quite a lot of people. However impractical and whimsical it might be, I love the way the designer, Eungi Kim, has captured the essential thrill of riding a bike. If driving a car around a city can feel like being trapped in your own personal, (slowly) mobile prison cell, then on a good day cycling is more like cantering along a prairie.

Whimsical and “fun” as the design may be, I just don’t think we need to go that far in order to make cycling fun. If Walker’s goal is to get more adults on bikes, then I’m sorry, but eccentric, expensive bike designs aren’t my idea of a winning plan of attack. The last thing we need, in fact, is to make people feel like the only way they can enjoy cycling is if they can afford a fancy bike like this one. If anything, cycling should be a more egalitarian way of getting around than cars. Whether you own a $99 Huffy or a $7,000 Specialized track bike, cycling has huge health benefits, environmental benefits, and yes: Even on that crappy used bike, it can be a lot of fun.

So I say we leave design elitism at auto expos, and remember that the following 10 ways to make cycling fun are far more important than welding the outline of a horse to your bike frame:

1. Plan destinations – Plan a long bike ride to a beach that you don’t usually get to, or a cool neighborhood you’ve been meaning to explore. Or, if you’re feeling especially adventurous, load your bike onto a train or bus and get out of town for a ride in the country. You’ll look forward to it just as much as any other weekend trip, and enjoy it even more.

2. Ride with other people – Within the first few weeks of dating, my boyfriend and I both purchased bikes, and have since spent a good portion of our relationship cycling together. We could have been riding anywhere, and I would have been having fun. Don’t have a significant other (or just not one that’s into biking)? Hang out with your friends who enjoy riding, or sign up for a few group rides. Riding with other people not only makes biking more fun, but it enriches your relationships, too.

3. Explore – Just like you marvel at how fun it is to see the countryside from a train instead of a car, you’ll be amazed by how fun it is to explore your city from the seat of your bike. Bike lanes and trails allow you to see your city in a way you’ve never seen it before, so take some time to let yourself wander off your particular beaten path.

4. Bike somewhere green – Studies have shown that being outdoors in green spaces make us happier, so do a few laps around a park or try your hand at mountain biking. You’ll be amazed at the stress relief of an outdoor bike ride (sorry, but spin classes just aren’t the same; I’ve tried).

5. Let yourself off the hook for the gym – When you’re exploring your city, biking to an out-of-the-way beach, or trailing behind your crush on two wheels, you’ll hardly be aware of the calories you’re burning, but biking is great cardiovascular exercise. Revel in the fact that you don’t need to squeeze in time on the treadmill after you’ve spent the day on your bike.

6. Enjoy your time not spent in traffic – I can’t count the number of times I’ve whizzed past drivers stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, grateful that I chose not to drive or take a bus to work. While nothing beats a leisurely weekend bike ride, in my opinion, commuting on a bike is a close second.

7. Look forward a beer or a brownie at the end of your ride – Whatever your idea of treating yourself is, you’ve earned the right to do it after a long bike ride. My favorite kind of ice cream is the kind I eat at the end of a long bike ride; knowing you’ve spent your time being active instead of lazing around on your couch makes it far more enjoyable.

8. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes – Once you make the initial investment in your bicycle (which, as I mentioned above, doesn’t need to be prohibitively large), biking is really one of the cheapest things you could spend your time doing. If you bike to work instead of driving or paying for public transportation, you’ll start seeing a big difference in your bank account. Enjoy the cash benefits.

9. Look in the mirror when you get back – Whether you’re vain or not, it’s hard not to have fun noticing the muscles you’ll build (and fat you’ll shed) by biking around town.

10. Accessorize – Finally, if you really are a design geek/consumer freak, there are plenty of ways to go crazy kitting out your bike. Upgrade your seat, buy a fancy bell, get one of those cool wooden tire pumps to keep by your front door, or buy some practical accessories to make it easier to bike in the rain. And, if you’re really good about saving up your unspent bus fares, maybe someday you can buy that Horsey bike that Peter Walker likes so much.