Bike Enthusiasts, I Need Your Help

I’m fat. I’m not shy about saying it. I know people have eyes.

But I’ve long wanted to do something about it.

I’ve won mini-battles along the way, but, seemingly, have been losing the war. I have the same apprehension that most people have who have been dealing with weight issues their whole life.

I know my diet needs to change—but that’s for another discussion.

I have a membership to a gym in town, but have visited my least favorite restaurant in Northfield more times in the last six months than I have visited the gym.

Maybe it’s the atmosphere. Maybe it’s a busy schedule. Maybe it’s laziness. Yeah, it’s mostly that last one.

As I built up Northfield Patch in the fall of 2010, one of our early tasks was to build a comprehensive directory of the city, a phone book on steroids, if you will. In it, you find businesses, schools, parks—basically everything in town—with phone numbers, hours, payment methods, notes from owners and managers. There’s a lot of information.

One of my favorite tasks was going around and finding all the parks in Northfield. There are a lot of parks. More than I ever knew about.

It was like an adventure trying to find  or or . It gave me a better sense of the community I had lived in for a year and in which I planned (and am now executing) to raise a family.

The idea of finding those parks again is exciting. Getting there by Northfield’s bike paths and roads is even more enticing.

The problem? I don’t own a bike.

The last time I owned a bike was my senior year in college. I had purchased an $80 one from Walmart to get around campus and less than a week in I went over a speed bump, the chain came off, which locked the rear tire, and I went over the handlebars. It was September and I was in shorts and flip flops.

Let’s say I got a little bike shy after that.

Who has some sound advice for a beginner looking to get back on the seat?

Educate me!