Get out . Bike. You don’t even have to wear Spandex!

  • Sarah Jackson
  • Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:01am
  • Life

May is Bike to Work month in Snohomish County. Friday is Bike to Work day. (Click here to see all the cool details.) Our local weather should be ideal for it.

You don’t, however, have to participate in a nationwide event to get into biking. You can take up cycling anytime you want.

In fact, bike manufacturers are bending over backwards to cater not just to Lance Armstrong wannabes, but regular old Joes like us who want to cycle to the grocery store in regular clothes to save on gas and burn some calories.

Check out my story here, where you’ll find a cool graphic on the latest generation in casual cycles.

I was amazed to see how many bike styles have emerged for people who want to ride fewer than 10 miles per trip. They’re cool and don’t have to be cheesy or flamboyant like “cruisers” of days gone by.

Here are a few casual cycling options to explore for summer — or later this week if we get that heat wave they say is coming.

*The Electra Bicycle Co. in Vista, Calif., a company founded about 15 years ago, offers more than 150 cycles to choose from including many casual styles.

*Breezers are another line of casual, easy-to-use cycles by the SimpliCity Cycle Co. of Sausalito, Calif.

*Also, multiple bike makers have created casual cycles with automatic shifting, using patented Coasting technology from Shimano: Learn more about Trek’s auto-shift 3-speed casual bike called the Lime, Giant Bicycle Inc.’s Suede Coasting and Raleigh America’s Raleigh Coasting Bicycle.

Cyclists and readers, what’s your favorite bike for buzzing around town or down the Centennial Trail?

Please comment below or write me here.

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