I may thinker with my broken bicycle some more, maybe even see if I can get a replacement wheel for it rather than more spokes. But I decided bicycling is kind of overrated when I can walk, take a bus or drive most places I want to go.

I just feel like a bicycle is another expense, another thing to break down and be a hassle. Gas prices are quite affordable these days – if I want to go to a park and it’s too far to walk in the allotted time then I should just fire up Big Red and drive there. Literally, that’s the most cost effective and logical option. Literally, $600-800 of a cost of a new bicycle could pay for 2,500 miles or even more of fuel for my truck and that milage is likely a marginal additional maintenence cost as the truck needs replacement over the next few years.

Truth is that I prefer the slower pace of walking places. I am not convinced that bicycling is much healthier then walking – you have to go 1.7 times further on a bicycle to burn the same number of calories as walking. Walking you see more things. In my experience most bicycle trails are incredibly boring compared to the more remote parts of the woods you can explore on foot. Feet don’t get flat tires, broken spokes or slipped off chains. You don’t have to choose between bicycle models or take your feet to a repair shop when they inevitably need repairs and fork over more money.

Physical exercise is over emphasized when it comes to loosing weight and being healthy. I not going to quit walking 6-10 miles a day but diet is vastly more important then any effort to burn off calories. At 85 calories per mile walked and 50 calories per mile bicycled, you might as well focus on eating healthy and forget about burning them off. Places that make sense to walk to, walk to. For the rest, drive or take a bus.

For a while, I was enthralled by the greater distances I could get around by having a bicycle, essentially for free ignoring the costs of purchasing and operating a bicycle. That 20 plus mile hike out to Blodgett Hill really got me thinking that way. But then the costs and stress of dealing with another mechanical device made me reconsider. Why spend my days comparing what will be the best bicycle and calculating repair costs and trips to the cycle shop for inevitable parts and repairs when I can just walk or drive?

It was fun to dream for a while. But sometimes the best dreams are forgotten when you wake up and move on with your day. Maybe instead I’ll buy myself am additional $500 in stocks and bonds this week, knowing it’s an actual investment in my future rather than more garbage and clutter in my life. Plus I won’t have to worry about getting struck on the road riding a bicycle or having my shinny new bicycle stole.