This whole “Do The Things” mentality is about removing excuses and barriers and just getting out there and doing stuff I’ve wanted to do / thought about doing for a long time. I haven’t been on a bicycle since I was in high school. Cliff used to bike quite a bit and has a sweet road bike, but I’ve never been that into it. I actually preferred rollerblades as my teenager transportation. But getting on a bike has been on my to do list for years.

Not long after I graduated college, I had a plan to bike the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to DC. This plan went by the wayside as I added up all of the things I’d need to do to get to the point where that was a possibility. Getting a bike and all of the assorted paraphernalia, building up my endurance, and ultimately finding the time.

Now I don’t know if I’m ever going to do that ride, but I’m not going to let that stop me. In the next month and a half, I’m going to buy a bike and get on it. It’s not about a 250 mile bike trip, or even a 20 mile ride necessarily. But I am definitely going to ride at least the 3 miles from my home to Gravelly Point to watch the fireworks on Independence Day. I know I can do this.

So, please, give me your suggestions for what bike I should buy. I am pretty sure I want a hybrid bike, most likely aluminum frame (but I’ll take advice as to why this is wrong). I’ll be riding mostly on paved trails like MVT, W&OD, or Custis, but I’d like to preserve the option to ride on crushed gravel trails like the C&O Canal Towpath and other less-favorable terrain. I don’t want to needlessly throw away money on a thing I don’t even know if I’ll like, but I’m not looking for a bargain basement bike. People are telling me I probably should be looking in the $500-$1k price range, and that’s fine with me, but I do still want to understand why that’s better than a $350 bike, and what things within that range are worth paying for.

So please, leave comments with your suggestions, and help me see some fireworks this year.