My first entry

The purpose of this Blog: Initially this blog shall be used to keep track of my bike rides and to help motivate me to keep riding for my own personal fitness. I plan on tracking the bike rides in multiple ways including this blog, Google maps to detail the actual rides and Google documents (Excel) to have a quick reference of the trips. I also plan to add personal bike experiences as they happen and some that I remember from long ago. I'd also like to promote bicycling as a fun sport. Later I may add other non-biking features.

The person behind the blog: My name is Terry Duffy from Greensburg, Indiana and I work at MainSource Financial: http://www.mainsourcebankin.com/

The bike: I ride a Vision R40 recumbent bicycle that I had originally bought new in November of 1996 (or was it 1997?). It is in a short wheelbase (SWB) under seat steering (USS) configuration. The color is burgundy (it was the only color the shop had) most people call it purple.If you are interested in a recumbent, there are a lot of resources on the Web, here are a few:

• General recumbent information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle
• Valley Bikes of Indianapolis: http://www.valleybikes.com/main.html
• Recumbent Online catalog: http://www.hostelshoppe.com/recumbent_catalog.php

Why a recumbent? I had ridden a Cannondale road bike and various mountain bikes for years the biggest problem I had are neck pain and stiffness plus the constant pressure on my wrists and hands. I have less neck problems and have absolutely no wrist or hand problems. The recumbent is more aerodynamic then a road bike and besides that, it just looks awesome! The only disadvantage I see is climbing hills, since you cannot stand up to generate more power.

The upgrade: The bike was upgraded this year to have 27 gears which is much better for climbing hills. I have changed the tires to 1" 'Grand Prix' tires made by Continental. The bike was also overhauled which included repacking the bearings, new chain, cables and other items. The upgrades and overhaul were completed by the Bicycle Station in Columbus, Indiana they do excellent work with great pricing. Bicycle Station contact information: 812-379-9005; 1005 25th St. Columbus, IN 47201

Greensburg bicycle group: The Greensburg, Indiana bike group meet at 6:00PM Tuesdays and Thursdays at the courthouse pavilion. There are set 20 mile and 6 mile loops that end at the downtown courthouse.