Why a bike is a summer essential

With the first day of summer officially starting tomorrow in the northern hemisphere, there’s so much positivity and happiness in the air at REID International HQ, thinking of all the great cycling adventures we’ll have this summer. So for all of you non-cyclists out there, we thought we’d just help push you over the edge to making the small but worthwhile leap into cycling.

Why would you even want to drive?

Think about it. When you get into your car for the first time on a summer day, the heat, the humidity, the impending sweat, not even to mention the risk of permanently branding yourself on your seatbelt buckle! Now, imagine if you could travel with a refreshing breeze, the sun beaming down on you (still getting a suntan!) and no risk of feeling like you’re in a sauna. Yes, that’s right, you’re riding a bike and you’re loving it. As long as the distance is right and you won’t be cycling for days to get to your destination, then cycling really is the only way to get around in summertime, it can even be quicker than driving getting stuck in traffic as everyone heads to the beach.

Free parking and lots of it!

You’ve packed up the car, you’re soaked through, having sat in traffic in what is effectively a sauna for the last 30 minutes, but you’re finally at the beach. But wait, so is everyone else and like towels on poolside beds, if you’re not down there at 6 am to reserve your spot, you’re buggered. So now you’ve got to drive around like a muppet waiting for someone to leave their spot and you’ve wasted however much time inside a car, when you could have been outside. But, what if there was a way where you could park anywhere and everywhere, for free! Oh, wait there is, it’s called cycling. For the one-off cost of a lock (we recommend a D-Lock), you can make the most out of any dedicated cycling parking, lampost, railing, you name it and there’s no maximum length of time you need to be there without paying more! Adding in the benefit that you can cruise down in the comfort of being outside. It’s a no-brainer really.

Explore somewhere new

Get lost and have fun! The beauty of bikes is that the journey itself can very well be as good if not better than the destination. Why not just go out with a friend with the aim of finding somewhere new? Take that left you’ve always taken a right on, go down that country path, just go and go aimlessly, see where your wheels can take you this summer.

Keep that ‘Summer Bod’ a Summer bod

You’ve made all that effort since January, you overrode your temptations for chocolate in Easter, you subdued your mind when wondering whether you chose Chinese or Indian, you’ve hit the gym, you’ve worked hard, you look good and you deserve it, so why let it slip now that summer is here. Cycling is a great way to keep fit and considering the mainstream alternatives of walking (slow) and driving (cost, parking, non-active). It’s the best way to incorporate fitness into your travelling without compromising the time it takes to travel. It’s scientifically proven to increase cardiovascular fitness, improve muscle strength and flexibility, improve joint mobility, decrease stress levels and body fat levels and reduce anxiety and depression, all great benefits to your health and looking tip-top.

It’s not just for summer!

Naturally, it’s the perfect time to pick up a bike, however, don’t feel that you’re only going to be using this for one season a year. A bike is a bike for life, especially REID Bikes which come with a Lifetime frame and rigid fork warranty. Keep your new found love for cycling alive and continue riding into the autumn and beyond, as long as it’s not raining and even if it is, riding your bike is fair game. In the winter months, different bikes can come out to play, like our Fat Bikes or All-Road for those rougher terrains and conditions. Either way, if you’re having fun then time will fly and next thing you know, it’ll be summer again and you’ll be cycling every day again!