Welcome to gwbikeman.net, I'm Greg Wheeler, and this site is just for fun, and it's all about what I love to do... ride, ride, and ride some more. There's nothing else quite like sitting down on that comfortable seat, oozing in, aiming the front wheel, and just cranking those pedals around.
Here you can find out about the bikes my wife and I love to ride, and see photos and videos of the bikes and some of our favorite routes. Our base of operations is Harbor Springs, located in the Northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. I am also including some photos of the scenery we enjoy along our favorite rides. We live in a really beautiful area, at least once that pesky snow is gone.
Why the red, white, and blue?
Well, back when I got my first 'bent (recumbent bike), a couple of car drivers told me that I was hard to see, because I sat lower than a "normal" bike.
So, I figured I better fly a flag on the bike for visibility. I started out with one of those orange triangle ones, but later decided if I'm going to fly a flag, I want one with some real class. I started flying the American Flag on my bike during the summer of 1999.
Since then, when people see the different type of bike with that American Flag going by, it just might be me!
Content copyright 2024 Greg Wheeler,
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You may wonder why I ride this odd looking type of bike. Think 100% pure comfort! So far, I have ridden this type of bike up to 134 miles in a day, and still arrived home smiling! No more "modified posts" for me, ever.
I rode motorcycles for over 30 years. I've owned seven of them, and I rode the Yamaha 750 Seca about 40,000 miles. But after buying my Rans recumbent bicycle (the bottom photo), I sold the most recent motorcycle - a full dress Gold Wing. I just don't like the seat or riding position of a motorcycle anymore. These recumbent bicycles have completely ruined my desire for anything else with two wheels.
One of my motorcycle riding friends said he'd give me 7 years, and I'd be back on a motorcycle. Well, as of Nov. 16, 2024, I have pedaled 101,117 miles, and (probably 19 years later) still no motorcycle in my garage. Oh, did I mention that I have this little problem with excess energy?
I also considerate myself very fortunate that my wife also loves riding, we have enjoyed many thousands of miles riding together. She rides a Burley Django bike. She has pedaled 47,218 miles on her Burley, plus she helped pedal our EZ Tandem recumbent bike 2,280 miles; and that was after riding about 2000 miles on her Bike E! She has now pedaled 51,498 miles. That's equal to 2,068 times around the world!.
It was May 6, 2024 that she watched her odometer hit 45,000 miles. We weren't far from our home, but we stopped to get a picture just for the fun of having it. See the picture below. I zoomed in on the odometer so the numbers would be easier to see. I'm proud of her for riding that many miles! I'm sure there are other people out there that have ridden a single bicycle that many miles, but my wife and I are the only ones I'm aware of. It seems like many people want a newer bike after a few years, Well, we certainly get our money's worth out of our bikes!
Here's a little miles trivia for you. I've always thought this planet Earth is so big... Think about this - for many years my favorite day ride has been from our house to Charlevoix Dairy Grill and back home, a round trip of 60 miles. One time around the equator is 24,902.4 miles (according to a NASA website). Divide that number by 60 = 415.04!
If I do my favorite day ride 415 times, I have pedaled the distance around planet Earth! When I think of it that way, it just isn't so huge after all. 60 miles is just a pleasant day ride for me.
By the way, our bicycles DO NOT have an electric motor assist. WE are the motors on our bikes!
