best kids bikes 2011 image
southernbe
I am looking to get a bike to give me a cardio alternative to walking or running. I haven't ridden a bike since I was a kid, so I am trying to figure out what kind of bike to get -- mountain bike, road bike etc. How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?
Answer
Start by reading "Bicycles: How to Choose"
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle.html
It's all based on "where & how" you will be riding. Road bikes will be your fastest choice but for the streets & smooth roads ONLY. Mountain bikes or all-terrain bikes basically suck on the streets because of the knobby off road tires & suspension parts zapping your energy. Knobby tires slow you down. And with every turn of the pedals, part of your energy is absorbed or soaked up by suspension parts. All-terrain bikes are OK on the streets ONLY if they have a smoother "street friendly" tread design & "lock-out" front forks. This (in essence) turns the suspension fork into a rigid fork with the simple twist of a switch.
Hybrids are a good "all around" type bike. They are great at nothing - but still good at many things. They can be ridden on the streets or light (man-made) groomed off-road trails of finely crushed stone.
"How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?" Nine very, very simple words... See your authorized, independent, knowledgeable, friendly, local BICYCLE shop! Not K-Mart, Wally World or Target. At a REAL bicycle shop you can TRY B4 you BUY! You can test ride as many bikes as your little heart desires before the sale!
Other advantages are...
1) Professional sales - not some minimum wage "associate".
2) Professional assembly of the bike by a certified mechanic - again, not some minimum wage associate.
3) FREE service after the sale. ALL new bikes require a tune-up as shift & brake cables stretch a bit during the break-in process. Some shops do this only once. Some for a year. A bike shop near me does this for LIFE!
http://bigshark.com/about/policies-and-shipping-pg11.htm
4) Vastly better quality. Wally World lists bicycles on their website in the TOY Dept.! Does that give you a clue? A quality bike from a REAL bicycle shop - taken care of properly - can last a lifetime. Those from discount stores are "disposable bikes", meant to be ridden a year or so - then into a dumpster.
See link below. This is my "pride & joy" - a 2011 Raleigh Sojourn touring road bike. Time spent in the shop for repairs? ZERO. Money spent after the sale? A bottle of chain oil (about $8.00) and a set of new tires when the original ones wore out. And I replaced them with the SAME tires. Flat tires to date? ZERO - none - nada. Sure - you'll need to do routine maintenance & cleaning on any type of bike. But getting a quality bike from the start cost LESS in the long run.
Start by reading "Bicycles: How to Choose"
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle.html
It's all based on "where & how" you will be riding. Road bikes will be your fastest choice but for the streets & smooth roads ONLY. Mountain bikes or all-terrain bikes basically suck on the streets because of the knobby off road tires & suspension parts zapping your energy. Knobby tires slow you down. And with every turn of the pedals, part of your energy is absorbed or soaked up by suspension parts. All-terrain bikes are OK on the streets ONLY if they have a smoother "street friendly" tread design & "lock-out" front forks. This (in essence) turns the suspension fork into a rigid fork with the simple twist of a switch.
Hybrids are a good "all around" type bike. They are great at nothing - but still good at many things. They can be ridden on the streets or light (man-made) groomed off-road trails of finely crushed stone.
"How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?" Nine very, very simple words... See your authorized, independent, knowledgeable, friendly, local BICYCLE shop! Not K-Mart, Wally World or Target. At a REAL bicycle shop you can TRY B4 you BUY! You can test ride as many bikes as your little heart desires before the sale!
Other advantages are...
1) Professional sales - not some minimum wage "associate".
2) Professional assembly of the bike by a certified mechanic - again, not some minimum wage associate.
3) FREE service after the sale. ALL new bikes require a tune-up as shift & brake cables stretch a bit during the break-in process. Some shops do this only once. Some for a year. A bike shop near me does this for LIFE!
http://bigshark.com/about/policies-and-shipping-pg11.htm
4) Vastly better quality. Wally World lists bicycles on their website in the TOY Dept.! Does that give you a clue? A quality bike from a REAL bicycle shop - taken care of properly - can last a lifetime. Those from discount stores are "disposable bikes", meant to be ridden a year or so - then into a dumpster.
See link below. This is my "pride & joy" - a 2011 Raleigh Sojourn touring road bike. Time spent in the shop for repairs? ZERO. Money spent after the sale? A bottle of chain oil (about $8.00) and a set of new tires when the original ones wore out. And I replaced them with the SAME tires. Flat tires to date? ZERO - none - nada. Sure - you'll need to do routine maintenance & cleaning on any type of bike. But getting a quality bike from the start cost LESS in the long run.
How much does a person make their first few years in the army?
April
my husband is thinking about joining the army. we have three small kids together. we are pretty sure the army is a good schoice for our family, although it will be hard. one reason we think this is a valid option is bc of the financial stability the army entails. we dont know his mos will be but he is going to study to try and score at least a 50 on his asvab. if someone knows the range of housing allowance as well as salary i would greatly appreciate your input!
Answer
Depends on how quickly he gets promoted. The first couple of ranks make about 25000 a year, give or take a little, in base pay, but the additional benefits bump that up sometimes more than double depending on where you're stationed. When I was stationed in Maryland I was making almost as much in housing allowance as I was in base pay, and housing allowance is non-taxable. As the other person said, the pay charts are online. They're the same for all services, just do a search for 2010 or 2011 military pay charts, and you can get an idea. If you're curious about specific BAH rates, they are tailored based on the average rent in that area, and change based on rank. With three kids, I'd just live in base housing, because what they pay you in BAH is designed to basically pay for a 2 bedroom apartment, and it's not going to completely cover your rent, but if you're in military housing they assign it based on the size of your family. You guys would get at least a 3 bedroom home, maybe a 4 depending on the ages and genders of your children. Health care is free, which I love, and at most bases, the housing is close enough that he could bike to work to save on gas if it was really tight for you. Once he's been in for four or five years, the finances ease up considerably. So, in a nutshell, the base pay (in the charts) is the only thing out of your military benefits that's taxable. I've been in 10 years and am an E6, and my taxable income is about $35,000 a year, but because I have four kids I'm never liable for any taxes. In fact, I generally get back considerably more than I paid in. The financial stability is great, because I don't have to count hours and figure out if my budget can take me taking a vacation or staying home sick, and I don't have to weigh the cost of prescriptions against how sick I am and take risks with my health. Honestly, if you're good at living within your means, it is very easy to live comfortably in the military, just do your best to stay out of debt. I buy older cars for a few thousand cash and drive them until they die rather than shelling out tens of thousands for a new car that won't be worth anything by the time I pay it off. We budget our money and plan out what we are going to eat for the month, and only buy those groceries. If we want expensive furniture, we save up for it and buy it when we have the money rather than putting it on credit. That might all sound a bit money-nazi, but it's allowed us great freedom with our finances, and because we're good at saving money, we can afford to travel places like Disney for family vacations (yes, with four kids), take diving lessons, go out to eat a few times a month, etc. It's by no means upper class living, but it's stable and it's comfortable if you know how to watch your money. Hope this helps!
Depends on how quickly he gets promoted. The first couple of ranks make about 25000 a year, give or take a little, in base pay, but the additional benefits bump that up sometimes more than double depending on where you're stationed. When I was stationed in Maryland I was making almost as much in housing allowance as I was in base pay, and housing allowance is non-taxable. As the other person said, the pay charts are online. They're the same for all services, just do a search for 2010 or 2011 military pay charts, and you can get an idea. If you're curious about specific BAH rates, they are tailored based on the average rent in that area, and change based on rank. With three kids, I'd just live in base housing, because what they pay you in BAH is designed to basically pay for a 2 bedroom apartment, and it's not going to completely cover your rent, but if you're in military housing they assign it based on the size of your family. You guys would get at least a 3 bedroom home, maybe a 4 depending on the ages and genders of your children. Health care is free, which I love, and at most bases, the housing is close enough that he could bike to work to save on gas if it was really tight for you. Once he's been in for four or five years, the finances ease up considerably. So, in a nutshell, the base pay (in the charts) is the only thing out of your military benefits that's taxable. I've been in 10 years and am an E6, and my taxable income is about $35,000 a year, but because I have four kids I'm never liable for any taxes. In fact, I generally get back considerably more than I paid in. The financial stability is great, because I don't have to count hours and figure out if my budget can take me taking a vacation or staying home sick, and I don't have to weigh the cost of prescriptions against how sick I am and take risks with my health. Honestly, if you're good at living within your means, it is very easy to live comfortably in the military, just do your best to stay out of debt. I buy older cars for a few thousand cash and drive them until they die rather than shelling out tens of thousands for a new car that won't be worth anything by the time I pay it off. We budget our money and plan out what we are going to eat for the month, and only buy those groceries. If we want expensive furniture, we save up for it and buy it when we have the money rather than putting it on credit. That might all sound a bit money-nazi, but it's allowed us great freedom with our finances, and because we're good at saving money, we can afford to travel places like Disney for family vacations (yes, with four kids), take diving lessons, go out to eat a few times a month, etc. It's by no means upper class living, but it's stable and it's comfortable if you know how to watch your money. Hope this helps!
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