Herbal Medicines

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Bicycles are perhaps the greenest mode of mechanical transportation — and a good one needn’t cost a fortune. Here’s how to identify a great used bike.

Other than walking, there’s no more Earth-friendly mode of transportation than a bicycle. Bikes have an incredibly low manufacturing footprint when compared to a motorized vehicle. They’re cheap to operate, don’t pollute the air, and provide more miles per calorie of energy than any mode of getting around known to humankind. Best of all, a properly maintained bicycle should last for decades.

Which makes bikes a good candidate for buying used. You can pick up a quality bicycle for a fraction of their original purchase price, and it will give you many years of reliable service. But you’ll need to know what to look for.

We’ve put together a guide to help you locate a terrific used bicycle and assess its condition. Ready to roll? Let’s ride!

Where to find a quality used bike

By far, the best place to locate a ready-to-ride used bicycle is your local bike shop. If the shop is of any quality at all, you can be reasonably assured their used models have been vetted, adjusted, and are ready to hit the road.

Private sales are another good option. Cycling enthusiasts looking to upgrade their equipment are a great source of lovingly ridden machines. You’ll find them on eBay, Craigslist, and specialized listings such as rec.bicycles.marketplace newsgroup .

Finally, there are the old standbys of garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, and police auctions. You can find some great deals here, but you’ll also need enough bicycle knowledge to recognize which bikes are junk, and which are treasures.

Evaluating a used bicycle

If you have a question about the condition of a used bike, take it to a shop for inspection. Bicycles are simple and reliable, but they must be properly maintained for safe operation. Here’s a checklist of things to consider before purchasing any secondhand bike.

• Frameset: Paint chips are like beauty marks — they’re inevitable, and add character. Expect dings and scratches. What you don’t want, particularly in aluminum frames, are significant dents. These can act as failure points. Carefully check the lugs or welds where the frame is joined together. Welds should be even. Cracking of any kind is a show-stopper. So are bends at the dropouts (where the wheels attach to the frame). There should be no play in the front fork. Small areas of oxidation or rust are primarily just a cosmetic issue.
• Handlebars: Never ride a bicycle with unplugged handlebars. If you can see the hollow of the bars, you must replace the handgrips are bar plugs before saddling up. In an accident — even a minor fall — unplugged bars are an impalement hazard. The bottom of racing-style “butterfly” handlebars should be roughly parallel with the ground. Replace worn or missing bar tape.
• Saddle: Replace torn or obviously worn saddles. There should be no play whatsoever. Generally speaking, saddles should be adjusted parallel to the ground. Sitting in the saddle, your leg should have a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal downstroke. If your pelvis rocks when you are pedaling quickly, the saddle is probably too high. Lower it bit by bit until the rocking goes away. Verify that the seatpost clamp is free of cracks or obvious distress.
• Brakes: Check for worn or dried-out brake pads. These must be replaced, along with frayed or rusty brake cables. Braking should feel positive. Look for cracked or bent brake levers.
• Drivetrain: Wiggle the crankset. Side-to-side play indicates worn bearings or an improperly adjusted bottom bracket. The same applies to pedals. Replace a chain if it’s rusty or has frozen links. Chains and rear gear cogs become mated with use, so chain replacement may require the purchase of a new gear cassette. Spin the freewheel and listen for the chatter of broken bearings. Lift the rear wheel — you may need help for this — and verify that shifting is crisp through all gears. You should be able to shift into the largest and smallest rear gear without the chain jamming or becoming unshipped. If this isn’t the case, the gearing requires adjustment. On bicycles with rear derailleurs, inspect the rear brake hanger for bends or cracking.
• Wheels: As with the crankset, side-to-side play in a bicycle wheel indicates poorly maintained hubs. Squeeze the spokes with your fingers. The tension should feel equal across the entire wheel. Loose spokes indicate serious problems. Rims require periodic adjustment to remain “true” (straight). Stand over each wheel and use the brake pads as a visual reference. Spin the wheel. A small amount of side-to-side motion can usually be corrected. Up-and-down rim motion cannot. Rims should smooth and free from road impact damage. Tires should hold the rated sidewall pressure. Replace tires exhibiting dry rot, worn tread, damaged sidewalls, or tears exposing inner ply.

What should you pay?

Do your homework and find out the cost of new bicycles in your shopping class. A well-maintained used bike — ready to ride — will command up to half its purchase value. You’ll need to take any necessary repairs into account as you size up a potential purchase.

So knock on some doors, get a good sense of the marketplace, and expect to find some good values. Then saddle up! Here’s wishing you smooth roads and endless tailwinds.

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Dear Mark,

I’m finding that I have low levels of energy in the evenings only. Could this be because my body is still adapting to primal living and adjusting to less carbohydrate intake? How long does this usually last? I’m also finding that after my sessions of intense Muay Thai training, I don’t have the energy the next day to do much of anything regarding exercise. (My Muay Thai routine includes two hours of jumping rope, calisthenics, ab work, sparring, focus mitt work and pad work in 92-93 degree heat three days a week.) Any suggestions?

Though this scenario has some pretty specific points I’ll address, the issue of fatigue seems to be a common theme in many reader questions, especially since we began the Primal Challenge.

First off, the time a person needs to adjust to a lower carb diet depends a lot on very individual factors, including how glucose dependent that person has become over a lifetime. If you’re coming down from a very high carb intake (say, 300-400 grams a day), I recommend taking it slowly. Spend a week at 200 grams and then reduce intake to 150 grams. If you can hold it at 150 for a week or so and still feel good, you can gradually decrease to 100 or fewer if you want. Track how you feel as you reduce your carbs. And during this time, try to keep everything else the same (duration of sleep, exercise routine, etc.). Trying to do too much at one time will not only set you up for fatigue, it seriously muddies the picture as you try to understand what’s behind your low energy. For the purpose of the Primal Challenge, assess the changes you’ve made this month. Make sure you’re not overdoing it in any one area, and dial back slightly if fatigue is throwing a wrench in your efforts.

True physiological adjustment to a lower carb diet can take two to three weeks as a significant shift in gene expression gets underway. (see my post on the Context of Calories and how ketosis increases with a drop in glucose intake. (Also see this great review.) And that’s if you’re wholly consistent in your low carb routine. You’ll derail the process if you go for 400 grams of carbs on a “bad day” in the interim. Not everyone will get deep into ketosis, and that’s fine. Not everyone needs to. The main point is this: you need to be in a place where you’re making the normal 200 grams a day of glycogen from fats and protein and then you are able to easily get any “emergency” glucose for the brain from dietary protein. That’s the main reason protein is high on the PB diet…you don’t really need that much, but you have it there to be used for fuel in the event glycogen runs out (and you don’t want to tear up precious muscle to achieve that). Gluconeogenesis (where the liver converts protein to glucose), by the way, is fueled by fat. Be sure you’re getting enough total calories and that you’ve added enough protein and fat into your diet to keep you well-fueled.

Secondly, I’d like to stress that duration of exercise makes a world of difference. There’s an essential reason I recommend a person stay at or below an hour for intensive workouts. The reason “less than an hour” is so critical here is that the body can only store 200-300 grams of glycogen per day on a low-carb plan. That’s enough carbo/glucose fuel to get you through an hour or less of intense workout effort, but it’s generally not enough for 90 minutes or two hours, especially in the kind of heat our reader describes and especially several days a week. The fact is, two hours of intense cardio work (whether it’s running or Muay Thai) will leave the body lethargic or craving carbs. Very possibly both. If you keep the same workout under an hour, no matter how intense, the body doesn’t begin tearing down muscle for glucose. Moreover, it recovers efficiently by burning fat and restocking that 200-300 grams of glycogen for the next day. Especially if weight loss is a goal, working with (not against) your body’s physiology will bring the best results. Occasional longer very low level (like 60% max HR) fat-burning hikes are part of a PB-style exercise program, but when you cut back your harder workouts to well under an hour (all other PB elements in place), you’ll get better results.

A good point to consider: if your workout leaves you feeling like you’re unable to do anything that night or even the next day, you’re working yourself too hard. “Rest periods” between intensive workouts are intended for productive healing and muscle building, not for getting over extreme fatigue.

Thanks for all the great questions and updates on the Primal Challenge. Keep it up everybody, and keep the questions coming!

Further Reading:

Dear Mark: Decline in Mental Energy?

What Happens to Your Body When… You Haven’t Properly Trained for Your Marathon?

Dear Mark: Weightlifting Weary

Top 10 Natural Energy Elevators

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Whenever I’m invited to a lunch meeting, I often hear discussions on weight loss methods and diet pills discussion women who are working towards an overweight physique. Then I will spot the ladies indulging in large portions of salads drizzled with creamy dressings on top of their leafy greens.

What is not highlighted is that eating all sorts of salads may not necessary keep your weight on the scale. Instead, low-calorie green salads do. Having a low-calorie salad – which is not defined as one that’s loaded with croutons, high fat dressings, and cheese - may be the answer if weight is your main concern. Wisely choose your ingredients, and its high fiber content can be the key to helping you fight cravings later in the day.

Does anyone no a specific herb or herbal pill that can help someone who has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I’ve tried sleep meds but they never agreed with me. Now i want to experiment with herbal remedies. ...