As you surely know, I have had some health and weight challenges in the last few years. Bike riding is an activity I love, my knees tolerate well, and helps me to stay in shape.

My road bike is 28 years old. It has 23mm wide tires. It’s great for smooth pavement but not just uncomfortable, but downright dangerous on a rough surface.

My road is nasty gravel and dirt with ruts, so I have to put my bike on my car to go somewhere to ride.

While I love riding on the road, I prefer roads with very little car traffic for obvious reasons. Little-used roads are typically low on the list for highway maintenance, and therefore frequently in bad shape, especially after Hurricane Helene. And there are many dirt and gravel roads in this area that would be great for riding – on the right bike.

I would love to be able to ride from home, I would love to be able to ride on poorly maintained roads, and I would love to be able to explore some of the dirt and gravel roads in the area.

There is a new breed of bike called a gravel bike. It is basically a road bike with fat tires. It’s lightweight, efficient, and stable. (By comparison, a mountain bike is heavy, inefficient, and expensive.)

All bikes have gotten expensive. My current bike cost $1300 in 1997. Over the years I upgraded components to make it have a theoretical value of over $3000, but at 28 years old, it has practically no actual value.

I have my eye on a gravel bike for $1600 that would allow me to ride from home and explore some ‘roads less traveled by’. But I simply don’t have the funds, so I need some help.

I’m asking you to help me stay healthy and use my car a bit less, while enjoying life a bit more.

If you can help me out, I would very much appreciate it. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.

~Arlin