- Well, this is awkward.

Well, top of the morning.

Turns out it's just like riding a bike.

The dismount's the hardest part, I think.

(laughs) (upbeat music) There are over 4,000 miles of paved trails throughout Minnesota, and many are along former railroad lines, rail trails they call 'em.

And they're perfect for bike riders of all abilities because they're easy to navigate, have minimal grades, and provide a variety of amenities.

They don't just run through rural areas either.

There's some great rail trails right here in the metro.

Today we're meeting up with a longtime cyclist, outdoor activist, and someone I've looked up to for a long time, Anthony Taylor.

Tell me what we got planned for today.

- Well, we're in St. Paul.

We're actually gonna be taking the Gateway Trail system to the Brown's Creek Trail system, which is gonna lead us to Stillwater.

And this is really a cool system 'cause this used to be railroad.

- I got this bike last fall.

This is the longest bike ride I've taken it on so far.

- Well this is a great experience for you to do that, so I'm really excited to share some tips.

- Let's get going, man.

Gear for this activity is pretty straightforward.

You want a bike, helmet, and water bottle.

I also recommend some eyewear to protect yourself from the elements.

Bikes can range quite a bit in price, depending on the type and if it's new or used.

Twincitiesbiking.org is a great resource to find and navigate trail systems when planning your bike adventure.

(dynamic music) - So you said you got the bike about a year ago.

Tell me about the bike, the purchase, and the decision.

- I went on Craigslist and ended up finding this one.

- A lot of people buy used bikes.

The challenge with that purchase is that you don't have a really fundamental relationship that's critical, and that's that bike shop relationship.

When you get a new bike you're gonna need just that 30-90 day tuneup because all the elements of the bike that are metal stretch, it gets a little bit out of adjustment.

Here's something else that's interesting, you bought a fat bike.

- Yeah.

- Although they were initially kind of thought about as a winter bike, they're comfortable, they're practical.

And they have become many people's daily go-to bike.

- [Chance] In 1869, the Velocipede was the first bike to hit the scene in Minnesota.

Similar to the Penny Farthing, but with a smaller front wheel.

25 years later, Minneapolis had about 30,000 riders.

At the time, that was well over half the city's population.

In 1896, the first bike path was paved around Lake Harriet.

50 cent bike tags acting like license and registration were sold to cover its costs.

- When you set up a bike for off road, you automatically set the seat lower.

And so one of the things that I'm gonna recommend is that we raise your saddle, especially 'cause we're on road, and we're going 17 miles today.

The rule of thumb is we're gonna start right at hip joint height.

'Cause what we're trying to do on road, especially, is get full extension of the leg.

It is so undervalued in terms of the benefit of good fit.

- It's like your body fitting with this machine, the machine for your body.

Oh, it feels so much better already.

That is so smooth.

I feel like I'm floating.

- But a lot of people are going to, in terms of practical bikes, we got all.

We got fat bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, city bikes, cross bikes.

One of the bikes that is really taking off is the gravel bikes.

- [Chance] Oh yeah, I've heard of those.

I've never ridden one.

- We're gonna switch bikes a little later.

I'll let you ride this one.

And we talk about people's go-to, one bike they're gonna invest in, gravel bikes have really become that for a lot of people.

- [Chance] What do you know about e-bikes, or hybrid, or battery operated bikes?

- They're for everyone, first of all.

Our desire to make bikes more practical transportation, e-bikes absolutely do that.

- I recognize this from driving by.

It looks kinda like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

A beautiful landmark of North St. Paul.

- And most importantly, it is the largest snowman structure in the country.

- As you'd assume.

- As you'd assume.

- [Chance] I love it, Minnesota.

Let's roll.

(dynamic music) - Biking puts us back in the community.

Like the snowman, you've driven by there a million times.

It puts you in a space where you start to experience it and you're moving at a human scale.

You know what I mean?

- Yeah, you're outside too.

You're not in the car looking out the window.

- I think people forget what an amazing invention, the bike was the pinnacle of technological achievement in 1890.

And it represented liberation for women.

It represented liberation for Black people.

We share the legacy of Major Taylor all the time in terms of being this world champion in 1899.

One of the reasons it's quite amazing is because when people do ride a bike it does bring that feeling of freedom, right?

- For sure, yeah.

- I think that we have to introduce people to the bike so that it's not about the sport of cycling, it's about the experience of biking.

(gentle music) - [Chance] Twin cities.

Gotta love the urban and natural resources.

- When you look at the DNR, Washington County Parks, St. Paul Parks, Minneapolis Park, or Three Rivers Park District, so much of that system have really created a network.

- I read somewhere that it's like over 90 miles of bike lane as well.

So not only do these trails connect cities, but when you're in the city, you have a designated bike lane for extensive distances as well.

Oh my goodness.

- (laughing) Hi dog.

Well and you know the Gateway is a multi-use trail, so.

- It just runs in people's backyards, that's pretty cool.

- Well, I mean the thing is that we are in people's backyard.

That's one of the beautiful things about this system.

You can hop on everywhere.

And we're in community, so you're gonna see bikers, runners, skaters.

Part of the trail system we're gonna be on actually has a parallel horse trail.

- What's some good tips, some good biking etiquette, for when you're sharing the trail?

- When you're passing, you always say on your left.

That just helps everybody be aware of kind of what's happening.

The other thing is signaling.

Hand signaling emerged with automobiles, where you have left turn and right turn.

Typically, if I'm taking a right turn I point to the right with that hand.

And I point, I'm trying to be very deliberate and very clear.

All right, so here we are.

This is Duluth Junction, our split off where we head down Brown's Creek State Trail towards Stillwater.

- Well, should we switch bikes?

- [Anthony] Yeah, we talked about how gravel bikes are giving people the ability to have a nice light rim.

- Mine's like a tank.

- It's like, and they're not... - I can do that with one pinky.

- Yeah, you're not taking, you're not killing the bank to get one.

But they're so practical, so versatile.

So what we're doing is we're getting a bike that fits you well now and gives you something that you grow into as you're continuing your adventure on biking.

Stillwater, here we come.

- Okay.

(funky music) This bike is like riding on a stick of butter.

It's very smooth.

It feels really just like intuitive.

- Speed up a little bit, make some time.

We gotta get to Stillwater.

- [Chance] We got a distance to go, see the rain rolled in.

- This is the opportunity of outdoors right here.

- What got you interested in the outdoors?

- My family moved from Mississippi to Milwaukee as kids, and you know what?

All the Black people I knew hunted, fished.

I always biked for transportation as a kid.

But when I got into college and I started biking to the gym.

And one day I just skipped the gym, and kept biking, and really discovered the sport of biking for sport.

But then we started raising money and started doing ultra endurance kind of rides to raise money for playgrounds.

Nature, and outdoors, and adventure, all kind of grew out of that desire to build community.

(upbeat music) - I've never ridden from the city this far out of town.

It's a beautiful trail.

Shout out to the DNR for maintaining and transforming railways into bike paths.

- Hello Stillwater.

- Here we are.

Well, I feel really privileged to hang out with someone like Anthony Taylor, a great mentor of mine.

This is my stop man.

Gimme back this tank.

I'll see you later, man.

- All right, I'll see you in the cities.

- Setting yourself up for success is key.

Fine tuning those little adjustable things on your bike like the height of the seat, it can set you up for a whole life-long relationship with biking.

It is so clearly a source of feel-good and health.

It's Chance, signing off.