In the early spring of 1997, my daughter was in the hospital for about a month. This was a very stressful time for me and my wife. One of the ways we coped was by eating ice-cream while vegging in front of the TV. In a few weeks I had gained about 10 pounds (on top of the 25 or so I'd gained since college).

When my waist size reached 38" (it was 32" in college) I knew it was time to do something.

I called Steve Hansel at Linear and ordered the conversion kit to change my Linear to underseat steering. This was a leap of faith for me, spending more money on a bike that I didn't like riding. But it paid off.

I started riding the Linear again. And now it felt like riding a real bike! It was fun. It was freeing, mobilizing and liberating, just like my Schwinn coaster-brake bike.