Spring has sprung, but hopefully the springs on your bicycle seats haven't done the same, because this is the time of year to get out and hit the trails or wherever there's road to meet the rubber on your tires ... which hopefully aren't flat.

Now is the time to dig your bikes out from under the discarded Christmas lights (yours are down now, aren't they?), brush away the cobwebs, and get your family rides ready to ride. With gas prices what they are, bikes offer a great alternative method of travel as well as a fun way to exercise and relax.

Of course, you can take them into a bike shop for a tune-up, but you can also do the work yourself and save a few bucks. Here are a few tips to help get your bike in gear:

The following is a post from our sponsor, Brita.

The FilterForGood campaign raises awareness of simple changes everyone can make to live eco-friendly lives. Help us improve the environment one bottle at a time by staying hydrated with filtered water and a reusable bottle instead of disposable bottled water.

Last month, a Pew poll showed that 53 percent of Republicans said there is no evidence of climate change. Clearly, they're not interested in listening to the 97 percent of scientists who agree that human-created carbon emissions from cars, factories, etc. are turning up the temperature of our planet. But that's OK. Those of us who know what's really happening may get a kick out of the latest "fix" that researchers say could result in a healthier Earth: Birth control.  

That's right. A new report from the Worldwatch Institute (an independent research organization that focuses on climate & energy, food & agriculture, and the Green Economy) states that better access to contraception could, in fact, fight global warming.

Would you possibly be able to give up your car? The place where you can indulge your NPR habit, the place where you have a few minutes of peace commuting back and forth to work or your kids' school, the thing that houses all those reusable grocery bags, two strollers, and a month's supply of baby wipes so you never have to worry about running out?

Some people do, and never look back. Tammy Stroebel wrote about doing so for Wise Bread and estimates she and her husband save over $10,000 per year by not having cars anymore ... and she didn't reveal this, but you know they have admirable quadriceps as well from all that pedaling.

Moms have different concerns when it comes to car-free living, though; here are some pros and cons to giving up your automobile for a life on two wheels:

We've been in the grip of a brutally hot and humid summer here in the Midwest, and I know my friends on the East Coast have been suffering through it too. And some of you people, like in the Deep South, live like this all the time! I hate the heat and personally, I will happily take our coldest, slushiest winter day because of our mild springs and (usually) gorgeous and temperate summers.

The heat isn't just bad for your hair and skin (and temper, in my case); hot weather is unhealthy for your lungs.

Not making any more people is one of the best things you can do for the planet (says the mom of two), but birth control can be bad for the environment as well. There are some good ways to make your attempts at curbing overpopulation greener, though. Some forms are greener than others, and some are just plain bad for the planet.

Surprisingly, IUDs are among the greenest forms of birth control, since producing them doesn't create a lot of waste, according to this Huffington Post slideshow.

Another surprise? Vegan condoms! Who knew?

Like most of us, I went through a brief vegetarian phase; unike many of us, I don't have a better reason for why I started eating meat again than marrying a non-vegetarian and finding it easier to include meat.

My daughter also claims to be a vegetarian, but it's apparently an obscure form of vegetarianism that includes things like sausage and cheeseburgers, just not chicken or any other meat she doesn't care for.

We try to have a couple meatless dinners every week; it saves money and I find I feel better when I'm not eating meat every day. As it turns out, we're part of a trend: There's a campaign afoot in blogland to make Mondays meatless, and now the ad guy who developed the "Don't Squeeze the Charmin" campaign is getting into the act.

This week People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) named the year's Sexiest Vegetarians. Olivia Wilde of House fame took the female honor.

"Animal lover and activist Olivia Wilde proves that being vegan helps one shine from the inside out. She has saved lives on Fox's hit show House and has saved the lives of animals off-screen by choosing a vegan diet. Going vegan saves the lives of about 100 animals a year!" PETA states. 

Wilde says she is happier when she follows a vegetarian diet and feels "about a thousand times more energetic."