In this article: Fit Smart Pick the right bike Cook Smart Wine Travel Smart Airline credit cards Eat Smart Milk=Acne? Contact a columnist

THINK SMART Helpful tips for your everyday life

How to get on the right bike

Has Lance Armstrong's latest shot at the Tour de France inspired you to start biking? It's a great form of exercise, but let's face it: Most of us don't have to worry about speed-climbing mountain passes in France. Our first step is getting on the bike.

"Anyone who can walk can ride a bike. It's great for the health benefits as well as the opportunity to clear your mind," says Kozo Shimano, president of Shimano American Corp., which contributes parts to Armstrong's Trek Madone SSL Proto bike. "The No. 1 tip I give new riders is to make sure the bike fits properly, just like you would shoes or clothes."

But how to find the right fit? The League of American Bicyclists offers these tips for selecting a bike:

1. Frame size is most important, because it can't be changed. The right frame should have 1 to 2 inches of "standover" on road bikes; 3 to 4 on mountain/hybrid bikes. Ask the experts at your local bike shop to help you choose the right size for your build.
2. The seat, or "saddle," should leave you with a slight bend in the knee while seated with your feet on the pedals. The nose and back of the saddle should be horizontal, with a dip in the middle. If the saddle hurts or causes numbness, ask your bike shop to adjust it, or try a new one.
3. Handlebar height affects your ride: Lower handlebars equal greater performance; higher handlebars equal greater comfort.

As with any new activity, start slow. Test your riding legs in a low-traffic, flat area. Try some turns, ride over bumpy or uneven terrain, and ride one-handed so you can signal direction and rehydrate while riding. Consider taking a safety course before hitting the road. Find a class at bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm. Contact Contributing Editor Jorge Cruise, the author of The 3-Hour Diet, at JorgeCruise.com.

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For summer, get rosé

Pink wine, to most Americans, means sweet white zinfandel. However, the summer my family lived in southern France, we discovered dry rosés -- the Mediterranean summer wine of choice. We bought it like gasoline at a local winery, hosing it into large plastic containers, from which we filled old wine bottles and refrigerated them. Every summer since, I've bought these young wines and enjoyed them into the fall.

Rosé is like a white wine made with red wine grapes, says Bob Feinn of Mount Carmel Wine and Spirits in Hamden, Conn. Once crushed, the skins are left with the juice just long enough for it to pick up a little flavor and tint, from blushing pink to light red. So it's not surprising that a good chilled rosé offers the refreshing quality of white wine, with a little character of red. Unlike white zinfandel, rosé is dry, so it partners beautifully with food, especially Mediterranean.

Good rosés can be found around $10 a bottle. Look for wines from France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Or try some American bottles: Bonny Doon's Ca'del solo Big House Pink ($10) and Snoqualmie's Cirque Du Rosé ($9.99) are two. And because rosé is best consumed young (one to two years from release), pick wines dated 2003 or 2004.

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Airline credit cards have their bumps

Most every major airline offers a credit card or two these days. Typically, you earn one air mile in your frequent flier account for every dollar you spend. Spend enough and you'll have enough miles for a free upgrade or ticket, they promise.

But there are two significant downsides to these cards. Most have annual fees (some high -- $50 a year and up). And these cards tend to have higher-than-average interest rates. The Northwest Airlines World Perks Visa, for example, costs $90 a year, and the interest rate is 15.75%. Because of the high rates, it's a bad idea to carry a balance on these cards. If you need to carry a balance, shop at bankrate.com for a lower-rate card. Example: MasterCards for $35 a year with a 5.5% interest rate.

It could take years to earn enough miles for a reward to justify the fee. Don't forget: After three years of giving a credit card company $90 a year, you've spent $270 -- about enough to buy a discounted round-trip, cross-country ticket.

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Acne link to milk, sweets

Can diet cause acne? Dermatological dogma says no. New research says yes.

White bread, doughnuts, soft drinks and other high-glycemic-index foods spike insulin and blood sugar. High insulin, says Colorado State's Loren Cordain, incites the overproduction of male hormones and the formation of zits. For glycemic info, visit www.glycemicindex.com.

In Harvard research, teens who drank three-plus glasses of milk a day, especially skim milk, reported the worst acne. Outbreaks were 44% higher in skim milk drinkers than in non-milk drinkers. Possible reason: hormones in milk. Buying organic might reduce the hazard.