Anyone Cycle?

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2

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  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Some excellent ideas from all! Great to hear from more cyclers as I leave my running days behind and venture into this new 'sport'.. I actually managed an evening course at the local bike store last week, where I learned how to change a tire, get the right tools and know how to do pre- and post trip inspections on things like the chain, gears and who knew ... tire pressure! Those numbers on the tire acutually have some meaning! And the 'old' press on the tire, sit on the seat to see if it needs more air just doesn't work. Felt much more empowered and I am also now riding ... literally on air!:happy:

    Good call.

    I just learned the hard way about the chain/gear inspection. My 2,000-mile-old chain should have been replaced with a new $15 chain about 1,000 miles ago, and now I owe the bike a drivetrain replacement to the tune of $150.

    Hey, I said I rode a lot. I didn't say I was particularly smart or observant! :laugh:
  • pixiesteph
    pixiesteph Posts: 17
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    I love cycling, the only problem is that i always have my daughter who is only 4 so she is too heavy to be on my bike now and to young to come with me on her own so i only get 2 hours in the afternoon when she is at nursery :(
  • lisapr123
    lisapr123 Posts: 863 Member
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    Oh yea, my husband and I are both really into cycling. It's the thing we do together, that has made us and kept us closer as a couple!

    I used meetup.com to find a local cycling group. There are also clubs (but I didn't want to pay the dues).

    He's currently training for a century, I haven't committed to it but am training as though I'll be doing it. A "good" week for us includes 2 evening rides of 15-30 miles plus a long weekend ride. Long rides are anywhere from 38-65 miles. I also tool around on my bike a lot during the summer (I teach so I have the summers off), riding it to the beach or the library.

    And this weekend is my favorite ride--Chicago's Bike the Drive! They close Lake Shore Drive (the 8 lane road that runs along Lake Michigan for 15 miles) to cars for 4 hours and cyclists get it all to ourselves! Activities like this remind me that cycling is fun and relaxing and about family and community, not just about hammering away at 18 MPH!
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    I don't bicycle, but I recycle and motorcycle.
  • debilyn574
    debilyn574 Posts: 92 Member
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    I'm training for a 50 mile bike ride in June. Usually do a longer ride of 20-25 miles on the weekend and try and ride 10-15 two times during the week.
  • sherrykwilk
    sherrykwilk Posts: 12
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    I cycle! And it makes me very hungry! LOL! I ride twice a week, 22 miles on Tuesdays usually and anywhere from 30-50 during one of the weekend days. Riding is flat but windy and we don't get to go many places because Miami is dangerous for two wheels! I also walk and used to walk marathons and half marathons, but my joints can't handle that anymore, so I try to walk about 15 miles a week, but that is getting hard too. Do some weights at the gym too, twice a week. No one thinks I am "fat" but I know I need to drop at least 5 lbs. and it is so hard! At my age (57) I have to learn how to eat less!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I love cycling, the only problem is that i always have my daughter who is only 4 so she is too heavy to be on my bike now and to young to come with me on her own so i only get 2 hours in the afternoon when she is at nursery :(

    Several companies make products called a "trailer bike" or "third wheel" which is basically a seat and extra wheel that attaches to your seat post. My daughter and I got a lot of use out of ours until she outgrew it.

    Example: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65029?feat=trailer bike-SR0&attrValue_0=Silver
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    Oh, and - just a word to the wise - lose the roadie if your goal is primarily to lose weight - efficient bikes are not your calorie-burning friends. They're fun for covering distance, but there's too little resistance to them. Find a durable hybrid. Mine is a 2007 Specialized Sirrus which was $550 new, I got it in 2008 on clearance for $350 because the bike shop was trying to get rid of them to make room for the '08s. I've added a rear rack for cargo and polycarbonate fenders because I ride in the rain a lot. My top average speed in light-hilly terrain after a 1,500-mile summer is about 17MPH.

    :huh: Uh...so you pedal harder, in a higher gear, and go faster. Torque and cadence can be the same the same on any bike--speed is the differing factor. On a road bike you will simply go faster under the same effort than you would on a CX bike and that is faster than a mountain bike which is faster than a fat bike (like a salsa Mukluk). If you don't find a road bike to have enough resistance, then you should be switching to higher gears--that's why they're there.
  • pkfrankel
    pkfrankel Posts: 171 Member
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    While I love cycling, I don't find that it is a very efficient form of exercise :) What you are you doing that is giving you so much success? I would love to hear your secrets!

    I hear that complaint from many of my runner friends. Let me tell you that you can burn as many calories in the same amount of time, Try this workout. Find an industrial park in your town. They are usually built on fairly flat ground. Find a gear that you can spin about 100 rpm. No sprint as hard as you can for one minute. Rest for one minute. Move to the next higher gear. Repeat sprint / rest for eight to ten gears. Then go back down.
  • pkfrankel
    pkfrankel Posts: 171 Member
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    I love cycling, the only problem is that i always have my daughter who is only 4 so she is too heavy to be on my bike now and to young to come with me on her own so i only get 2 hours in the afternoon when she is at nursery :(

    Several companies make products called a "trailer bike" or "third wheel" which is basically a seat and extra wheel that attaches to your seat post. My daughter and I got a lot of use out of ours until she outgrew it.

    Example: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65029?feat=trailer bike-SR0&attrValue_0=Silver

    My son loved his trailer bike. I think he will grow up to ride a tandem.
  • abb_forever
    abb_forever Posts: 6
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    I am trying to do 10 miles per day, but with my work/family life I am lucky to do 10 every other day. That's not much, but at least I am doing it on a mountain bike, fighting lots of curbs/hills/etc. and try to do longer on the weekends. My workout distance hasn't changed much recently, but I am doing it faster and faster, so the cardio/endurance/heart rate are all up. Eventually I will lengthen my route, but this is the best I can find at the moment. .

    And I would never recommend going out and buying a crappy Wal Mart bike just because it weighs more. The more you like the bike, the better you will probably do with it. Although I do agree with the idea of getting a non-road bike since a mountain/hybrid/etc generally offers more resistance, so that's a good thing. Good luck with your biking!
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    What the. I wouldn't even consider having a mirror I'd have an accident every 5 minutes. The amount of cars that go close to me is unreal so if I was looking behind me to check up on them I'd crash! Maybe I just cycle more dangerous routes but you need your full eyes on the road infront not behind at all times. Never ever seen a cyclist with a rear view mirror, will have to keep my eyes out now!

    To each their own - I ride on a lot of roads with broken-up breakdown lanes. I try to avoid them by going "left of white" where I can, but I need to check to see if traffic is clear first because pulling out into traffic is a very bad idea. I prefer to ride "right of white" and stay out of the way as much as practical, but I need information to decide whether to ride through the broken bits ahead or if I can nip out around them.

    Many of the roads I ride are also very curvy, so riding "left of white", while legal in my state, is dangerously stupid. A car coming around a corner at the speed limit 45MPH uphill is not going to be able to blind-pass me when I'm going 10MPH 30 feet in front of them. I may have right-of-way, but that doesn't change the laws of physics.

    LOL funnily enough I got in a taxi last night and the first cyclist we went past had the full kit ..and a rear view mirror. I even said to the driver..the chances of that when I've never even seen one?! We've got different traffic laws as I'm from the UK so I don't know about this whole white line thing but generally cars give you room here. I take one quick look back and if the car behind me isn't going too fast I stick my arm out and go into their lane. I've only ever had one accident and that was when I was cycling in the designated zone, going 20mph and a guy literally just turned into a street infront of me without indicating or braking or anything, just completely took me out, obviously all his fault. I find if I overthink things and don't let it be natural, THAT'S when I have close calls for some reason. Like you said each to their own, just depends what you're comfortable with.

    As for maintenence.. I really need to learn more lol, I do have 3 free services left though to use within the next 6 months, I've not changed my chain but I've done like 6000 miles on this bike so maybe it's time to check!

    Totally agree with what someone else said about resistance too, if it's too easy put the gears up..simple. I'd rather stick to my road bike where I know my form and technique is perfect and be able to work my full legs using the clip on shoes than get a bike that's uncomfortable and heavy (therefore putting me more at risk of injury.)

    HiiT Bike style 1 min sprint, 1 min cycle etc etc, that's what my ride is like with the traffic lights, slow down...then leather it like a lunatic to stay infront of the cars :D
  • Ezwoldo
    Ezwoldo Posts: 369 Member
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    I ride alot well more than my partner can take at times LOL , I race (Time Trailing) most weekends and I started like most of you just to shed a few pounds and then when in to charity rides and so on to where I am now.


    I am now a cycling snob and hate bad etiquette on the road and people who JUMP RED LIGHTS
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    We've got different traffic laws as I'm from the UK so I don't know about this whole white line thing but generally cars give you room here.

    In the US, the road edges are painted with a white line, and the middle of the road is divided with a yellow line or lines.
    Totally agree with what someone else said about resistance too, if it's too easy put the gears up..simple. I'd rather stick to my road bike where I know my form and technique is perfect and be able to work my full legs using the clip on shoes than get a bike that's uncomfortable and heavy (therefore putting me more at risk of injury.)

    Good point, and I didn't mean to imply that you can't get a good workout on a road bike, only that the efficiency means you have to find steeper hills than I would to get the same level of workout.
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    We've got different traffic laws as I'm from the UK so I don't know about this whole white line thing but generally cars give you room here.

    In the US, the road edges are painted with a white line, and the middle of the road is divided with a yellow line or lines.
    Totally agree with what someone else said about resistance too, if it's too easy put the gears up..simple. I'd rather stick to my road bike where I know my form and technique is perfect and be able to work my full legs using the clip on shoes than get a bike that's uncomfortable and heavy (therefore putting me more at risk of injury.)

    Good point, and I didn't mean to imply that you can't get a good workout on a road bike, only that the efficiency means you have to find steeper hills than I would to get the same level of workout.

    Ahh that would make a bit more sense. Here in the UK in certain cities especially there's actual bike lanes that are different colours so the cars can go in one lane and then there's a tarmacced green area that you can ride in alongside it (between the cars and the kerb) Means I don't have to concentrate as much but it's still slightly dangerous.

    I wouldn't need to find steeper hills, I'd just put up the gears and make it really hard! Have to admit I'm a glutten for punishment on my bike so I'm in almost the highest gear most of the time when I'm up to speed but when I get near a hill I crank it up a gear and absolutely leather the hill as hard as I can. Love hills!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Yep, avid rider here, both road and mountain.
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    I ride alot well more than my partner can take at times LOL , I race (Time Trailing) most weekends and I started like most of you just to shed a few pounds and then when in to charity rides and so on to where I am now.


    I am now a cycling snob and hate bad etiquette on the road and people who JUMP RED LIGHTS

    Hahaha sorry :( I might be one of those that jumps red lights occasionally. To be fair in my defence, I only do it on roads I KNOW I can do it on I.e. I know the sequence of the lights are fixed and they've just changed. I only do it on those certain traffic lights because it lets me get up to speed on what is one of the busiest roads outside of London so I can stay infront of the cars (trust me this is safer for EVERYONE.) I've been shouted at a couple of times and the police stopped me once and I explained why I'd jumped the lights and they just let me go. End of the day I've had WAY more close calls from people turning left at a set of traffic lights and nearly taking me out, than I have by going across an empty junction..
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    I bought a bike last year after I went on a long walk through a conservation area with my camera and kept getting passed by cyclists. So I bought a nice Trek city bike. A month later, I decided I would try to commute to work a couple days a week (it's about a 9.5 mile return trip). After the first day of commuting, I was hooked. Now, I generally commute 5 days a week and even managed to ride through most of the winter. I also love grocery shopping and running errands by bike. It's been a great way to add exercise to my daily life while having a lot of fun.
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    I cycle! And it makes me very hungry! LOL! I ride twice a week, 22 miles on Tuesdays usually and anywhere from 30-50 during one of the weekend days. Riding is flat but windy and we don't get to go many places because Miami is dangerous for two wheels! I also walk and used to walk marathons and half marathons, but my joints can't handle that anymore, so I try to walk about 15 miles a week, but that is getting hard too. Do some weights at the gym too, twice a week. No one thinks I am "fat" but I know I need to drop at least 5 lbs. and it is so hard! At my age (57) I have to learn how to eat less!

    I wouldn't be so quick to rule out cycling in Miami: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204652904577193591790911170.html

    I know people who think the same about cycling in Toronto. Granted, city cycling does take some time getting used to, but it's not as dangerous as people think.

    As for jumping lights or whatever you want to call it, I've pretty much given that up. How can I expect drivers to treat me with respect if I am continually flaunting the law right in front of them? It's taken a while to come around to that point of view but I think it's better for cycling, over all. Racing lights might save you a little time but rarely enough to make it worthwhile. Trust me. By the next red light, I've usually caught up to anybody who has raced past me at the last light.
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    Ah but as stated, I don't jump them to save time, I just do it for my own safety. I've had a couple of motorists wind down their window and shout at me for it and when I've calmly explained why they've actually said "Oh keep doing it then."

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