I want to ride my bicycle

[JC.]

I potter about on my bike (mainly escorting my daughter to school).

But I live in central London where cycling is about as pleasurable as watching Piers Morgan on permanent repeat.

So, I get my exercise on a Peloton and my fresh air by walking the hound.

[FrankHudson]

As I've mentioned in other threads, I ride pretty much daily and I think it helps my old-guy mental and physical condition. Unlike running (and as I get older, walking) it's easy on the joints.

Before the Covid-19 it was my main way to get around, shopping, events, visiting. For some reason I didn't care much to ride just to ride. I was usually going somewhere. Now, given that I'm in that vulnerable age group, I usually just ride in the early morning to pickup a takeout breakfast from the place where I used to ride to and eat it there, and then ride back home.

Besides being a great way to move about and give one's body some exercise, bikes can be remarkably long lasting. My oldest bike is a 1951 Raleigh Sports ("English Racer" they used be called in the US when I was a child). I also have a 1980's first generation of widely distributed mountain bikes with a nice lugged steel frame that was my winter bike and is now my rain bike. In all the winter and rain riding, that one's worn out some parts over those decades, but still rides great.

My main ride is what was sold as a touring or adventure bike a decade ago, and I guess now would be marketed as a gravel bike. Steel frame, European-style figure 8 handlebars, wider tires, and the ability to ride well with a load when I using it for shopping runs.

Those old Chicago Schwinns are an indelible memory of my young adulthood. They sold a ton of them, and I surprisingly I still see them being used all around here as utility and city bikes.

[Neil K Walk]

I've been riding bike since I was 6 years old so I don't consider it so much as exercise as a way of exercising my freedom - and it's helped during this period of social distancing. I try to stay away from roads and paved multi use paths in favor of converted rail lines. There's a nice system in my area that connects with the Great Allegheny Passage to the east of my area and the Panhandle Trail that leads to Weirton, West Virginia to the west. From what I understand that in turn connects with other trails that allow you to ride from Washington, DC to the Pacific Northwest. The nearest trailhead is about 1/4 mile from my home but it's prone to greater foot traffic given the current pandemic.

Here's a short video of my little slice of heaven taken early in the season 4 years ago:



Since then my wife has started getting into it and we bought her a Trek FX2 hybrid. For the past few years we've gone on charity rides for 15-40 miles with friends. Since the pandemic we've taken to going on 20 mile rides every weekend. It's not a very difficult ride at all.

[reeve21]

I've recently rediscovered the joys of biking.

20 years ago I was in rough shape, very bad back. Had to stop jogging, basketball, even golf. Buying a recumbent bike kept me active, and I did lots of charity rides, centuries, etc. on my funny looking sit down bike. On weekends I would leave the house early and be gone all day. My wife worried about me on the roads.

One close call with a bad driver too many and I lost my nerve, quit road biking cold turkey.

We have a great bike path only a few hundred yards from our house, about a 50 mile round trip. But it wasn't the same as riding through beautiful rural landscapes. My yearly mileage went from 1,500 plus to maybe 150.

Late last year a friend who knows I have a recumbent moved to the city. He had been riding a recumbent trike, and decided it would be too low and dangerous in that setting. So he gave it to me.

Anyone else ride one of these things? It is like the go kart you had as a kid, very low to the ground and an absolute blast. Absolutey no strain on your back, neck, wrists or hands. A rolling lawn chair. Little kids love it!

The best part is my wife now rides with me on the bike path. We only do 20 miles at a time, but I get a much better workout on 3 wheels than I did on 2, where I would have to wait for her. We are pretty evenly matched toodling along at 10-12 mph on the flats now.

I don't ride it on the roads. Heck, some people don't see me on the bike path, even with a big orange flag

[SprintBob]

As I read this, I’m eating a bowl of cereal and fruit and some coffee and then I’ll be heading out to do a dawn patrol road ride, probably 35-40 miles. Starting early to beat the heat here. Too hot to ride my mountain bike on the trails here now (too many bugs too) so road it is. Light up the bike with front and rear LED’s and I drive about 30 minutes to get out in the country away from traffic and get some nice hills. The flashing LED’s are probably the best thing you can do to protect yourself from cars.

Ex roadie Cat 3 road racer and mountain bike racer. Current ride is a Richard Sachs lugged steel frame with Campy components and wheels, super smooth and fits me like a glove. Also have a Seven titanium built up with Shimano Dura Ace. I’m going to strip the frame down this summer and send out to the west coast for a custom paint job. Got a new Stumpjumper last year and it’s the best mountain bike I’ve ever owned (has 29” wheels, can roll over big stuff).

Still love to ride at almost 62.

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by SprintBob

Ex roadie Cat 3 road racer and mountain bike racer.

Now we know why they call you SprintBob. I'm thinking of changing my user name to SlowBob

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Now we know why they call you SprintBob. I'm thinking of changing my user name to SlowBob

Actually I was a pretty crappy sprinter as a road racer (not enough fast twitch muscles!). Sprintbob is named after a trimaran sailboat we’ve owned since 2006. It was built by Corsair Marine and the model is a Sprint 750.

Ride hard, sail hard, play guitar. Life is good.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by SprintBob

As I read this, I’m eating a bowl of cereal and fruit and some coffee and then I’ll be heading out to do a dawn patrol road ride, probably 35-40 miles. Starting early to beat the heat here. Too hot to ride my mountain bike on the trails here now (too many bugs too) so road it is. Light up the bike with front and rear LED’s and I drive about 30 minutes to get out in the country away from traffic and get some nice hills. The flashing LED’s are probably the best thing you can do to protect yourself from cars.

Ex roadie Cat 3 road racer and mountain bike racer. Current ride is a Richard Sachs lugged steel frame with Campy components and wheels, super smooth and fits me like a glove. Also have a Seven titanium built up with Shimano Dura Ace. I’m going to strip the frame down this summer and send out to the west coast for a custom paint job. Got a new Stumpjumper last year and it’s the best mountain bike I’ve ever owned (has 29” wheels, can roll over big stuff).

Still love to ride at almost 62.

So you're a "Fred" huh? I recall being outpaced by a silver haired man in a yellow jersey last year. Was that you?

Just kidding. I would love to have the discipline to be up before 7 and getting at least 20 miles in twice a week.

BTW, how are you liking a 29er on the trails? My Marlin 7 is also a 29er (albiet a hardtail with a coil fork) and I feel like I'm riding on monster truck on switchbacks. It's more of a commuter/bikepacker/poor man's cross country rider. Our local trail system used to have a rental shop near the trail head that used to offer Stumpjumpers (27.5) for rental but they closed down.
I'd really like to try a 27 plus hardtail with an air fork, dropper post and a 1x12 drivetrain. Maybe Santa could deliver a Trek Roscoe 8 or one of the higher end Specialized Rockhopper 27.5s.

Like guitars, bicycles are also an expensive hobby. A "full squish" (dual suspension) mountain bike is a $2K+ investment - even more if you go carbon fiber!

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by SprintBob

Actually I was a pretty crappy sprinter as a road racer (not enough fast twitch muscles!). Sprintbob is named after a trimaran sailboat we’ve owned since 2006. It was built by Corsair Marine and the model is a Sprint 750.

Ride hard, sail hard, play guitar. Life is good.

Hi Bob,

Good boat name! You are faster than me on the water, too (our current boat is a Freedom 35 named Liberty).

I once met the late Ian Farrier who designed a lot of the Corsair boats, but I think yours came later. Very nice ride, I'm sure!

[M Sarad]

The one time I didn’t wear a helmet resulted in a fractured skull, contusion, hemorrhaging, bruised brain and a medial shift of my entire brain of 3-4 mm. 5 mm is bad. 7 months off of work, 3 months in cognitive and occupational rehab, aphasia and short term memory loss.

The helmet would have kept me from having a horse shoe shaped scar on my right temple. I woke up to so many staples I looked like Frankenstein.

They told my family I might die and my brain was swelling, Drs considered opening up my skull. Swelling decreased and Drs said I“might be “ ok.

Oh, the multiple broken ribs, vertebrae, collarbone, collapsed lung? Helmet wouldn’t have helped. It’s for the head and brain.

[Dirk Hofman]

Good heavens Matt, that's really brutal. Glad you (seem to be) doing OK,

I crashed last year in a mountain bike race. No idea what happened, last think I recall I was going pretty fast on the last downhill. Either lost it in some gravel or got a bar caught in the plastic fencing lining part of the course. When I came to I was in the ranger's truck and they were loading my bike up. Pretty good concussion but minimal long-term effects. Can't imagine what would have happened without my helmet. Wore a light "roadie" helmet, fast, light tires, and clipless pedals 'cause I wanted to "save some weight". Next time it'll be the full MTB helmet with MIPS, flats and knobbies.

[martingitdave]

Another middle aged guy on a bike here... I’ve been a regular bike rider my whole life. Through college riding was for transportation. As an adult, it is for enjoyment with the family, and occasionally solo. I gave up road biking a few years ago after getting tagged by a minivan and requiring surgery to correct. Now, I stick to paths, neighborhoods and trails. I have a lovely hybrid bike called the Specialized Sirrus X. It has wider tires and a 1X drive system. It even has a small shock built into the stem. It rides great and fast. I’d like to get a mountain bike, but I don’t need anything heavy duty. Unfortunately, there are really none to buy right now. So, I’ll go on enjoying what I’ve got and stay on relatively flat surfaces.

[KevWind]

Just finally got out on road my bike today, about a month late...
Boy I am way not in shape.
Road down the grade from my house @ 8000 ft about 3 miles then turned around and road up the grade. Total of 6 miles so about 1/3 of my normal "in shape ride", and I had to stop twice.

By this time last summer I was able to ride 9 miles down the entire grade to 6600 ft and 9 mi. back up, no stops. Guess I have my work cut out for me

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Just finally got out on road my bike today, about a month late...
Boy I am way not in shape.
Road down the grade from my house @ 8000 ft about 3 miles then turned around and road up the grade. Total of 6 miles so about 1/3 of my normal "in shape ride", and I had to stop twice.

By this time last summer I was able to ride 9 miles down the entire grade to 6600 ft and 9 mi. back up, no stops. Guess I have my work cut out for me

My experience is that if you've been fit before, it comes back relatively quickly. Keep it up!

Speaking of elevation, I just did a ride up to 8500' yesterday, a 2300' climb from the lake. That was tough! Bonked about a 1/4 mile from the top because I didn't eat enough, but pushed through. The view from Stanford Rock is always worth it.

[frankmcr]

Somebody has to post the song this thread is named after: