riding a bike.

[vash]

there is a bike thread sure. but that is really GEAR oriented.

i'm talking about the act of riding. no matter what you are riding, what you're wearing, what lights you are running..where you are going. no matter.

i think cycling is fun because the rewards are kinda immediate. you pedal hard and you get rewarded with speed. you go up a hill, there is a downhill on the other side..and more SPEED.

my knees feel great with the break in jogging. hell, i dont even know which bed i kicked my running shoes under. i havent driven my truck in 10 days. i know a pint of icecream and a six pack of great pilsner fits in my shoulder bag.

am i losing weight? no. i look skinnier according to my wife. i just gave some of my new pants to my FIL and had to order a smaller size. i dont even wear cycling shorts. just hop on in my active pants and go. my asscrack is hardened and callous, apparently. if i could find my BP monitor, i would love to see what ditching my 2.5 (each way) hours commute for my 40 min (each way) bike commute bought me.

my wife rode to work with me this morning. i think she loved it..but her butt is in pain.

i wish more people used bikes. i just saw a plan to make the entire state of CA into a bike friendly area. they call it "active transportation".

[look 171]

You gotta to help her massage the soreness out.

I really hope you are wrong on that last sentence.

I stop eating carbs like big dishes of pasta and no more burgers and started riding again after 4 months of no activities but driving to and from the hospital to hang out with my dad. Now that he's home, I am able to squeeze in three day of riding in a week, about 1.5-2 hours each ride. I lost 7 lbs so far within the first month. 5 more to go to get to 160. That will be hard.

I shouldn't say I stopped eating pasta, white bread and rice, but a control or normal portion. Three plates of pastas are in the past. Now its just one small dish. Keep up the good work and glad you are having fun.

Oh, by the way, riding is a whole lot more fun then running. I am done with running, I am pretty beat up from it doing it for three years running x-country. When I was running, I was always sore or have pain somewhere. No fun.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I love cycling for the same reason I love sailing.
There is a simplicity and flow to it- but best of all is the feeling, the feeling you are getting more out of it (speedwise) than you put into it. It is pure bliss.

Some of my favorite times on a bike were in Avon NC with a 30mph constant tailwind. I just rode along at a comfortable pace at 30+ mph and it was silent.

Also rode in a hurricane with 60+ tailwinds. Wouldn't recommend it- but it was an adventure. Dogs and cats were flying sideways kind of stuff.

Another was climbing mount Mitchell. I got to the top, about to collapse. A guy on a Harley came over. I thought he would congratulate me for pedaling to the top and earning it. Instead, he asked me to take a picture of him and his wife and Harley at the top. Had to laugh about it- but on the way down, I think I coasted for about 45 minutes never pedaling much at all.

Those are the moments that keep me giggling like a little schoolgirl.

Can't wait to get home to go riding tonight!

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by vash

my asscrack is hardened and callous, apparently.

While I am really happy that you are enjoying a healthier lifestyle, the condition of your anus is something I really, really, REALLY did not want to know about.

Now pardon me, while I poke out my mind's eye...

Cycle on!

-Z

[Otter74]

Whee!!!

[Amail]

Originally Posted by Otter74

Whee!!!

What a cool video!! She's got that apex thing down, doesn't she?

[ckelly78z]

I would love to bike more, but my area is not conducive to safe traveling, stone berms, no bike lanes, texting idiots in cars, no residential areas where the traffic moves slowly.

This is not even mentioning the constant winds, and changing weather conditions that ruin the experience.

[vash]

Great vid!!


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

[aigel]

I love my bike + train commute. Already at over 1000 miles logged this year! A consistent mild cardio effort 5 days a week makes a huge difference in general mental well being. Especially having burnt off some steam before going into the morning meeting makes me a better coworker ... It also helps with being able to enjoy food and drink without being guilty. I can have normal dinners again.

Regarding your arse, padded bike shorts worn commando and changed daily are a must when riding every day. Also getting out of them ASAP upon arrival. That will keep skin clean, dry and as a result smooth.

My next step is to add to my route, going through the park and avoiding a busy road. It will add about 4 miles / day for a total of 22. Inching up on 2 hours of riding a day!

G

[scottmandue]

I love riding my bike... wish I could bike and/or take the train to work but where I live is the red haired step child of Lost Angeles and we are apparently on the bottom of the list when it comes to getting mass transit.
And riding a bike 20 miles each way into downtown L.A. would be rather perilous if I must say.
I am blessed with living near the ocean and bike paths so I have that going for me.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by look 171

I really hope you are wrong on that last sentence.

Oh, by the way, riding is a whole lot more fun then running. I am done with running, I am pretty beat up from it doing it for three years running x-country. When I was running, I was always sore or have pain somewhere. No fun.

He is not wrong on that first sentence... it is a program that has already been approved and beginning to be implemented... they are re-striping a bunch of roads eliminating car lanes to add bike lanes... because traffic is L.A. is so sparse we can do with fewer lanes.

I was never a runner but genetically have bad knees so biking is WAY more fun for me.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by vash

my wife rode to work with me this morning. i think she loved it..but her butt is in pain.

Maybe try re-installing the seat?

[Scott Douglas]

I'm quickly reaching the point where I miss my daily bike ride if I don't get it.
I take the bike down to the beach to ride as there are too many distracted drivers around here for me to feel safe out on the street. I must be getting old.

[Otter74]

I absolutely love riding. It is easy for me to feel like Juliette in the video above. I rode a lot in Detroit, probably most things other than commuting to work and some trips downtown, but when I moved to Chicago I committed myself to using it for everything, which is what I've been doing for 8 years now. I can't stand the idea of going back to a ****ty car commute. No matter how bad of a day I may be having, or how crappy the weather may be, I have a guaranteed minimum of 45 minutes of fun built into every day.

Last October I was visiting friends in Denver and realized that I could do what I'd missed out on a year earlier due to crap weather, and used my friend's bike to climb Mt. Evans. I started from the ranger station since I didn't have time to do the whole thing from the freeway, but man, I think that climb was the highlight of my year. When I think of joyous experiences, a lot of them are memorable rides.

[aigel]

Guy at my work also rides the train. He leaves at the same time to drive to the train station in his car (parking it there). Yes, he takes the same time to drive 3.5 miles that it takes me to ride 7 on a trail near by. He knows. It is strange that he doesn't immediately ditch the car!?

G

[jhynesrockmtn]

Riding season is just starting here. I've been on the mountain bike a bit as it warmed from our deep cold. The group road rides started last week. My knees forced me to quit running years ago but the cycling just makes them feel better!

[T77911S]

use to race years ago.

I really miss that feeling when hammering on the front of a pace line, your heart rate is high, the power out is hi, the speed is hi.

the feeling you get when riding like that is something no one else can ever understand or you can explain to those that cant do it. heart rate in the 180's. I guess the body releases endorphins or something like that that is almost like a drug.

I miss it.

[jwasbury]

We are tool-makers and problem solvers, that is what separates us from other life-forms and why we are the top of the food chain. Mobility and transportation inventions are among our oldest tools, along with weapons, cooking, and food storage.

Today's bicycles are incredibly refined tools...beautifully efficient human powered vehicles. I don't understand why anyone runs. Why run when you can pedal faster, travel greater distances, and at the same time avoid damaging fragile body parts (like your knees).

Bicycles were my first taste of freedom and mobility as a kid. The joy of that experience for me carried over to driving cars, and riding motorcycles (flying a plane if I were an aviator).

Its a speed thing, and a symbiosis between human and machine thing.

[cantdrv55]

I've got to get back on so I can fit in my skinny jeans again.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by T77911S

use to race years ago.

I really miss that feeling when hammering on the front of a pace line, your heart rate is high, the power out is hi, the speed is hi.

the feeling you get when riding like that is something no one else can ever understand or you can explain to those that cant do it. heart rate in the 180's. I guess the body releases endorphins or something like that that is almost like a drug.

I miss it.

You should get back on. Its a great feeling because you already know how to suffer, train and just renew those muscle memories. It comes back a lot faster then you think. I raced for about 14-15 years starting from my mid teens. one day, I just dropped racing but still rode with the boys. Within the next two years slowly, I stopped completely and wanted a normal life without it being consumed by riding. Picked it up again some 10 years later. I lost a lot of raw speed, like riding tempo on a 53x15 for a mile and jump back in and do it again in the pace line. Pushing 50 soon, but I can still put my nose near the stem with my back flat chasing. Knees hit my belly a little, but I can hold that position for some time on our rides. My position and bike set up hasn;t changed one bit since I was 18. The flexibility comes back. The other thing is that I refuse to raise my stem for more comfort. Its still slammed. I refuse to have an oldman looking bike. so i suffer the first week of riding then it all falls into place again.

I hope you start riding again.