Bicycles

[imoldernu]

Do you bike?
Bicycle biking... not motorcycles.
How about sharing your experience...
Bike rental? Three wheeler? Road bike? Mountain bike? Cruiser?
Where do you bike? Trails? Country roads? City? Parks? Neighborhood?
... and how often? miles traveled?

This article is quite interesting, and for me, unexpected... Safe riding on bike share cycles. Number of bike sharing locations doubled last year, possibly doubling again this year, to as many as 37,000 bikes available for rent.
23 Million Bike Share Rides in America: Zero Fatalities | Alternet

Chicago's bike sharing system is Divvy...
https://www.divvybikes.com/
Though I don't live in or go to Chicago, some younger friends tell me they use Divvy on a regular basis. The city has adapted the roads to accomodate bicycles.

On a personal basis, I have a fascination for bikes, and as a sometimes hobby, untrash and repair/restore... then give away or ride them myself... I currently keep five or six for my own use or for parts. Though for some recent (3 month) reasons I haven't been riding very much, I usually ride 5 or 6 miles a day, though sometimes go for a 20 or 30 mile ride.

Do you bike?

 

[HFWR]

Have a 1980s Fuji 10-spd road bike, and an unknown low-end Trek "mountain bike", which I bought for riding on less than stellar surfaces. Ride the road bike almost exclusively. Ride paved trails (many around the area), usually 10-30 miles at a time. Rode around 800 miles last year; not so many this year, for various reasons. Average speed maybe 12mph. Just enjoy being outdoors.

 

[nuke_diver]

I've ridden for years, first as a method of transportation (until I finished college pretty much) then for fun and as a commute alternative. I stopped for a while and restarted commuting of Fridays (only day I can get out at a decent time) on my early 80's steel road bike (started riding road bikes in the early 70's never road anything else since). I then started riding on Sundays for more exercise but on that old bike with the weight and the gearing (and the engine ) the local hills were difficult to say the least. I tried and failed to ride up a 5 mile 2200' climb (15% grades in spots) with it and decided I needed a new bike. So I got a new CAAD10 last Oct and have clocked 1500 miles on it so far. Still only weekends and the longest ride was a metric century (still planning to do a full century but hate the idea of getting up at 5am to do so). I think once I FIRE I will probably increase my mileage from ~50miles/week to ~60-100 depending on the ride and week. I live in the Bay Area and there are lots of hilly climbs around. Last 2 weeks rides were both over 2000' of climbing and that wasn't heading up into the hills. It's not impossible to do 10,000' in century and still stay local

I love biking I do it solo because it is my alone time mainly. It has never been a social thing for me and I doubt it will be but you never know. Oh and that hill that I couldn't get up in my old bike...45 min on the new one . I still ride the old bike to work...no one would ever bother to steal it

 

[aaronc879]

I bought a fairly good quality Giant mountain bike when I was 19. Now 34(35 next week) I still ride that bike whenever my work and the weather allow me to do so. I rarely ever ride on off-road trails these days but don't want to spend $400+ on a new bike when I already have one. It's a 27 speed and the only gears I can use are 15-19 so no steep hills for me. Don't want to spend the money on a tune-up so I just do what I can with it. My typical ride is about 7 miles in 45 minutes. I bike from home and stay off busy streets. Not strenuous but not entirely leisurely either. I do have to push myself a little to do 7 miles in 45 minutes on a wide tired mountain bike with limited gearing. I used to do 20 miles in 1 1/2 hrs so my abilities have definitely lessened over the last 15 years. I do it for a mix of fun and as a way to stay active without causing pain.

 

[jjquantz]

Bicycle was my major mode of transportation for 20 or more years of my adult life including one year in Houston when I was too [-]stupid[/-] young to know how risky it was and 5 years in the DC area. DW and I commuted together on a tandem about 50 days each year during the DC stint.

I'm now putting in about 1500 miles per year on a Trek hybrid that was my primary commuting bike. Most of this is on 10-14 mile loops through neighborhoods and on paved trails. The tandem doesn't get many miles now that we don't commute with it.

 

[Avalon]

I'm averaging 250 miles per month on a cheapo Walmart mountain bike. I ride it on streets only. It was used when I got it. Pretty beat up. Put street tires on it, better seat, etc.

I'm planning to get some sort of hybrid this winter. Been shopping different styles and makes. Don't need a road bike. Don't want to spend a ton of money. Have several on my list. The Marin Redwood is one near the top.
Marin Bikes | Redwood | Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes, and City/Commuter Bicycles | us

 

[ernow]

I have a specialized FS 29er that I take on 15-30 mile rides couple times a week, mixed road and trail. Love it, it's like riding a Range Rover. I'd like to get more road friendly tires for it so I can roll easier on the pavement but still be ok on the trails.

 

[zinger1457]

Was using a Fuji 18 speed comfort bike until I saw a good deal on a used Motobecane (carbon frame) road bike so picked it up, thinking it would be a big improvement for the longer rides. To be honest I really don't see that big a difference between the two bikes, even though the road bike weighs 8-10lbs less. It is a little easier/faster ride, just not as much as I expected.

Recently read a pretty good biking book, "Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike" and it pretty much confirms what I just learned. Spending big dollars on the very best low weight carbon frame bike is probably a waste of money for all but the hardcore professional bike road racer. There just isn't much performance difference between the low and high end priced bikes for the weekend biker to justify the extra cost. Didn't agree with everything in his book but overall it is a good common sense approach to bike riding.

 

[someguy]

The motor is still the most important aspect in bicycling. But I have enough data to say confidently that for me, a decent road bike is about 3mph faster all other things equal, maybe even 4-5mph faster if I stay "in the drop". A lighter bike is more noticeable when climbing, too. If you're riding solo and for exercise, it probably doesn't matter. If you ride in a group, or are self-competitive, then it probably will matter.

Something else to consider is where you ride. If you have a lot of walking/bike paths, a fast road bike would be too fast on many of those whereas a comfort bike would not. OTOH, I find that when riding on roads where the cars move 35-55mph, 20-25mph feels a lot safer than 12-15mph. That may be only in my head, but it's enough to matter to me.

Recently read a pretty good biking book, "Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike" and it pretty much confirms what I just learned. Spending big dollars on the very best low weight carbon frame bike is probably a waste of money for all but the hardcore professional bike road racer. There just isn't much performance difference between the low and high end priced bikes for the weekend biker to justify the extra cost. Didn't agree with everything in his book but overall it is a good common sense approach to bike riding.

 

[imoldernu]

Was using a Fuji 18 speed comfort bike until I saw a good deal on a used Motobecane (carbon frame) road bike so picked it up, thinking it would be a big improvement for the longer rides. To be honest I really don't see that big a difference between the two bikes, even though the road bike weighs 8-10lbs less. It is a little easier/faster ride, just not as much as I expected.

Recently read a pretty good biking book, "Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike" and it pretty much confirms what I just learned. Spending big dollars on the very best low weight carbon frame bike is probably a waste of money for all but the hardcore professional bike road racer. There just isn't much performance difference between the low and high end priced bikes for the weekend biker to justify the extra cost. Didn't agree with everything in his book but overall it is a good common sense approach to bike riding.

+1

Yes!!!... I've always been a little bit afraid to talk about the price difference/improved performance, since one of my riding buddies has a carbon frame bike, for which he has already invested about $7K. He does ride almost every day, and averages about 300 mi./wk, so I guess he feels it's worth the price.

Here's my old/ancient 1978 Motobecane Super Mirage... about 30lbs., but solid as a rock and an easy ride. Bought it (one of the few bikes I've paid for) in 1995, for $5. It was kinda rusty and had two bent wheels that I straightened, and I had to replace the cables, but still a good buy. Looks almost as good as this file picture.

 

[HFWR]

Excluding some minor upgrades, I have about $90 all in for both my bikes.

No one will confuse me with Lance Armstrong, or even Louis...

 

[zinger1457]

The motor is still the most important aspect in bicycling. But I have enough data to say confidently that for me, a decent road bike is about 3mph faster all other things equal, maybe even 4-5mph faster if I stay "in the drop". A lighter bike is more noticeable when climbing, too. If you're riding solo and for exercise, it probably doesn't matter. If you ride in a group, or are self-competitive, then it probably will matter.

Most of my rides are solo and for early morning exercise a couple times a week, in the 20-30 mile range. Agree with the motor being the most important part, I only see about a 1.5mph average speed difference between the two bikes, and I feel like I'm using about the same level of effort. I did spend a little time in bike shops looking at new bikes. After explaining what I currently ride the standard sales pitch I got was to expect a 25-50% difference, and I wasn't looking at the high end road bikes. I didn't buy it then and I certainly don't now.

 

[someguy]

Most of my rides are solo and for early morning exercise a couple times a week, in the 20-30 mile range. Agree with the motor being the most important part, I only see about a 1.5mph average speed difference between the two bikes, and I feel like I'm using about the same level of effort. I did spend a little time in bike shops looking at new bikes. After explaining what I currently ride the standard sales pitch I got was to expect a 25-50% difference, and I wasn't looking at the high end road bikes. I didn't buy it then and I certainly don't now.

Obviously for what you do, that's fine. But, I'm still a data geek, so: I'm assuming your comfort bike is flat pedals? What about the road bike? When you say feel like the effort was the same, was that based on a heart rate monitor?

BTW -- Sounds like we share a disdain for sales guys or at least a healthy skepticism for what they say Although, as speed goes up, wind resistance goes up exponentially. So 25-50% more EFFICIENT might be plausible, while 25-50% higher average speed seems ridiculous.

 

[BTravlin]

I have a Raleigh Detour 3.5 hybrid that I ride about 4 days a week. I usually ride about 15 miles round trip along the coast road and back. Sometimes I will take a more leisurely ride back into town just to explore and learn my way around better.

 

[Running_Man]

I have a 1970's Schwinn Passage, a steel beast that takes massive abuse that I have used for a long long time and have traveled tens of thousands of miles upon. Also have a Trek 1500 aluminum bike I bought used which is the higher end of entry level road bikes that is probably 7 pounds lighter. For me, I can ride the trek about 5-7MPH faster on the same course over 15 miles compared to the Schwinn. Part of it is the sitting posture, part the weight and a good part the incredibly skinny tires on the Trek, which also provides for less sure turns but boy it is quick!

For a good week's ride I heartily endorse the Bike Ride Across Georgia, it is a load of fun. I have completed it multiple times.

 

[donheff]

DW and I ride four or five days a week. Our typical ride is about 25-30 miles, frequently with a stop for breakfast or lunch. Bikes are one thing we splurged on. Not CF racing machines but custom steel sport touring bikes built to fit us. There is no way the ride justifies the cost but screw that. . We are also charter members of DC's bike sharing program. They are very convenient for trips downtown from our Capitol Hill neighborhood. No way we would leave the good bikes on the street while we go to a movie. The " CABI" program is very successful. Daily tourist rentals provide a steady revenue stream which supplements us annual members who benefit from unlimited rides for $75.

 

[zinger1457]

Obviously for what you do, that's fine. But, I'm still a data geek, so: I'm assuming your comfort bike is flat pedals? What about the road bike? When you say feel like the effort was the same, was that based on a heart rate monitor?

I use clipless pedals on both bikes. I use a GPS device with a built-in heart rate monitor so when I download the data from the device all the gps/heart rate date is displayed in nice graphs with a summary table of average heart rate, calories burned, average speed, etc.

 

[nash031]

Yes, I bike. I ride 3-4 times a week as a rule. Presently in my training not much more than 90 minutes (30ish mi) in any given session, as little as 45 min. My training is pretty intense, with fast intervals. I'm not an Ironman guy (yet) so my longest rides are 60-75miles with 2-6000 vertical feet in the mountains around San Diego. Haven't done much of that recently, however.

I'm probably a little more "over the top" than most here as a competitive triathlete:

Cervelo P3C (carbon TT bike) w/ DuraAce drive train
Cannondale Super Six (carbon road bike) w/ DuraAce drive train... full carbon all the way down to the bottle holders.
Race wheels are Zipp 606; Road race wheels are Ksyrium ES Special Edition (with the super cool red hubs!)
I train with a PowerTap on my Mavic OpenPros.

Clipless pedals - Speedplay Zeros on both bikes. Set of Sidi T2 tri shoes and Shimano 330 road shoes. Two helmets (aero and regular).

Yeah, I'm over the top... but, this past weekend, I qualified for Team USA for the World Triathlon Championships in Chicago next September. Spend your money on experiences, right?

Considering working as a wrench at a local shop in retirement. I do love tinkering with bikes!

 

[GravitySucks]

Down to 3 bikes now. I have a Specialized Roubaix for the road bike, a Trex F7 for around town and the Erie Canal trail, and a steel Fuji to loan visitors.
I thought I would ride much more after retirement but unfortunately I ride less. I joined the local bike club so I force myself to get out a bit more. Maybe I don't need the stress relief anymore.
I

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[retirementguy1]

I bought a used Raleigh Competition my last year in college, 2006. I paid $1300 and it came with upgraded handlebars and another rear wheel with a larger cassette. For my daily trips I bought a $100 single gear bike from Walmart. I ride that bike more than the Raleigh now. I am so cheap I figured that fewer moving parts would mean less maintenance and I live in a relatively flat area.

I find that there is a high correlation for professional level cycling gear and douche-baggery. I have a gel seat that fits over my regular seat and I wear average workout clothes.

 

[unno2002]

Since retirement, my bicycle (now a semi-recumbent) has again become my "go to" vehicle for local errands. Whenever the wife decides to retire, and we (hopefully) move to a location with even more resources within bicycle range, I hope I'm still in condition to keep pedaling..
Way back, I used to do 100 mile days… recently, my top has been around 27…

 

[anethum]

I mostly ride a Bike Friday New World Tourist, a high-quality folding bike which is designed to pack into a pullman-sized suitcase. This photo was taken 2 months ago in the French Alps. I was touring with a friend who also has a Bike Friday.

 

[Ronstar]

I bike a couple of times a week. Trek hybrid about 15 miles with DW. Also have a Trek hybrid at the az condo. Also a Trek road bike for the occasional long rides. I'd like to bike more but don't have the time.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[nash031]

I find that there is a high correlation for professional level cycling gear and douche-baggery.

Hey now, I might resemble that!

 

[ggbutcher]

I've ridden bikes on and off most of my life.

In the '70s, for a while I didn't have a car, and I biked everywhere, including to the nightclub. No, I wasn't dating much...

Current bike is a Specialized Hard Rock, circa 1987. More about it in a bit...

But, our most interesting bike experience was the two years we lived on Kwajalein Atoll. The only motor vehicles were gov't-owned; all residents got around by bike. It's a very corrosive environment, so many just buy the cheap green Huffy and expect it to be a pile of rust in six months. One of our acquaintences actually pitch-poled over his handle bars when his front-wheel spokes just disintegrated.

There were a few 'bicyclists' in the spandex sense, but most just purchased the 'wide-load' seat, raised their handlebars a couple of feet with a pipe extension, and practiced riding at a speed just faster than that needed to keep from falling over. A bike trailer or two was a must, for anything from schlepping groceries to hauling scuba tanks to the marina. You could arrange for motor transportation to and from the airport, but seeing people riding with their wheely luggage in tow was common.

This .pdf describes the situation quite well: http://www.shermiewiehe.com/kwaj/kwajbikes.pdf

Back in Colorado, I've already bought a sting-ray handlebar for the Hard Rock. Now, to find a wide-a** seat...