Things to love about road biking

 Yesterday I took a 37 mile ride around town, passed lakes, tackled may hills and a small mountain (at the top of which I wanted  to get off and take a drink but I would not because then the people in cars would think I pushed my bike up which I did not!)

So I thought I would like to hear what people love about it so I keep doing it.

Here's a few of mine: Being on country road and realizing its been 3  or 4 miles since a car passed. Quiet-nothing but birds and breeze.

When I pass something I passed a week ago and it is still there and no one going 40 or 50 miles an hour would ever see it. Sometimes this is road kill-but I find it cool anyway.

Turning a corner when you are only a few miles from home and your legs are like rubber and knowing you have to get up that ------ hill to get home.

After a very hard 3-4 hour workout, to the point where it's all I can do to keep the cranks spinning to get home, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I left it ALL out there on the road.

Marveling at how far I can go under my own power, and still consider it a "routine" ride.

Being thoroughly in the moment, when I'm on a quiet enough road that the cars are no longer a distraction.

Putting down real power, even if only for a few minutes at a time.  Sustaining over 25mph on level-to-slightly-uphill ground is a rush.

The sound of my wheels humming with each pedal stroke.

Original Post by behanna:

Marveling at how far I can go under my own power, and still consider it a "routine" ride.

 

 Yeah! Thanks for the response. I am thinking about commuting a few days to work. Distance is not far but riding in rush hour and in city areas makes me a bit nervous. Als thanks for the stat in other post.

You can't overlook days like I had yesterday.  The grey skies gave way to a gentle rain that slowly soaked through my jersey and about that time my rear tire went flat so I stopped to fix it and was descended on by a swarm of biting flies and mosquitoes.  Changing a tire with one hand while swatting and shoeing with the other is not that easy.  I was glad when I got home.

But I'll be out there again today rain or shine.

 

When I pass something I passed a week ago and it is still there and no one going 40 or 50 miles an hour would ever see it. Sometimes this is road kill-but I find it cool anyway.

 

 

This is definitely one of my favorite reasons to ride.  There are SO many more things you notice when it is just you riding on a metal frame with the wind in your face taking things at whatever speed you choose rather than trapped inside a metal, climate-controlled shell in which you speed by so many details. 

I love going over a stream and feeling the change in temperature and air quality.  I love smelling the flowers, trees, and fields.  I love saying "hi" to cows and other animals as I pass (yeah, a little wacky, I know, but it's my thing...I live in a largely rural area).  I love the independent feeling of freedom of biking.  I love (well, sort of ) laboring up a tough hill and being rewarded with a speedy descent and the satisfaction of conquering the hill.

And yeah, even the days like trhawley had are sure to hit, but that is not enough to keep us away!  Keep enjoying your riding!

I love saying "hi" to cows and other animals as I pass (yeah, a little wacky, I know, but it's my thing...I live in a largely rural area).

Not wacky at all-I do this too! And I love riding in the rural area that I live.

Any of you women riders ride men's bikes? I am thinking of purchasing a used men's cannondale-I am 5'6" -bad idea?

Original Post by future214:

I love saying "hi" to cows and other animals as I pass (yeah, a little wacky, I know, but it's my thing...I live in a largely rural area).

Any of you women riders ride men's bikes? I am thinking of purchasing a used men's cannondale-I am 5'6" -bad idea?

Too funny - I talk to the animals too.  I'm sure they are thinking "look away... here comes the crazy bike lady".

I'm 5'6" and ride a men's 52 cm Trek 2.1 bike.  I found that the woman's bikes were too compact and I felt too schrunched up on them.  A men's bike should work for you IF it is the right frame size for your body.  Try it out. 

I also speak with the cows and horses.  And of course the dogs.  And any other animals that will listen.

This, http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?prod uctId=3000507  is what I love most about riding.  My two girls absolutely love it!  And it makes riding a such a great workout.  The hard part is telling them, "Daddy can't feel his legs anymore, time to go home" lol.

Yeah, being a 5'10" female, women's bikes are worthless to me.  I buy men's bikes and am fine.  But at your height, I would try both just to see which feels better.  And maybe the bike you have your eye on may be OK, but definitely make sure it is a good fit for you, otherwise your miles of smiles will become miles of misery.  And the only words you will say to the critters you pass will be mean and bitter!  LOL, and we don't want that!

Women's bikes tend to have a shorter effective top-tube length for a given frame size, thus, the saddle is closer to the stem, to compensate for most women (not all) being shorter from waist-to-shoulder than men.

Try them both and see.

BTW, frame sizes are quoted by seat tube length, but, just as with buying clothes, the other bits of geometry vary from manufacturer to manufacturer--rear triangle length relative to frame size, seat tube angle, top tube length, head tube angle, and so on.  All of these factors affect both fit and handling.  You want to find something that works for you.

I ride a cruiser and it's a lot of fun.  I sit further back on it and it's really heavy.  I like the amount of control I have from riding that I don't have with a car or bus. 

The critters I talk to are quail, lizards and ground squirrels.  Bike riding on the road feels effortless compared to running, brisk walking or calisthenics.  But I burn just as much on it and get a real workout on my legs. 

what I love about cycling is the fact that I can go twice as far in the same amount of time that I would if i was jogging.  The pace keeps me going with the exercise, cuts some of the monotony.  You're going slow enough to see and enjoy what's around you, but fast enough that you're not staring at the same mailbox for 10 minutes.

The office I work in makes it convenient for cyclists as well.  bike racks and showers, its a good area for cyclists.

There's something fun about conquering hills.  I used to prefer flat rides, but these days, I take the more hilly routes because the change keeps it interesting.  The climbs have gotten to be enjoyable, and there's nothing like whizzing down a hill at breakneck speeds.

I also get a kick out of the days I ride both my motorcycle and bicycle.  I get used to accelerating coming out of turns on the motorcycle and then start applying that to the bicycle and slamming the pedals into the ground.  scares the heck out of me for a second, gets the adrenaline flowing and I get to chuckle at my foolishness for a few minutes.

Original Post by bohdan:

 You're going slow enough to see and enjoy what's around you, but fast enough that you're not staring at the same mailbox for 10 minutes. YES YES YES!!

The office I work in makes it convenient for cyclists as well.  bike racks and showers, its a good area for cyclists. Wish it were like that in Upstate NY-maybe some day.

I also get a kick out of the days I ride both my motorcycle and bicycle.  I get used to accelerating coming out of turns on the motorcycle and then start applying that to the bicycle and slamming the pedals into the ground.  scares the heck out of me for a second, gets the adrenaline flowing and I get to chuckle at my foolishness for a few minutes. I will have my own motorcycle some day (now I am a passenger) and on my last ride I kept seeing and hearing motorcycles and can't wait when my choices are both that good!

 Thanks for sharing-cool thoughts!

In addition to everything else already mentioned by everyone, there's the unique pleasure of jetting through back-alleys while car-driving colleagues are sitting in traffic and beating them to the office :D

Also, WRT the men's vs women's bikes question -- a lot of the 'serious' road-biking ladies around here ride straight-frames (men's bikes), and a lot of the casual male commuters ride 'drop-frames' (women's bikes).  I whole-heartedly agree with everyone who says, "Try both and see what fits you best."

Original Post by bohdan:

I also get a kick out of the days I ride both my motorcycle and bicycle.  I get used to accelerating coming out of turns on the motorcycle and then start applying that to the bicycle and slamming the pedals into the ground.  scares the heck out of me for a second, gets the adrenaline flowing and I get to chuckle at my foolishness for a few minutes.

I found that my bike handling skills help when riding a motorcycle, and riding a motorcycle helps with cornering while on a bike.

I really enjoy cruising while listening to some nice music on my ipod, or looking forward to race weekend while doing intervals.

UD