As one of the folks originally asking for a recreational forum, I thank Joe for getting this started.

Personally, I see a recreational (and family forum) as a place where folks like me, who, most likely, do not fix their own bike, do not often go for 100 mile rides, who absolutely love their bike to maintain and build fitness in a more relaxed sort of way, who greatly enjoy riding for the pure pleasure and relaxation, who often rides on the excellent bike trails around here, to post about and discuss our 10 - 20 - 30 mile rides without fear of intimidation by those who are into a more intense cycling experience, who hate bike paths, who train intensely and rigorously, etc.

Hey, biking is, to me, most of all FUN. That is what I would like to discuss. I see Joe has aleady moved some appropriate threads into this forum.

See ya later.

Hey Dnvr,

Believe it or not, I am predominatly a recreational cyclist, and yes, it is possible for recreational cyclists to do 100 mile rides and have interests in the things mentioned above (although I'll discuss those in the appropriate places and not here). I have nothing against people who do 10 mile rides either. Either way, this sounds like an interesting forum. I might post something about tomorrow's ride here (regardless of the eventual distance).

Probably 90%+ of us are recreational riders. Racers do not have the time to post. They are either training, racing, eating or sleeping. Regardless of how far or intense we ride, we are recreational. It is easy to sound like Joe-Racer on a post. But we are in it for the FUN (which takes in all the social, environmental and physical aspects)!

Someone who knows how to do so should post a poll to see how many of us are "racers" and how many are "riders". I am not that clever with this forum. But have fun (as we are going to do in about two hours when we start riding in our foot of snow).

i guess that unless you are sponsored you are a recreational rider.
but one thing is for certain. i am a rider with a family. this is a great addition to the forums. not the insane 'how many already over 1000 miles for year'

I guess this is the place for me. Most of my rides are for fun and too often I'm riding alone. Can't get any of my neighbors off the couch. :(
The only rides that aren't for fun are when I'm commuting to work. There is nothing fun about arriving at my destination. ;) :crash:

Question: is bike-commuting considered "recreational" in this context? Just curious, because I get 99% of my miles via bike-commuting. I consider it recreational, but is it?

Driving to work is hardly recreational as compared to driving on a weekend trip or something.

Oops. I just saw a poll on what constitutes recreational cycling ... my bad.

Originally posted by RonH
I guess this is the place for me. Most of my rides are for fun and too often I'm riding alone. Can't get any of my neighbors off the couch. :(
The only rides that aren't for fun are when I'm commuting to work. There is nothing fun about arriving at my destination. ;) :crash: This is true, but its the ride home that you think of all day.That really gets the blood flowing in a recreational cyclist like me.

Originally posted by Gojohnnygo.
... its the ride home that you think of all day. That really gets the blood flowing...
You're right. Trying to figure out which van or SUV is going to run me down does get my blood flowing. :crash:

Originally posted by RonH
You're right. Trying to figure out which van or SUV is going to run me down does get my blood flowing. :crash:

Although it won't totally solve the problem, it does mitigate it to some extent... have you tried offsetting your commuting from the normal rush-hour periods (if possible)? I don't commute nowadays because I work from home so all my riding now is actually recreational. But when I did commute, I used to leave for work past 9AM and return home after 7PM. I found there was a good deal of difference in the quality of drivers out on the road from when I was commuting during the typical rush-hour periods.

Commuting can certainly be recreational...why not have some fun on the way to or from work, even if the destination isn't going to be fun! When I commuted more, I would often extend my rides just for the fun of it, on the way to or from work. Now I don't have to, it's far enough as it is. In any event, I'm a rec. rider most if not all of the time. Good idea for a new forum, Dnvr!:D

Good idea for a new forum, Dnvr!

Well, thanks. I have no clue whether or not we will get many posts here. In any event, it is a place where a newbie or less experienced rider should be able to feel comfortable posting without fear of being intimidated. Let me add that i know that no one on BF would purposely intimidate someone, it is just that when you have a lot of folks talking about their intensive rides, etc., it IS intimidating to some of us.

Let me also add that this is also a family forum - as requested by another BF member. Hey family riders, chime in!!