General Cycling Discussion - Bike rides - what do you like most?

When you go on an "organized" bike ride that requires a fee and registration, what do you think is the most important part in a "satisfying ride"?

Safety is always my utmost concern. If I'm going to pay for something, it'd better be for the added security and ride prep. Otherwise, I would just save the cash and go it alone.

The really good organised rides I've been on have had clearly marked directions both on the road as well as on cue cards and maps. Some have had motorcycle and police escorts/monitoring. Most have ride organisers shuttling back across the string of riders to make sure everyone was okay.

Originally posted by khuon
Safety is always my utmost concern.

Mine, too.

Originally posted by khuon
Safety is always my utmost concern. If

Mine three!

Does running a marathon count its the same sorta thing just without the bike. I said food and support. If you don't have support I think it kinda makes it boring when you don't have people screaming at the top of their lungs cheering for you. And the second thing is... food... need I say more... what?! I'm a teenager!:D :beer:

Originally posted by mountaindew
what?! I'm a teenager!:D :beer:

According to my calculations you are not old enough to use the :beer: yet, do you want to get Joe in trouble for contributing to a minor ;)

Hi Dick Head.(aka Richard Cranium) I prefer routes which will take me through several differing terrains. Hills for work, flats for fast high tempo riding, downhills for fun, and when mountain biking I like to see wildlife.

Originally posted by ngateguy
According to my calculations you are not old enough to use the :beer: yet, do you want to get Joe in trouble for contributing to a minor ;)

What? You've never seen root beer in a mug before?:D

ooh! Look someone else agrees with me that food is a priority:D

If the route is not safe; all the T-shirts and fancy home made cookies in the world won't make it good experience.

lol mountaindew and ngateguy... you two are hilariou5

i think w/ organized bike rides, support in the way of cheering people is much less important than it is in marathon... where it is crucial. In long bike rides, the company of fellow riders is usually support enough... and having people spread out over a 50-100 mile crouse is kinda impractical.

I picked 4

1 - Safe and scenic - going to fast to bother looking around. On group rides it is about pushing each others limits :)
2 - My rides are never that long
3 - don't use water bottles ...although beer may be an influencing factor

For me it is all about pushing my personal limits. If I ride with people and they are better than me it pushes me beyond what I did before. Thats what I want from my group rides.

But then again this is road riding I do :)

If it's organized- safe and scenic is of the utmost concern!

Koff

I agree with the others that a safe route is #1 priority; however, I have now starting picking rides that give out socks instead of t-shirts. For me getting a pair of socks is something I'll use again on the bike for sure. A T-shirt typically sits in the closet or gets worn when I'm bumming around the house.

Zack

Never been on one ,I must be anti-social !!

I'm a soloist... or now, with the two kids, I'm a trio of my own. If I were to pay for an organised ride, I would want something I can't get easily by myself.

Things like :
- a special museum
- a good bus ride to skip a really boring section of the road.

What I like about riding by myself, self-supporting style, is that I don't need to plan. I start soon after I get up, eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm tired, kill the kilometres if I have the wind at my back, and stop in the evening when I'm tired... whether it's 80 km later or 200 km later. If I loose that freedom, I must gain something important in return.

Regards,

Well organised and safe. Graded starts is good too, although an ungraded start lets me get up the front with other Elite Male riders ( have only just qualified for EM as I got up the front in an ungraded start :D) and a good route, with varied terrain on good quality roads.......dont like them pot holes. A certificate for me is good, soI can show how well I am improving.

Brendon
:beer:

Safe and scenic route ... scenic, in more ways than one, of course. ;)

I'm the odd duck out here. I like to explore new roads on the bike, so avoiding a marginally safe road is not in my thinking. There very few roads that I would not considering riding on. There is one road that is the main winding road to Lake Isabella above Bakersfield where I live called Hwy 178 that can be hazardous even in a car and there are no borders to ride on anyway so I avoid that one; but there is another road that is light travelled called Breckenridge that I do ride on that does go up to that lake. But even if the road as a just a small shoulder I'll ride it.

I voted for the safe and scenic route because I prefer the scenic even over safe if necessary.

I voted for safe and scenic. However it must be noted that I tend to have a different perception of what makes a "safe" route (and probably a different perception of a scenic route) to most people. I'm also quite prepared to take individual steps (i.e. taking a different route for a while) if I think either of the above are compromised in any way.

Scenic. Organized rides are safer in traffic. Drivers are not surprised at seeing cyclists. I'd rather be hit by another cyclist than by a car. And one thing I like about organized rides is that I can always find someone to talk to at whatever pace I happen to be riding.

enjoying healthy life.

Hot babes.

(Just kidding, I'm married. Sorry Sarah- wait...ouch.)

Originally posted by Repp5
Hot babes.

(Just kidding, I'm married. Sorry Sarah- wait...ouch.)

See... that's the kind of comment that's hard to recover from. If your wife doesn't ride then you've dug yourself a hole. If your wife does ride then you're in a deeper hole when you withdraw the comment thus inferring that she isn't hot. 'Course if she doesn't ride, that comment might help urge her to ride... or it just might get you smacked more. :D

Originally posted by khuon
See... that's the kind of comment that's hard to recover from. If your wife doesn't ride then you've dug yourself a hole. If your wife does ride then you're in a deeper hole when you withdraw the comment thus inferring that she isn't hot. 'Course if she doesn't ride, that comment might help urge her to ride... or it just might get you smacked more. :D

If she doesn't start ridding this just might get her into it.

Scenic... and epic! Some breath-taking climbs and views. Riding along whitewater creeks and rivers. Roads and routes that are new, that I didn't know about.