Northern California - What's the longest time you've been off your bike?

I'm going stir crazy. I haven't ridden since my son was born on 9/5. I'm grouchy and fat...OK, fatter. Haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep a day on the weekdays and, on the weekends, I do the nightshift until 8 AM taking care of my boy so my wife can get some shuteye. If this keeps up much longer, I'll have to break out the CycleOps and spin in the garage. I hate riding indoors but I hate not being able to button my pants more.

How long was your layoff and how did you cope?

I don't think I've been off the bike longer than a week since I really started riding again in 2003, even with the two little kids. Just take the 1-2 hours and do it. Work it out with your wife. It's better for you both in the long run.

The injuries I have now till probably keep my off my bike the longest by far.

Invest in nice lights, front and back, and plan a route that would be safe to ride in the dark (ie light traffic, no thugs, etc). The window of opportunities will widen beyond belief! :D

You can also get on that trainer but I agree with you, it gets a little boring. You can set up a tv and watch movies or something.

To answer your question... I get the shakes after 3 days off the saddle.

When I moved back to the Bay Area last year I took off about 5 mos. My weight also took off! Doh! Coming from flat Texas to hilly Cali was not making cycling fun for me. But I am learning to appreciate climbing some now thanks to a compact crank and a 12-26 cassette! haha!

Longest period off the bike? More than five years...though I jog and ran (usually 5~15 miles per session) five nights a week during that cycling haitus.

I was off from 2002-2006 (personal reasons). I stayed in shape running and hiking.

cantdrv55:
I know what you're going through and I feel for ya.

At least you have a trainer and can get some type of riding in. I know it’s not as wonderful as being out on the road but it’s better than nothing ;).

I am sure you will slowly start seeing more riding time once your little one starts getting close to 6-8 months of age. My little guy’s 8 months old now and I’m starting to finally see a decent increase in my riding time …

As for coping with not being able to ride I’m not sure how I got through it. I think the constant daze I was in from the lack of sleep, always being being around the baby and having friends over to visit the baby made everything a lot easier to deal with.

Now... :(

13 years for me. I discovered the wonders of computer gaming and was addicted. I passed a lot of time sitting in front of a computer screen and gained 40 pounds. No hiking, no sports. The only physical activity I had was work. It was a sad life and I hope not to experience that again.

Wait. I hear CounterStrike calling my name. I'm going to see whats going on. I'll be right back.

Not counting the time from when I got my Drivers License at 16 till I finally bought another bike at 38? ;)

2002(ish) - 2006(ish). And unlike msincredible, I DID NOT stay in shape. :eek:

I just stopped riding when the rains came one winter, and didn't start up again the next spring. I think I was burned out. I'd been doing group rides with PenVelo twice a week, and not doing my long Sunday solo rides, and I just stopped wanting to ride. It turns out the long solo rides are what I like most about cycling.

5 years off the bike left me with a lot of physical conditioning to try and recover, bad habits to break, and weight to lose.

Are you in a situation where you can commute by bike (with lighting of course)?

That way you are "forced" to ride everyday ;)

Or maybe even just short errands (groceries etc.) on the bike? A little is better than none.

I was off the bike for a long, long time after riding everywhere and in every weather during college in the midwest. Two years ago I dusted off the old Panasonic and started commuting. I'm having so much fun doing that, I bought a fixed gear for a little added challenge.

Whats next? Carbon fiber and boy racer clothes? Never know.

More than 10 years - I was transferred overseas, and quickly decided that riding in and around Warsaw would be close to suicidal (and I had been riding in NYC before). The roads weren't built for lots of traffic - the city was planned for almost everyone (except party leaders) to take public transportation. To be legally parked, you had to have one wheel up on the curb - no bike lanes! Plus, most locals were new to driving - I was scared in a car, much less on a bike. Our first was born there, 2nd was born on my second assignment (in Israel). The kids eliminated any time to spend on the bike - I used to get my workouts in at a gym during lunch.

Do as I say, not as I did - work it out with your wife and make time to get back on the bike!

JB

Get one of those Tug-A-long trailers.. attach it to a tandem, and the whole family can go out and get some fresh air.

Just my thoughts. I've been off my bike since the Mt. Diablo challenge, work, family issues, colder weather, nagging injuries have been "a" cause. The only real cause is ME. I need to set up my trainer, and I can't even motivate enough to do that lately. I keep saying "I'll do it tommorow".. but that has lasted for 2 weeks now. Actually.. I might as well do it now.

During my hiatus I stayed in shape... round's a shape right?

During my hiatus I stayed in shape... round's a shape right?

Hmmm, my shape was more pear like.:p

+1 on commuting. But with your current schedule it may be a bit difficult. When the kid gets older and set to autopilot, like mine, then commuting to work is much more doable.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Can't commute to work (I drive 35K miles/yr up and down CA and NV for work). I can do short grocery runs though and just suck it up and ride even when I'm tired.

I was sporaticly riding from 05-07. Nothing serious like before I joined the Navy. But recently my income has gone up and I've been able to afford a bike I want to ride every chance I get. Now I just need the 13 hour work days to stop so I can get more saddle time in.

Seven stupid years I was off my bike. In high school I rode every day after school, and I loved it to death. Then I went to college, did some things I shouldn't have.... ended up doing practically nothing for 7 years. My Stumpjumper just collected dust in every apartment I moved to. I got married, moved out to California, quit smoking, calmed down my lifestyle, and all is good again. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself.

Over 10 years for me. Job, marriage, kid sucked up my riding time and gained 30 pounds. What little riding I did was just leisurely rides with my wife and son in the Burley. Now my son is seven and his days are more structured, I have more time to ride. My wife is also very supportive of me getting back into shape for obvious reasons.

Cantdrv55- If you are interested, I have a Burley trailer that sits two you can borrow. It gives you a chance to ride and give you wife a break w/o the kids.

About the only riding I can get in is the short ride from my office to the picnic tables where we have lunch. It's nearly dark or dark when I get off work. I would commute but it's only 3 miles and I don't have shower facilities unless I join the gym on campus. I wish I could do some rides in the dark but can't afford the needed lighting at the moment. I'm left to weekends and they seem to be filled with stuff most of the time. I'm getting frustrated though so I think some serious rearranging of priorities and time will need to be done.

From 1999 until about a year ago I was not riding. A combination of friends moving away I used to ride with, commuting from SF to Mt. View as well as driving out to Concord for band practice. Over the years I would see other cyclists out and about doing their thing and the itch would return but it would disappear fast enough. I would still follow the TDF and see how Lance and crew were doing each day as well as look over the occasional bike website. Last year about this time I had had enough, I had to get back to cycling. I didn't want to over commit but did want to buy a better bike than I had before ('94 Trek 2300) so I bought a 2004 5200 on ebay and haven't looked back since.

From 1999 until about a year ago I was not riding.
Yeah! Same here, 1999 was a bad year for cycling... :rolleyes: I used to ride a lot before I met my wife who is more of the runner type. My bike went through 3 moves, two kids, and 0 miles before I gave it to charity last year. I got the bug this year and realize what I was missing for over 8 years.
My suggestion for now is to dust off that trainer and use it every day. Same for the Ski God Huy.. Go buy a nice trainer and get acquainted with your television an hour each night. Buy a used Burley Cantdrv(got mine off craigs for $65) and take your kid around as soon as it is safe to do so (not sure about newborns so please consult your pediatrician ;) ). I love these two things. Worth every penny. I am able to ride something every day and I feel great!

Thanks Steel and minivan. I intend to buy a used Burley off craigslist once the kid can hold his head up.

I stopped riding regularly in '89 and just started up again last February. From '73 to '81 I was very active riding long distances as a tourist (Bikecentennial in '76) and all around the midwest. Work, art and social life got in the way from '81 to '89 but I rode to work as much as I could.

Starting up again after such a long time off makes me a real dinosaur; no helmet, steel road bike with old school geometry, toe clips, street clothes, sunglasses and mirror from '77. Bike shops hate me, club riders all want me to wear a helmet (which ain't gonna happen). That's cool, I've always been an outsider and am used to that. The bike works as good as it did in "81 when I built it up on a custom made frame. I'll be up to snuff on the hills and century rides by next summer and the health benefits are already in the bag! 8^)

Bob were you the dude at the Diablo Challenge? Who had a basket on the front of his bike, with two mason jars full of chocolate milk in it? Do you also have a headlamp from a car attached to your fork? No poking fun, I can't poke fun, I got passed by this dude. Finally got him going up the wall, but the way you describe yourself as old school, reminds me of this dude (possibly you) who was as old school as I've ever seen, strong as hell rider to. I will never forget the look on the dudes face in front of me when he and his cervelo carbon soloist were passed by this dude and his basket of chocolate milk.

cntdrv - you could always play H20 polo with your son :) That should keep your cardio in line while you're off your bike.

That wasn't me, it was my cousin Fred. We're both cyclists to the core and just want to ride, ride, ride!

My other hobby is stargazing. Well, actually telescope making and watching the sun (currently asleep). Amateur astronomy is also a hobby that requires its participants to buy or build equipment, usually very expensive for the beginner and which can easily go into the tens of thousands of dollars. Amateur astronomers welcome newcomers with open arms, despite their apparent ignorance of the equipment and techniques of those with much more experience.

Organized cycling clubs, on the other hand, seem to put up barriers to entry despite their friendly manner. I think it may be a result of clubs being generally associated with local bike shops (who naturally want to sell, sell, sell), generally focused on racing and competition, and the mistaken belief that helmet use is always required for everyone to safely ride a bike anywhere. How many casual riders will join a group when everyone in the group uses top shelf equipment, wears an expensive uniform, and is treated like a child by being told that a helmet is required (even after signing a liability waiver)? I wish organized cycling groups were inclusive (like amateur astronomy) instead of exclusive as they have become since the early '80s. Helmets killed the bicycle boom of the '70s.

Internet based groups seem to be better. It allows birds of a feather to flock together easier, separating the racers from those wanting a more relaxed pace. Informal (at best) association with bike shops reduces the push to buy, buy, buy, and there seems to be better acceptance of those who don't want to "dress it up" to ride a bike. Perhaps I'm a dinosaur hanging on to '60s idealism, with '70s enthusiasm for cycling and a bike from the early '80s.

In any case, my cousins and I thank y'all for cutting us a bit of slack!

Woo... I used to ride a lot back in the late 80s. Did fun rides un and down the Cal coast. Even race Cat 4... Then friends got bored, and I took up golf. Got down to an 11 handicap. For 18 years, I knocked on that door to get to a single digit handicap; never happened. So, last year, I found a Vitus 979 (my dream bike back in the days) and moved to Nor Cal from Socal. And now I got me a C'dale CAAD 9!!! So for the last 18 years, I probably rode less than a hundred miles...

u said you raced Cat 4? or do you mean you raced 4 cats in your neighborhood....:thumb:

Since I got more serious about biking (around the beginning of August this year), I think the longest I've gone without riding is a week. It was in the shop during that time and I had to drive all around. That was painful. When I got my bike back, I had a smile on my face the whole ride back home from the shop

Now I have to see about winter riding. I'll probably be riding every day that it's not raining (yea, I know, I'm a wuss). I need to get some winter gear first...

I've been off my bike...for...hmmm 5 HOURS!!!! and I'm Jones'n man, I'm Jones'n!!
can't take ittt....arrrrggghhh........... : )

I think they call it restless leg syndrome?

The longest time I've gone since buying my bike was about six months. I had to spool up, deploy overseas, then wind down. The whole process took a long time. I remember being over there and seeing French Foreign Legion guys on their little mountain bikes putzing around base and wishing I could have my bike. Of course it was all sand and rocks so I wouldn't have been able to ride anyway.

I don't think I've been off the bike longer than a week since I really started riding again in 2003, even with the two little kids. Just take the 1-2 hours and do it. Work it out with your wife. It's better for you both in the long run.


After the collision last October, my longest time is now 8 weeks. It sucked the whole time and all I could do was browse craigslist and ebay.

Something like 9 years. Kids and other things got in the way and I took a long break off the bike. I got back on this year when my weight jumped to 205 and the Colnago was looking really dusty. Cleaned it up, new tubes, shoes, and pedals, and I'm riding again. 42 pounds down so far now and in better shape than I've been in a very long time.

Longest was July to December last year.

I'm still off my bike. I bought a Burley for my son as he can hold his head up now but even the smallest helmet is too big!

I guess something like 20 years. Now that I'm back on, I can't understand how I stayed off that long!

My longest (and only) break was from 2002-2006, lots of personal stuff going on, which left me without a bike for a while.

It sure felt good to get back on. :thumb: