[Urbanmonk]

It has been 15 years since I last rode a complete season. Back then, my 3 mile trek to and from work, seemed so natural. Now, I ride 10 miles daily and 30 on the weekends, not a great feat, but enough to keep my heart pumping. I currently ride a Gary Fisher hybrid set up as a range bike. My question is: is there a more suitable type of bike which will provide a greater workout only riding 10 miles a day? I have seen many other bikes, such as cyclocross, mountain, road, etc.

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[joeprim]

Get an old 60# cruiser single speed. That should give you a workout.

Happy new year to all

Joe

[iceratt]

I have a rather light bike to which I mount two beastly large paniers, in which I carry all the gear that I might need in any emergency( clean dry clothes, enough food to cater a small wedding, tools, toys, talismans,etc.). The load turns my faithful steed into a sixty pound bike, but one with gears! A course I don't always travel this way. sometimes I hitch a trailer a trailer to the back of my mountain bike, so that I can carry a sled should some beautiful snowy hill decide to cross my path...

[Mtn Mike]

I have a question, if you want more excersize, why don't you try and ride longer than 10 miles per day? I recently bought my dad a Gary Fisher Nirvana hybrid. It's a nice bike, and I wish he would ride it 10 miles per day like you do. He rides about 10 miles per month! :rolleyes: People don't usually desire less efficient bikes, but I suppose if you wanted more of a workout you could try a single speed or fixed gear bike, or maybe just switch to a mountain bike. Short of that, I guess there are things you could do to increase your workout during your 10 miles: pull a trailor full of grocieries, put fatter tires on, pull a child(if you have one), take a more hilly route. Does that help?

[Urbanmonk]

Thanks, all. Actually, I have been considering getting up at 4 a.m. instead of 4:30 to allow more time for a longer, and quite possibly, more challenging ride. It's a little hard when I'm only on flat pavement for all 10 miles. Doctor says I must have some exercise to reduce the fat in my blood or else meds. I'm only forty! How many miles do you all log in the winter months? Should I bump it up to 100 a week?

[Mtn Mike]

From a cardiovascular standpoint, it's suggested that it's not the milage that counts, but the time spent on the bike doing moderate intensitity riding. It's those moderate intensity workouts that shed the fat, and improve your cardiovascular health.

To tell you the truth, 80 miles per week is good for winter time. From a general health standpoint, it's all relative. I'd say your doing pretty well if you've gone from not riding at all, to riding 80 miles per week. Assuming everything else in your life stays the same, the pounds should fly off quickly for you. Your BP, BGL, and lab counts (HDL,LDL,triglcyerides) should also improve. If, on the other hand, you're goal is to hone your body into a racing machine, you should shoot for even more time on the bike, AND try to maintain a higher heartrate.

I'm no expert. There's a ton of info written on this subject on the web, and in the book stores. I'd recommend a book called "Bicycling Medicine" by Arnie Baker if you really want to get into the science of riding and your body. He discusses cardiovascular fitness strategies and the physiology of cycling, diet and nutrition, proper stretching technique, and more.