Recreational & Family - Keeping together

My wife & I just bought bikes (Giant Sedona) for recreational (local and trail) riding. We had bikes before we were married (many years ago now), but when we moved to a very hilly area in Sydney that's not very bike friendly we sold them. :eek:

We picked them up Saturday and had a good time in a park with a 4km circuit getting the feel of them. About 20km later we felt great! Then again Monday (Australia Day holiday) went along the river another 20km.

The only problem is that we were often separated as I couldn't slow down enough and my wife couldn't go fast enough. :( Our fitness levels are vastly different... Any suggestions on how to handle this? I went ahead sometimes and cycled back, and/or cycled up a few hills now and then, but it wasn't ideal.

Maybe I'm asking too much and we should just cruise and enjoy the ride - nothing wrong with that. I get exercise elsewhere too!

You should consider getting a Tandum, and even a Tandum recumbant. I am sure your wife would enjoy that much more because she could lay back and enjoy the scenery.

I have exactly the same problem, and we have an agreement that:

1. It is okay for me to cycle way ahead and then cycle back, pass my wife and turn around behins her and catch up again and repeat the cycle.

2. Frequently she will ride on home after a few miles, and I will continue for a "real" ride.

3. And at times, I just go her speed.

I have exactly the same problem, and we have an agreement that:

1. It is okay for me to cycle way ahead and then cycle back, pass my wife and turn around behins her and catch up again and repeat the cycle.

2. Frequently she will ride on home after a few miles, and I will continue for a "real" ride.

3. And at times, I just go her speed.

Denver.. I sort of like speeding ahead, riding back, way back and catching up..I figure that can really increase my mileage..I have done the same thing.. I speed up ahead far enough, so that she is still in my mirror and then turn around.
And on ocassion, I do not mind a really slow ride and carefully take in the scenery.Talk and what not.

Get a two way radio. That way you don't have to worry as much about her getting hurt when you're no there. Turn around and go back evry once in a while.
Give her some time and eventually she might be able to go at a fast enough pace to give you a good workout.

I just accept the fact that I go slow when riding with my wife. I go in with a totally different mindset, and outfit than when I ride alone. I view it as relaxing time together and I find I really enjoy just poking around on my bike. If your riding around her in circles, is there a point to riding together? When I am alone it is no compromise, it is my time with the bike hauling ass dropping everything in sight. Going with her is not about the ride so much, it is about us and it really is nice.

When I am alone it is no compromise, it is my time with the bike hauling ass dropping everything in sight.

That is great, but during summer wife really wants to go on just about every ride with me. When we are at condo in mtns, there is no way she is going to be left behind while I ride. So, we have solved this by the circles trick. She actually likes this as she knows she is not holding me back.


If your riding around her in circles, is there a point to riding together?

Everyone finds their own solutions, and we should respect those solutions, rather than criticize them. Each situation is unique. I am glad you found your solution. Please respect mine. Thanks.

DnvrFox, listen, I was in no way being critical of how you go for bike rides with your wife, the question was ment to be rhetorical and answered on an individual basis. I was offering DavidH another perspective, but evidently rubbed you the wrong way, if I was unclear earlier, let me say now I was in no way making a judgment or being critical, do whatever you want I do not care, I was just adding my perspective. Did I piss you off earlier about something?

I'm sure we'll see one and other riding around Denver without knowing it so untill then, have a great ride.

DnvrFox, listen, I was in no way being critical of how you go for bike rides with your wife, the question was ment to be rhetorical and answered on an individual basis. I was offering DavidH another perspective, but evidently rubbed you the wrong way, if I was unclear earlier, let me say now I was in no way making a judgment or being critical, do whatever you want I do not care, I was just adding my perspective. Did I piss you off earlier about something?

I'm sure we'll see one and other riding around Denver without knowing it so untill then, have a great ride.

Okay, I guess I misread your message, which happens when we have no intonation or facial expressionsm or body language. Thought you were saying that there was no point in my riding with my wife if I did the circles thing, which I guess you were NOT saying.

Sorry about that.

Let's get together and ride!

I have been working on my communication, as I need to improve on making my point clearly, ahh what a world we would live in if we could all communicate effectively.

You could try putting 'slower' tires on your bike.

There are group rides that I go to where a strong rider will show up with a mountain bike, or a bike with fatter tires. He does this knowing that the pace will be slower than he prefers on his road bike. The slower bike allows him to more easily stay with the group but still give him a good workout.

1. It is okay for me to cycle way ahead and then cycle back, pass my wife and turn around behins her and catch up again and repeat the cycle.
When my kids were young that is exactly what I would do with them on a hike. I'd pass them until I was not quite out of sight and then turn around and pass them the other way. It became a game for them - passing messages back and forth on each pass.

To the person who asked why ride in circles - unless you are permanently moving to another location, you are already traveling in circles - one way or another.

Carry a bunch of weight?
Joe

that kept happening to our "riding group" (when we ride its usually my uncle, aunt, my dad and 5 or 6 of my cousins) When the people in the back (my aunt and 3 of my cousins) start to drop farther back we switch places. Faster people in back and slower people in front. Gives the slower riders some time to ride in front and everybody else gets a little bit of rest.

Some 55 years ago when I rode with the Franklin County Bicycle club in Columbus Ohio, which was essentially a racing club, we had Thursday night and Sunday morning family rides. The slowest riders, which were usually the wives set the pace. However in those days we passed through many small villages and the racers all broke away and sprinted to the village limit signs. They of course waited or circled back to rejoin the slower riders. We really had a great time. If the other racers were involved in conversation you tried to slip to the back of the pack as you approached a sign so that you could sprint past the pack at top speed before they realized what was going on.

When I ride with Dan, whose recumbent is very heavy, I always ride my slowest, heaviest bike, and leave the chain in the middle ring. We tried 2-way radios once and took them off after a block. What has worked well is the sound system Dan has on his bike. I can ride ahead until I no longer can hear the music, then I circle back. If there is a group, Dan usually waits for the group to assemble, while I take a scouting sprint down the planned route. He calls me on my cell phone when they are ready to roll, I head back & join the group. Then I do lots of circles, carrying messages from one person in the group to another, and making sure that the last person doesn't have a problem. Dan's music (he seems partial to the theme from the 3 stooges) let's everyone feel somewhat connected to the group.

the adding weight, riding a mountain bike on a "road ride", using wide tires or riding with low air-pressure (mountain bike) are techniques i have used to help me get a good workout when i ride with slower riders.

on a multi-day bike tour a few years ago (with an now ex-girlfriend) i pulled the BOB trailer with all the gear and she only had a small daypack... and we were about the same speed.

i have also done the "circling back" method -- the only thing here is to make sure the person doesn't take it the wrong way: feel like you're pestering them or they're always slowing you down or that they're constantly pressured to "catch up"...

with my current girlfriend who is a STRONG cyclist, on the road she just has to draft me and we go the same speed. on big climbs i sometimes ride to the top and then head back down to her and then ride the remainder with her a 2nd time (usually not long!). for our upcoming 2-person 8-day MTB stage race in July, i will be using a bungie cord to allow the 2 of us to go our maximum speed... but the bungie cord takes a LOT of practice and trust - a tandem is better.

definitely offer to carry all gear other than essentials (fix kit, water, etc) to minimize the slower rider's weight. (i.e. carry the lunch or the rain gear or whatever - of course, only if stay together)

Thanks for the ideas. We cycled again and we kept together most of the time enjoying the company. A couple of times I found a convenient hill and sprinted up it a couple of times just for fun :)

Oh and I carried most of the weight, but next time will offer to carry it all!

Thanks for the ideas. We cycled again and we kept together most of the time enjoying the company. A couple of times I found a convenient hill and sprinted up it a couple of times just for fun :)

Oh and I carried most of the weight, but next time will offer to carry it all!One more thing that I don't remember anyone mentioning. . .

My wife and kids are a lot slower than I, AND they do not want to ride as long. Before a family bike ride I go out alone for a good, long workout. When I return for the family ride, it's a nice “cool down” for me. That way it's the right speed and length for all of us.

To solve this problem, my husband will get up early and hammer on a quick ride up one of our local climbs and then return for my daughter and I. Or he will arrange his training so that we ride together on an acitive recovery day, like on a sunday after he has had a race or long ride on saturday. Personally I don't like him circling, I might as well go by my self, so I prefer to ride with him on his recovery days. Or the guy should ride a heavy mountain bike or pull the Burley trailer and the woman gets to ride a real nice fast road bike. (This doesn't work if you are primarily mountain bikers of course)

Get her a really good bike, and let her quite her day job. Worked for my fiance' and I. :)