General Cycling Discussion - What is your life situation?

I f requently wonder whether or not our most "hard core" riders are in a personal/family situation which allows them more time to pursue riding than I (and perhaps others) do. So, how about you? What is your personal situation, and how does it impact your riding? Come on now, take this poll!!

Married, great kids, love to ride.

My wife does not ride/can't ride because of severe arthritis.

I get in my rides on the way to my 9-5. (7:45-4:15, actually.) It's a lot more of an adventure than you might think.

If I demand I ride 600-800 miles a month, guess that might be hard core. ? Usually, my fireman like schedule alows me to get in my miles without taking all of the time away from married life. But not now, for time being unfortunately, on day shift.
Getting home about dark, costs me lots of mileage. Because my wife sleeps late on weekends, I can often get back before I am missed. But my mileage for now is not what it usually is or what I demand, in order to get ready for my cross country tour in two years or this fall's tour across Nevada.

Even though my kids are pretty much on their own I still made time for riding. We used this as a family affair whenver my tour was completed. It kept us close, especially, with my brothers kids! All of us looked foward to the day or nightly ride. I could think of no better way to relax. Now as I am rapidly approaching early retirement you can bet that this is what my main focus and pleasure will be! What could be better than getting up every day and knowing you aren't obligated to work and just ride!!!! Anytime --- Anywhere! Ahhhhh1

I'm married, no kids. We do have two dogs, three cats and a chihuahua. I ride as much as my job, my house and my wife allow, which, between you and me, is not enough.

My older sister (a cycling fool if there ever was) is planning a cross-country trek, and while I'd love to join her in the experience, I'm doubtful that I'll ever be able to break away from my everyday life enough to train properly, let alone participate.:cry:

Don't think of me as a malcontent...I just want to bike more, that's all!

We do have two dogs, three cats and a chihuahua
Moose, I always said chihuahuas weren't dogs.......

Marty

I chose "married," even though we are not legally married and, after 15 years, not likely to be. Under Quebec's Code Civil, we are what's known as conjoint. Fortunately, she is also a cyclist. Cool!

And I think I'm pretty hardcore. I do 450-500 km/week in peak season...

Although our kids are grown, there are times when they still restrict my riding. Trying to maintain some of the traditional family unit values means that I feel I have a responsibility to let us celebrate holidays at home. So, the week before Christmas, and a few days scattered throughout the year, I don't ride because I'm doing my best to fulfill my maternal duties. My husband just is not very athletic and has an aversion to sweat, so we don't ride together. If you take the year as a whole, family time probably pushes my weekly average milage down to 70 or 80. I think that is moderate, although some of you would consider it casual. Actually, the time off probably keeps me from overdoing it.

So, what is hardcore?
I bike everyday its not too icey or snowy. I will ride down to 0 F if its nice out--I have only taken the bus 5 times this year. Everyone thinks I'm nuts, though I am usually very comfortable or even too hot. But...I only commute 6 miles a day. Is hardcore diligence or shear volume of miles?

Another one of these polls added the "commuter" category, which I think is a useful distinction. Is someone who rides 130 miles a week, all commuting, "hardcore?" I don't know. I'm sure anybody who races could beat me without breathing hard.

People who train and race and consider themselves "hardcore" would laugh at me using the same label. And I wouldn't want to use it. Yet my total annual miles, the amount of time and attention I give to cycling, and the state of my cycling skills are really not well described as "moderate," either.

Bike commuters are... different.

RichC

I voted, married, moderate and family, which sort of fits.

My step-children are all 18+ but family commitments, both to them and parents does restrict weekend riding. Five cats also require a fair bit of effort ;)

Most of my mileage is commuting.

Richard

Hardcore = Live to ride.

I did a little over 9.000 km last year, and I'll probably do about 12,000 km this year. In season. I clear my weekends for 100 km + rides. I don't race right now, but I'm thinking of entering some time trials this summer and cyclocross in the fall. I like going to watch the local crits and, in the off-season I watch a whle lot of race videos. Right now, we're in the middle of the 2000 Paris-Roubaix. I'm an educator, so I get the summers pretty much to myself, and I like it that way. I don't own a car, nor know how to drive one. My ideal vacation would be two weeks cycling in the Costa Blanca at Christmas. My main use for discretionary income is cycling gear.

I think that's hardcore.

Single, and moderate. (maybe casual?) about 70 miles in a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. I have more time to ride then anyone else I bet, with a family it is hard to keep up with something like cycling.

so I guess I could be hardcore if I wanted to (have the time) I just have not made that decision. ;)

The truth: single, retired, lonely, lazy, "maybe someday I'll get back to cycling regularly."

The acceptable version: single, retired, wise, experienced, just rarin' to cycle.

I rarely ever go on "leisure" rides, but as a year around commuter, I put 50 miles a week riding to and from work. Along with errands, I ride a total of ~75 miles a week.

In the poll, I voted single (live-in GF), moderate rider. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I would hardly say riding 5 miles to work in 0 degree temps is "moderate", but I certainly don't put big miles on the bike.

Who is more "hardcore"? The guy riding his bike to the grocery store in the rain, or the guy heading for the black diamond trailhead with the bike strapped to the car?

Originally posted by Steele-Bike
Who is more "hardcore"? The guy riding his bike to the grocery store in the rain, or the guy heading for the black diamond trailhead with the bike strapped to the car?
Depends on whether the guy's driving the car, or pedaling the bike! :)

Originally posted by lotek

Moose, I always said chihuahuas weren't dogs.......

Marty

To call a chihuahua a dog is an insult to the chihuahua. ;)

I'm married and have two kids. Moderate didn't seem like a strong enough word for the amount of time I spend riding and training so I voted hard core. Velocipedio said hard core=live to ride, and that pretty well sums it up for me.

Originally posted by Moose


To call a chihuahua a dog is an insult to the chihuahua. ;)
¡Olé! (Yip, yip)

Originally posted by Steele-Bike


Who is more "hardcore"? The guy riding his bike to the grocery store in the rain, or the guy heading for the black diamond trailhead with the bike strapped to the car?

I agree with you totally...I have not decided yet how to vote on this one. I do all kinds of riding, road, errands(grocery store and such) leisure mountain and I even raced my mountain bike last year. I have been known to ride my 30+ pound mountain bike 15 miles to the trail head and ride for a couple of hours then ride home. I would think that is "hardcore" BUT I don't do that every week so maybe I am just moderate. SOme days I don't ride at all.

The way I look at is "I just ride to ride" Long, short, hills, flat, 10 miles or 100 miles, ITS ALL ABOUT THE RIDE...
I am single BTW with 2 dogs and a cat! Let me ponder the answer and I will vote later.:thumbup:

I never saw the voting part of it till just now. Shows how observant I am after about a century on the Bike Forums.

So I voted "moderate" because I don't have a car with a bike rack, so how can I be casual? And I do use my bikes to go to the library, grocery store, lunch, etc. when I'm in riding mode. Or mood. And USED to take longer rides on weekends. But everyday's a weekend now and it's very confusing.... :confused:

Married almost 29 years, two teenage sons. I do most of my recreational cycling at daybreak on weekend mornings, and most of my transportation cycling at lunchtime or commuting to/from work. I have taken son #1 mountain biking a few times and need to do so more often.

I miss my weekdays off. They are mine, for my use. I have an overtime day to work on Saturday. Friday I have to wait at the house for appliance service. Of course they will only give you a six hour window, and if you miss you are charged.
I like to get 600 miles and now I will be lucky to get 300. Inside I am fuming. And to think today, Sunday I spent all afternoon working in the yard; only to loose my Friday. That is just life screwing around with my priorities.
Sometimes in the past - to think, I was not bothered by car serviceing- mean't I could commute to work.

I am married and a moderate rider. Usually do most of my riding in the summer and fall. Got a baby boy on the way and look forward to taking him on rides ands teaching him the benefits of riding.

Hi,

Married, three kiddies, and I ride about 150 km/week. Hopefully, once I get the kiddie boom for our tandem, this will increase, as well as when it quits getting frosty in the mornings!

Light in the evenings...what a concept!

cheers,
tt

I'm married (26 years this August) and have a family of three children and a parakeet. My oldest son is on his own, my middle child (son) is attending college and my daughter is still in High School. I ride as much as possible. I commute to work at least 3-4 times a week during the better midwestern weather (I do ride in the rain/sleet, but prefer not to). I ride after work twice a week from April til October (25-40 miles each night with the bike club) and on Saturday mornings early if possible (before the rest of the family is up) and on Sunday mornings with the local bike club (40-80 miles). I guess I would be considered dedicated (is that the same as hardcore?). I spend my afternoons doing things with the family and mowing the lawn, washing cars, raking, dusting, fixing the house repairs, etc.

I have lots of bikes (Litespeed - road, C-dale MTB, C-dale tandem and fixed gear Trek for commuting). I will note that I have the world's most understanding and supportive spouse. She actually loves it that I ride and stay in shape and healthy (except for the collarbone break and road rash now and again). She rides on occasion on the tandem and her hybrid bike and understands the fascination with the cycling world. I do make scheduling compromises in order to spend time with her and the kids and household chores, etc. I'm know by all my friends and relatives as a "cyclist" so I guess it is part of me and hopefully I'll still be riding like some of the old guys in the club (80 plus years old - how cool is that?) someday.

widowed, single parent.

since my daughter is now in high school and i'm working part-time i get to ride quite a bit though. :)

I am single (with bf of nearly a year) and voted 'casual rider', mostly because of the weather and since it gets dark early now. I consider myself to be moving into the 'moderate' category though. D@mn it feels good to be getting in shape! :D

Well I finally voted...I went with single and moderate. It doesn't matter anyway, just ride and enjoy it. I took off 3 1/2 weeks because of a chainsaw accident to the hand, ( darned ol ice storm) but now I am finally back on the bike and ready for summer to be here.

Originally posted by midwestmntnbkr
I took off 3 1/2 weeks because of a chainsaw accident to the hand, ( darned ol ice storm) but now I am finally back on the bike and ready for summer to be here.
OUCH! What part of Kansas City do you live in? I live in historic crime-saturated Northeast! :D

Originally posted by JonR

OUCH! What part of Kansas City do you live in? I live in historic crime-saturated Northeast! :D

I live in south K.C. by the stadiums...it's full of crime too.
I think all of the city is.

Originally posted by midwestmntnbkr


I live in south K.C. by the stadiums...it's full of crime too.
I think all of the city is.

That's why we need to learn to pedal fast. :eek:

Stand by for a little childless-person grouchiness here:

I voted married with family, moderate rider, and I take issue with the categories, not as many of you do because of the vagueness of what defines "moderate," "casual," and "hardcore," but because of that "with family" business.

We have no children, but do not my husband and I constitute a family, even without offspring? I've had just about all I can stand of advertising and news media that define "family" as necessarily meaning "with children." We shouldn't just accept media- and commercially-generated definitions without examining them. As a pertinent analogy, think about news items--and we've all seen them--that tend to cast cyclists as fanatics and bicycles as toys that should be relegated to trails and sidewalks.

OK, rant over. I feel much better now.
--JJ

and I take issue with the categories, not as many of you do because of the vagueness of what defines "moderate," "casual," and "hardcore," but because of that "with family" business.

All right, JuJu, then write your OWN darned poll.

Without cross tabulation available it is very difficult to write a poll to try to define characteristics and detect trends.

The initial premise was that we have a number of very "gung ho" riders who are very into training, HRM results, etc. I was attempting to discern whether or not there is a difference in the ability or opportunity to do those things based on marital and family status. Given one's pursuit of these questions, I know of no other way to do this. Also, probably the best way to define "hardcore," "moderate," and "casual" is self-identification. NO ONE is going to be able to come up with a set of criteria with agreement by everyone. That in itself would be a major research task.

So, get back in bed and get out on the other side and have a great day!!

What little big man said, but sans arthritis.

Certainly a wife and husband, or a person and partner, constitute a family, with or without children. My great friend David, who died in August 2000, had a family consisting of two cats that he was surely as close to as many parents are to their children (and closer than a lot). He tried to get the cats listed as dependents at one point and the government clerk he spoke to was truly sympathetic but unable to oblige.

Denver Fox, this is a good poll, don't be upset! It's just that almost any poll (take a look at the hundreds of them on the Web) leaves something to be desired, as you yourself noted. To touch all the bases you'd have to create a poll so long it would keep many from wanting to respond, and so intricate it would be almost impossible to tabulate meaningfully.

I've lived all my life with polls I couldn't respond to because they assume all the respondents are heterosexual, or theist, or have cars, or any number of other criteria that I don't meet. Sometimes it makes me mad, because they could easily have put one more category in that would have suited hundreds of thousands of people. But often I know they're just doing the best they know how to do.

In such a case, I just ignore the poll.

The scary thing is, so many business and POLITICAL decisions are made on the basis of flawed polling.

The data so far indicate the following:

For "Hard Core" Riders

37% of the 19 responding "single" identified themselves as "hard core"

32% of the 19 responding "married" identified themselves as "hard core"

20% of the 25 responding "married with family" identified themselves as "hard core"

There were 5 identifying themselves as "casual" across all categories

There were 6 for whom the survey had no categories.

Make of that what you will!! :D

(I am not into politically correct, sorry)

.

Married, w/four kids and a grandson, loves to ride everytime, I can!!!! :D :D

Originally posted by DnvrFox


So, get back in bed and get out on the other side and have a great day!!

Jeez, I think I mentioned at the outset that I KNEW I was going to get grouchy, and I hoped that would let everyone know that I knew that I might be a little offputting.

Did I say anywhere that I thought the whole poll was bad? I don't think so. I just wanted to point out a flaw that no one seemed to have noticed. Isn't that one of the purposes of these forums--learning from each other and/or learning to see things from another point of view (not necessarily political correctness)?

I DO apologize if I tried to engage that purpose in an especially abrasive way, DnvrFox. I generally agree with what you say in most of your posts, and I didn't mean to offend, you or anybody else.

Cheers!
--JJ

Jeez, I think I mentioned at the outset that I KNEW I was going to get grouchy, and I hoped that would let everyone know that I knew that I might be a little offputting.

Perhaps you might want to wait until the grouch period subsides??

My thought is that polls are supposed to be sort of a fun experience - you know, try out different things, etc. Not a college-level thesis or research report??

My life situation ?
I have a job I LOVE, partly because it allows me to cycle often, and if I'm working away from home, I can usually get a ride in wherever I am.
Single, with two children out of high school, and living with there mom.

I'd say I'm very fortunate... and I give thanks EVERYDAY to the cycling Gods.:love: :roflmao: