Commuting - FitnessChick

Bicycling magazine's FitnessChick says:

"Commuting is the real secret to super fitness. Riding twice a day keeps your metabolism higher, so your burn more calories...

"Bike commuters get more rides in than the rest of us. And you'll even save time overall--although it takes you longer to get between home and work, you don't need to cram in rides in the morning or after work."

(April 2002 issue, pg. 89)

I like the way that gal thinks.

yeah, i totally agree... thus i've been bike commuting for 7 years now with only 9 months break when i had to work 60 miles away for a job in '97...

when you're too busy to train (work, personal, whatever), you still get time on the bike.

when the weather sucks and it's rainy or cold you still get time on the bike. and in winter it makes a great base when most people don't ride much (OK, depends where you live)

then when i am training and racing, it's a great supplement to my scheduled training... recently i've been trying different techniques -- like yesterday i rode for recovery after a big race in really low gears with really hgigh cadence. unless you're near-pro and have time to train 3-5 hours per day then commuting is a secret way to really increase your training time during the week w/o sacraficing everything else in your life - i get 1hr/day on the bike just from commuting -- and sometimes i just extend the rides a little if i'm short on time and get a better workout with almost no time cost from my day...

It seems to me that Fitness Chick should change her nickname to Dr. Obvious :rolleyes:

:beer:

Unfortunately, most members of our society do find this obvious advice obvious.

I guess that they need to get that fact into a couple newspapers. Anybody who is reading that article in Bicycling probably already knows it. :beer:

Originally posted by LittleBigMan
Bicycling magazine's FitnessChick says:
"Commuting is the real secret to super fitness. Riding twice a day keeps your metabolism higher, so your burn more calories...


It's too bad the magazine she writes for then goes on to pretty much ignore bike commuting. When was the last time you saw a review of panniers or racks -- or even of touring bikes, 'cross bikes, hybrids or other commuter-friendly machines -- in there?

RichC

Originally posted by Rich Clark


It's too bad the magazine she writes for then goes on to pretty much ignore bike commuting. When was the last time you saw a review of panniers or racks -- or even of touring bikes, 'cross bikes, hybrids or other commuter-friendly machines -- in there?

RichC

How true that is. The magazine is a joke. A big advertising rag if there ever was one. They haven't learned their lessons yet. I prefer the Brit mags when I can afford them. At least they pay attention to more segments of bike society rather than the latest new carbon-fiber something-or-other that you just gotta' have. All magazines have to have advertising but when the articles become a big advertisment then it is time to move on.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Could you name a couple of your favourite British Cycling Mags?

:beer:

I get tired of people badmouthing cycling magazines. These magazines are OK - its just that you cant expect to get 10% of the joy out of reading a magazine, as you can from riding a bicycle.

Originally posted by Spire
Could you name a couple of your favourite British Cycling Mags?

:beer:

Cycling Plus makes me envy the British. It may be the only thing that does. :p

Unfortunately, an annual US subscription is very pricey, and they cover a lot of gear not readily available over here. So it tends to be a "read while sipping coffee at Borders" sort of magazine for me.

RichC

I was at the opticians, I saw a french mag but sadly I cannot remember its name. The issue that I saw had prices and ratings with photos for LOTS of bikes.

I'll admit it is hard to relate to some of the articles in the British bike mags when you live in the U.S., but the reviews are good, the layout is good and writing is refreshing.

CyclingPlus (http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk/) comes to mind and there is the more racing oriented mag that is edited by Phil Liggett, Cycle Sport (http://www.cyclesportmag.com/)


They do talk a lot more about cycling as a whole and all the different types of riding that people can do rather than making each issue an advertorial like Bicycling. How many times are they are going to run an article about "How to train for your first century" blah, blah, blah. Or two pages of new products with some lame copy. Same soup warmed over. Conversely, Cycling Plus had a recent article on how to build your own city/commuter bike from spare parts and a mountain bike frame. They also have neato maps for trips (of course I can't use those since I don't live there). They are fun to read and hold on to for a future visit.

Bicycling magazine has it made since they are about the only roadie magazine left. Too bad they are so complacent and play everything up to their advertisers. Also their layout if over-the-top and looks like a MTV ad or Wired Magazine. Ad placement is necessary to make the magazine run, but how about some articles with some real meat inbetween the two page ad spreads.

I do read more bike mags in the winter because to paraphrase AndrewP "riding is more fun than reading about it".