General Cycling Discussion - Poll: Least amount of time you will ride your bike for..........

I find myself wanting to ride my bike all the time, but like anything else I have limited time and won't do certain activities unless I know I am going to get so much time to do it. I personally won't get the bike out and throw the shorts on and get prepped for a ride unless I know I have more than 45 minutes to ride. It just seems like anything less and I spend more time getting ready for the ride than actually riding and that time could probably be spent better doing something else. So my question is this, what is the least amount of time you will go riding for?

1. Less than 15 minutes
2. 16-30 minutes
3. 31-45 minutes
4. An hour or more

I hop on my bikes in street shoes and civilian clothes all the time. In fact, sometimes I toss a bike on the rack, drive to a free spot near campus and then bike from there!

My commute can be as short as 8 minutes, or more than 40, depending on which way I decide to go. I've ridden to the corner store, less than half a mile away.

If I decide I need to go somewhere, and want to pedal there, I do it.

31 min is enough for me to register "ok, at least I went for a ride"

I'll frequently do just under an hour but I really prefer 4-6 hours. :D

If I can walk there in 5 minutes, I usually don't ride.

Less than 1 min.
I live in a condo and will ride from my door to the utility/storage area. 200ft or so. Walking is just so slow...

Tonight I rode 1.7 miles to pick up Chinese food. I'd bike for anything over like 6ish blocks, depending on the circumstances...less than that and walking is probably just as efficient.

I hop on the bike to go to the mailbox just a couple blocks away. Prep time is the same as walking - have to put on a pair of shoes either way. So I'd rather ride and save a few minutes.

I have a back up bike just for short rides. I took the truck in to have the Diff. Checked and refilled Tuesday and rode the bike to pick it up later that day. 8 minutes is all it took.

Anything over 200 feet, I'm riding my bike. If it's going to be over an hour long, I'll consider putting on cycling clothes.

I'll go for a ride of a couple minutes if I'm testing a new bicycle or new setup.

But if I'm going to go to all the trouble of putting on cycling attire, I'd kind of like to be out for an hour or so.

You should ride whenever you want. As long or as short as you want. Don't let the prep dictate the ride. Hop on in civillian clothes and just enjoy the ride. Don't make it a job. Riding should be fun.

As a few of you mentioned 31 minutes registers as a real ride or if its an hour or more Ill put on cycling clothes. That is more of what I was getting at, sorry for the confusion. Like most of you I will hop on the beater commuter bike for short runs in street clothes. In fact I often bike to my parents house that is a block away just so I dont have to walk. But again I was looking for how much time you need before considering a pleasure/exercise/training/serious ride that requires cycling gear, water, possibly nutrition, and maybe a shower afterwords. Hopefully this helps clarify what I was asking.

As a few of you mentioned 31 minutes registers as a real ride or if its an hour or more Ill put on cycling clothes. That is more of what I was getting at, sorry for the confusion. Like most of you I will hop on the beater commuter bike for short runs in street clothes.
People are very different. It is not a plausible assumption that most of "us" have a "beater" commuter bike and (presumably) a "real" racing bike. Many people just have a bike that they use for transportation.




In fact I often bike to my parents house that is a block away just so I dont have to walk. But again I was looking for how much time you need before considering a pleasure/exercise/training/serious ride that requires cycling gear, water, possibly nutrition, and maybe a shower afterwords. Hopefully this helps clarify what I was asking.
I don't think that you ever need cycling specific gear outside of certain organized rides. As long as you keep in mind that you might be cycling in these clothes. I.e., there is a lot of normal underwear you can wear and cycle in all day. But cotton fruit of the loom tighty whiteys aren't among them.

But I'll usually take a sandwich if I'm going out for two hours or more..

I will ride a bike a block to pick up a carton of smokes and a 12-pack, what are you getting at?

31-45 minutes minimum. I ride for entertainment. (and exercise) If I don't come back tired, I don't feel like I've done anything.

31-45 minutes minimum. I ride for entertainment. (and exercise) If I don't come back tired, I don't feel like I've done anything.

Thanks this is the kind of thing I was looking for. I feel the same way if I am going to be riding for that amount of time I push it harder and try to go faster so that I feel like I still got a workout.

My bikes are my main means of transport, as well as being recreational. If I am going out training or for a long ride, I'll put on the full kit to be comfortable and will be out there from anything from 45 minutes to six hours. But I use bikes to go to the shops, to visit friends, to go out in the evenings. In those cases I'll be in ordinary clothes and the journey could be anything from five minutes up. And I tour. Sometimes I tour in cycling kit, sometimes in street clothes. Those journeys can last weeks.

But again I was looking for how much time you need before considering a pleasure/exercise/training/serious ride that requires cycling gear, water, possibly nutrition, and maybe a shower afterwords. Hopefully this helps clarify what I was asking.

I take cycling gear and water on most of my rides, long or short ... but nutrition becomes a factor around 2 hours ... and a shower afterward becomes a possiblity after maybe 6 hours, especially if the weather is hot or cold.

I personally won't get the bike out and throw the shorts on and get prepped for a ride unless I know I have more than 45 minutes to ride. It just seems like anything less and I spend more time getting ready for the ride than actually riding ...

Understand that concern completely. It's a pita to pull all that stuff together.

I've been known to just hop on and ride just wearing my jeans and t-shirt. I do a lot of casual riding that way.

If its a short ride I just put on some shoes and ride in whatever I happen to wearing. No distance is too short to cycle. If I'm going to ride more than 30 minutes I'll get all dressed up.

Anything over 200 feet, I'm riding my bike. If it's going to be over an hour long, I'll consider putting on cycling clothes.

This exactly. I'll hop on my bike just to ride down my driveway to grab the mail. I've even just ridden circles in my garage for a few minutes.

All my rides are between 5 city blocks and 320 km.

At times I just need to get out and ride which usually ends up being longer than I plan to. No preps, get my bike and head out which at the time I'm often wearing boardies, plain shirt and thongs. I''ll prepare myself when I know I'm out for an hour+ ride.

I spend at least ten minutes on my bike every day. Every day. Sometimes just hopping, rocking and trackstanding in the driveway. I also ride 45-50 minutes to work three or four times a week. I just have to get on some bike every day. I love it.