Commuting - Group rides, and new commute. How do you know if you can do it?

I just shared a group ride for the new town I've moved to in the regional section. There are tons of bicycles here (well, tons to me, I'm very excited) and I've seen what looks like a lot of Multi-Use Paths (MUPs). The group ride was posted on Facebook HERE (http://www.facebook.com/events/410258939025010/).


This year we have 2 Group Options for this weekly ROAD BIKE RIDE, both groups will roll out together from Left Hand Brewery on Boston Avenue - Roll out at 5.30PM Sharp.
OPTION 1: This group will be at a medium pace (15 to 18mph average - slower on Greenway, faster on roads), and will cover 20+ miles, best suited for Road bikes, and people with experience riding on the road with traffic.
OPTION 2: This group will be at a slower pace (12 to 15mph average), and will generally cover 20+/- miles too, time & pace permitting. This group will be suitable for Road and Hybrid bikes.
Both Rides will be a "NO DROP", we will try to keep everyone together, but in the event some are faster/slower, we will stop and re-group at intervals

My concern is that i have no idea if I could do this even if I wanted to. Related to this is curiosity if I can manage a commute slightly shorter than this ride.

Previously I was commuting 3.5 and then 4 miles 4 times a day to total 16 miles in a day. Occasionally I would add another trip onto that to haul something, but usually it was just the commute back and forth to work. Pretty flat terrain, but often a headwind going to work.
I drive a school bus and have moved, which means that except for a trip to the DMV last Friday, I haven't ridden for a little over a month now. I've just begun training classes for my new district and the location is 15 miles away. Our car is seriously damaged, limping around in 2nd gear with a broken transmission. The other car in my husband's gas-eating Camaro which I currently don't know how to drive.

Is it feasible for me to take my bike to work on the back of the car (ok maybe not the camaro with its spoiler, but somehow) and then ride it home instead of requiring my husband to come and get me? It would be during a hotter part of the day, leaving at 3:30pm. I'm also uncertain of the actual route, as it has me riding on dirt roads- I'm unfamiliar with that type of riding although I'm sure my bike would be fine. I'm concerned with relative safety of doing that.

HERE (https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=13009+County+Road+13,+Longmont,+CO&daddr=4505+Redmond+Dr,+Longmont,+CO&hl=en&ll=40.167593,-105.050583&spn=0.177088,0.363579&sll=40.169695,-105.05166&sspn=0.177083,0.363579&geocode=FepAZQIdO7e--SmjATZNggZshzGeLADU1SbIyw%3BFdygZAIdFma7-SmTEtuwT_prhzFaTfrkdtBUfQ&dirflg=b&mra=ltm&t=m&z=12&lci=bike) is a link to the Googlemap of the route. If anyone from the area could chime in, or if anyone has opinions or advice it is all welcome.

I just shared a group ride for the new town I've moved to in the regional section. There are tons of bicycles here (well, tons to me, I'm very excited) and I've seen what looks like a lot of Multi-Use Paths (MUPs). The group ride was posted on Facebook HERE (http://www.facebook.com/events/410258939025010/).


My concern is that i have no idea if I could do this even if I wanted to. Related to this is curiosity if I can manage a commute slightly shorter than this ride.

Previously I was commuting 3.5 and then 4 miles 4 times a day to total 16 miles in a day. Occasionally I would add another trip onto that to haul something, but usually it was just the commute back and forth to work. Pretty flat terrain, but often a headwind going to work.
I drive a school bus and have moved, which means that except for a trip to the DMV last Friday, I haven't ridden for a little over a month now. I've just begun training classes for my new district and the location is 15 miles away. Our car is seriously damaged, limping around in 2nd gear with a broken transmission. The other car in my husband's gas-eating Camaro which I currently don't know how to drive.

Is it feasible for me to take my bike to work on the back of the car (ok maybe not the camaro with its spoiler, but somehow) and then ride it home instead of requiring my husband to come and get me? It would be during a hotter part of the day, leaving at 3:30pm. I'm also uncertain of the actual route, as it has me riding on dirt roads- I'm unfamiliar with that type of riding although I'm sure my bike would be fine. I'm concerned with relative safety of doing that.

HERE (https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=13009+County+Road+13,+Longmont,+CO&daddr=4505+Redmond+Dr,+Longmont,+CO&hl=en&ll=40.167593,-105.050583&spn=0.177088,0.363579&sll=40.169695,-105.05166&sspn=0.177083,0.363579&geocode=FepAZQIdO7e--SmjATZNggZshzGeLADU1SbIyw%3BFdygZAIdFma7-SmTEtuwT_prhzFaTfrkdtBUfQ&dirflg=b&mra=ltm&t=m&z=12&lci=bike) is a link to the Googlemap of the route. If anyone from the area could chime in, or if anyone has opinions or advice it is all welcome.

With your bike I'd say option 1 is a definite no-go. It sounds like it's a ride intended for people with road bikes and who are relatively fast, - if the average speed they're referring too is for the whole trip.

Option 2, I'd say is a maybe. Again it sort of depends on what they mean by average speed. You could always try it but your bike appears like it was intended for cruising, not going fast.

As far as your commute goes, I think most people can go 15 or 20 miles on a bike without too much trouble as long as they allow themselves enough time and go a pace that's manageable. While your bike isn't exactly ideal for that sort of distance it's very doable.

Yes, you can put that bike on the back of a car but you need a suitable rack. I'm guessing that since you have a car that's limping around in 2nd gear, spending money on new rack may not be practical at this time, but you can always try craigslist.

Good luck !

off topic but thats a cool pic you have of the mower in ya cart

thats a cool pic you have of the mower in ya cart
:D Thanks.


you need a suitable rack
I have a bike rack that fits the black broken car just fine, but this morning that car got low on fuel and so my husband is going to quit tempting transmission-fate and park it. I'm just not sure the bike rack will fit over the spoiler that is on the Camaro though, so that's my only concern there.


Option 2, I'd say is a maybe
I did pretty much take it for granted that Option 2 would be for me, if any. Zoomie Noodles is definitely no zippy road bike, but it's not as slow as a knobby mountain bike either. I can probably keep up a decent pace if there aren't hills? Not sure if I can do that over 20 miles, though.

Any chance of public transport one way, if th public transport allows bikes?

I did pretty much take it for granted that Option 2 would be for me, if any. Zoomie Noodles is definitely no zippy road bike, but it's not as slow as a knobby mountain bike either. I can probably keep up a decent pace if there aren't hills? Not sure if I can do that over 20 miles, though.

What I did before my first group ride is contact the ride leader and ask him about the terrain, told him how fast I typically go and asked if the ride would be a fit for me. He said "Yes", but it definitely was a challenge for me which was fine because that's what I wanted.

You could always do the same.

I did pretty much take it for granted that Option 2 would be for me, if any. Zoomie Noodles is definitely no zippy road bike, but it's not as slow as a knobby mountain bike either. I can probably keep up a decent pace if there aren't hills? Not sure if I can do that over 20 miles, though.

If the longest rides you're doing now are in the 5-10 mile range, the jump to 20 is going to take a toll. When I started commuting, I was riding 2 miles, round trip. I slowly increased by changing routes. I started by adding a 5 mile loop instead of the direct route on the way home (so, 1 mile to metro, 5 miles home). Then I started riding about 7-8 miles each way, riding to a different metro station. Then I did 11 miles each way, riding to yet another metro station. I finally got brave and rode the entire way to work (about 20 miles each way). That first time, I thought I was going to hate myself. My legs started cramping at about mile 15 of the ride home, but I slowed down and soldiered on. I now do that (20 mile each way) ride several times a week without much thought. But if I had jumped straight from 5 miles to 20? I don't think I'd have made it. You're probably younger, fitter and thinner than me, though, so you might be completely fine.

If your commute involves a lot of stopping and starting, then riding longer without stopping and starting will be easier. How much easier and how much farther you can go depends on a lot of things, and you wont know until you try. Asking the ride leader if they think you can handle the ride is a good place to start, attractive enthusiastic women in primarily male activities tend to be cut more slack than us older guys WRT to ability- they may suggest something else for you that you hadn't thought about.

How about a cheap hitch rack for the Camaro. My wife and I did that for our Scion. Was a couple hundred but WAY cheaper than replacing a tranny on a beat up car. He could give you a ride to work, or part way, then you could ride home.

That is exactly what my wife and I do. She'll drop me off at a park near the trail to get to my work and she hops on the freeway to get to her office. I ride in, work, then ride all the way home. About 5 miles in and 11 miles back home. The trick is getting the rack for the Camaro. Either a hitch rack or even one of the strap on ones, you mentioned you had one but didn't mention what type.

That is what I would(did) do.

How about a cheap hitch rack for the Camaro. My wife and I did that for our Scion. Was a couple hundred but WAY cheaper than replacing a tranny on a beat up car. He could give you a ride to work, or part way, then you could ride home.

That is exactly what my wife and I do. She'll drop me off at a park near the trail to get to my work and she hops on the freeway to get to her office. I ride in, work, then ride all the way home. About 5 miles in and 11 miles back home. The trick is getting the rack for the Camaro. Either a hitch rack or even one of the strap on ones, you mentioned you had one but didn't mention what type.

That is what I would(did) do.

A hitch rack is definitely the way to go if you have the funds or can find a good used one. Mixte frames can be a challenge so you'll have to make sure that the rack can accommodate one. Since you have a rack already you've probably figured out how to mount your bike to it. ;)

A hitch rack is definitely the way to go if you have the funds or can find a good used one.

I love mine!

Edit: We got one of these for my wife's bike to fit on the rack. http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Tension-Bicycle-Cross-Bar-Adaptor/dp/B000ELSSZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342549287&sr=8-1&keywords=bike+rack+bar Not sure what the OP is using on which ever rack she has but if she needed one, here it is.

Off-topic, but pertinent: Left Hand Brewery makes a Milk Stout that is delicious. I would quite enjoy a nice ride followed by a few of their beers.



Back on topic: Try the slower paced ride. It may be a bit of a challenge, but it seems that you should have enough of a base under your legs to at least make it through 20 miles. It's nice to have a group of similar individuals to help "push" you past what you think your limits are.

Thanks for all the replies!

I've decided to ask about car-pooling with another trainee, but that may not work. We have a strap-on hitch that we might be able to put around the Camaro tail-fin to let me try biking home. It might take forever and require lots of rest stops, but it's just a bike ride. I'll be sure to drink lots and take it easy.

I don't really know if we can get the trailer hitch installed on the Camaro to be able to haul a bike that way, plus I'd have to find a hitch rack for that option. It would literally have to be free at this point >.<

The good news is that we'll be training in a different spot on both Wednesdays. It's only 3.5 miles away! Guess how I'm getting there tomorrow :D

I got a reply advising me that the ride mentioned above is really for road bikes only, but the guy gave me a link to find out about other rides that are easier. There is a bike night tomorrow, but my twin is coming over for dinner. Maybe next week.

Since you mentioned taking the bike to work with your car, I thought I'd chime in with my latest commuting schedule.

I have my kids part time, which requires me to have a car every Wednesday night, Thursday morning, and every other Friday night and Monday morning. So, the only day of the week I could commute is Tuesday, and every other Monday and Friday. Also, my commute is a bit too much for me to even do round-trip every day of the week since the hills just kill my legs now without rest in between rides.

Now, I commute half way. My schedule is something like this:

Monday: Drive to work, and bring a change of clothes for the week *or* ride round trip (if no kids this weekend).
Tuesday: Drive to work with bike, bike home.
Wednesday: Bike to work, leave bike at work and drive home (pick up kids).
Thursday: Drop off kids, drive to work, bike home.
Friday: Bike to work, drive home (either take bike home or leave it at work).

This is nice because I can push the pace a bit more if I'm only biking one way and don't have to worry about the return trip 8 hours later.

Also, OP having a spoiler doesn't necessarily mean a bike carrier won't fit, many of them will fit around a spoiler.

Well, a co-worker lives in town. Actually, he has acquired 2 passengers as one of our trainees has no car at all. (I'm just broke!) I still would like to try biking home one day at least. I think I'll try to convince my husband that I'm not going to be run off of a dirt road the second I start pedaling, and then see if my co-worker would mind me attaching the bike rack one morning. I'd have to find all the bungees to be able to bring it back home again. Or, I may not succeed and my husband might convince me to be lazy. I dunno. I don't think I'd like to get up early enough to bike TO work, and my headlight is broken, the sun isn't up far enough to chance it. So the rack has to ride home with me.

I'm worried about what will happen when training is over. There are only a few routes open to bid on, which means I'd be on-call, potentially having to go to the far terminal. My co-worker won't be able to chauffeur me around forever (not that I enjoy being dependent).

I think I'll at least need Gatorade to survive the trip. Water doesn't seem to be doing much for my thirst even just sitting in the classroom. I know I have to drink more, though. Do I have to give myself waller-belly constantly in order to be hydrated enough and my body train itself to NOT constantly have to pee? (at least, I'm praying something like that adjustment happens. bathrooms aren't that close together)

"waller-belly":the sensation of having a small ocean wallering around inside your body because your stomach has been turned into a water-balloon