WonderMonkey

I ride at lunch for exercise. I've worked my way up recently to doing 10 miles every other day. Actually I've just done it once (my last outing) but will be the distance I go on MWF for a while. I found that the time it takes for me to go this 10 miles is just about right for me to leave my cube, change, stretch a bit, check air pressure, do the distance, get back, cleanup and get back to my desk on an extended lunch break.

I ride a mtn bike frame with town and country tires (smooth, tread is indented, not sure what to call them) and this 10 miles really kicks my tail. I try to ride it as fast as my conditioning allows so as my legs can handle a distance I just ride it faster the next time.

Any lunch time exercisers here?

Farleybob

I have been thinking of doing this once the weather cooperates..........another dusting of snow last night! I have three kids to pickup after work, so commuting is not an option, and it can get too late by the time we get home and get supper to get an evening ride in. I seem to only be able to ride on weekends right now. I need to squeeze in more riding time.

jyossarian

I did this a couple times the last couple summers by going to Central Park and riding a loop, but I'd get all sweaty in my work clothes and eventually it became a lunchtime ride to the park to lay in the grass and eat salty pretzels and hotdogs. Can't wait to do it again.

lil brown bat

No lunchtime workout -- I'm a commuter instead, about 10 miles each way. Lots of fun!

BigUgly

I haven't started it yet this year but last summer I was riding once or twice a week at lunch time. I have a 16 mile loop I would do. I am on flex time so I adjust my work schedule accordingly for the extra lunch time I am out riding. I can't extend my work day yet because the kids got me running all over creation after work to their stuff. I am hoping to get out tomorrow because the Thursday activities have been canceled this week. I used to do this loop on a hybrid and now am looking forward to see how fast I can go on my new roadie!!

Fishrising

Can't do the commuting thing, though I would love to. I've got to either drop off both kids at daycare, or pickup them up, or both. So, communiting doesn't work. I could do the trailer thing, but I don't trust the drivers on the roads I would have to ride on with the kids in tow.

So, the lunchtime ride it is. Today was my first of the season, a 51*f ride:

Left my desk at 11:00am, and went to the locker room and got changed.

Then went to my car, got my bike and began riding.

Returned to my car, put my bike away, and read my bike computer and heart rate monitor.

I rode 13.28 miles in 0:47:43, with a max speed of 31.5mph, average speed of 16.7mph, max cadence of 110rpm, average cadence of 83rpm, average heart rate of 173, peak heart rate of 187, and supposedly burned 1599 calories.

Then walked to the locker room and took a shower. Checked my height and weight, still 6'7" and now down to 262 pounds from over 280 back in February. Then straight to the cafe to pick up lunch.

And was back at my desk, eating and working by 12:45pm.

So, all in, it was a 1 hour 45 minute deal. A bit longer than the typical hour lunch, but I am lucky that I can make up the extra time.

WonderMonkey

Those are some of the reasons why I ride during lunch. Kid's activities, this and that and on and on and before you know it it's time to go to bed.

WonderMonkey

I JUST got back from a lunch ride and read about pretzels and hotdogs? What are you trying to do to me?

I am very fortunate in that my company has a locker room and a workout area (few treadmills, etc). I have a place to change and shower on the warmer days.

WonderMonkey

I think mine is about 12 miles. Kid's activities right after work prevent commuting but there will be some days that I can sneak it in.

WonderMonkey

Very similar to how I have it except I don't have the electronics. What are using for all that?

Fishrising

I'm using a Cat Eye Double Wireless (CC-CD300DW) for the bike data and a Timex Ironman Triathlon Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (T5C411) for my heart data, and then track it all in a spreadsheet.

jhcore

When it gets warmer/less windy here, I'll definitely head out for some proper lunchtime rides. As it is, my lunchtime rides consist of pretty basic errands. Today, I had to leave work, run out to the bank and the pharmacy. That jaunt netted me a whopping 1 mile.

jyossarian

Just came back from Central Park. In honor of spring and the expected rain tonight and tomorrow, I took the fenders off my bike and rode around Central Park, trading the pretzels and hot dogs for Strawberry Field and frolicking dogs. It's gonna be a great spring/summer.

Alasdair

90-95% of my miles are on lunch rides. I try to ride about 3 times a week, depending in weather. We have a good 5-8 guys that ride. I started with about 8 miles but now regularly get 15-18 miles in at lunch... I am much faster than I used to be, if not much lighter!

WonderMonkey

I'm hoping to get that way as well. Right now 10 miles is pushing it. Not sure how far I can go on a mtn bike frame though.

PhotoByMark

Right now I work from home and do this 10 mile to ride to check the mail @ our country post office. Lunch time is a great time time to ride as there are very very few cars on the roads. Sometimes I do not see a car the whole ride. As a plus there are few decent hills to climb. I might even extend the ride by 5 miles and hit some hills that are a little (did I say little, I mean way more!) challenging for me. I suck on the hills but slowly getting better at them.

Alasdair

I started on a Huffy mtn bike (while weighing in at ~270lbs) riding with some friends who had roadies. I was suffering and getting discouraged. Then one of my buddies bought his wife a hybrid. We affectionately called it the "Chick Bike". He had it at work in his truck and offered to let me try it. Wow! I could near fly in comparison to the mtn bike. I then stepped up to the now infamous GMC Walmart bike. $150, but I had a Walmart gift card with $200 on it from my 15 year work anniversary gift. It was junk, but I didn't realize it. It did ensure that I KNEW I was hooked. I have since upgraded to a Fuji Team Pro and replaced the crappy Shimano wheels with some FSA's. I am now ~250lbs, but I have lost some fat and gained muscle. I really need to eat better, but I am a junkie.
Check out yard sales and such for a decent road bike. You'll be surprised how well you can do.

racethenation

I started out in January of this year on a 10 speed Huffy mountain bike. It is not fast, but it does a great job of burning calories. My first ride in January was 4 miles, with 50 miles for the month. Last week I rode 50 miles with a 25 mile ride on Sunday. It will just make me appreciate the road bike that much more when I finally get one.

WonderMonkey

If I ride consistently this whole summer I might get a road bike for the exercise benefits. My mtn bike is a Cannondale so it is of decent quality. However no matter what brand or quality it is still a mtn bike and not as efficient as a road bike. I'm wondering what the real difference is besides the same effort getting you a higher speed? I don't really care how far or fast I go, I just want a good workout. If I put xx amount of effort into a mtn bike and xx amount of effort into a road bike will I get a better workout?

PhotoByMark

Wife and I road rode our mountain bikes all last year and were doing some 30-40 miles rides on them. Then this year we got a couple hybrids. Now we are spoiled and prefer the hybrids. But sometimes we do ride the mountain bikes for 20-30 miles. It is kind of nice being able to go off the road, and slam over pot holes etc.... Anyway we are spoiled now.

To answer your question : I would say u can get an equal work-out either way. If you concerned about time and speed and that kind of stuff - you are gonna see a noticeable difference between the 2. Our avg ride speed increased immediately by 2-4 mph and it became much easier to travel the same distance.

el5y

I try to get out and ride at lunch at least twice a week. I'm hoping to gather together some more people from my office as I know there are plenty of cyclist in my company. (One woman is training for an Ironman, another for a Half Ironman, then a handful of others who have done triathlons, cycling events, etc so I'm sure I can muster up some support) We usually try to get in 15 miles and be away from the desks for about an hour and a half.

I've also started commuting to work since its getting nicer out. Heck last week alone I put in 100 miles M-F and another 100 on the weekends with my brother.

I'm trying to follow in his footsteps of losing weight and getting really fit. He's 5'6" and gone from 240 down to 165 in the 2 years of cycling and eating right. Now its my turn. 6', 225 hope to get just down to 200. I've found that cycling during lunch though makes me hungrier for the junk food but as long as its not in front of me I'm good

Eric

WonderMonkey

I'm like that as well, being a pig and all. If I can remember to take in a ziplock of veggies I can take care of that urge.

Alasdair

For me, I was riding with a group (who were roadies) and I couldn't keep pace with the slowest of them on my mtn bike. I knew I wouldn't keep riding if it was always by myself. One big difference between a mtn bike and a road bike is the gearing - on a road bike, you usually have much higher gearing, which means that you can mash more and a slower cadence. For me, my legs were (and are) stronger than my lungs. I am getting better at spinning, but still am a masher at heart.

ScrubJ

I ride at least four days of the week during my lunch hour. Due to the fact I'm stuck in "city" traffic, I can only manage 11 miles in th 40 minutes I give myself to ride(have to change and all that).

I've been doing this for about three years now and have managed to put about 3500 miles on my Trek 7.3FX in that time.