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Why do you ride?

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Why do you ride?

Old 09-14-07, 07:39 AM
  #51  
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Because chicks never asked to feel my "bus legs"...
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Old 09-14-07, 08:13 AM
  #52  
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So simple and yet so profound a question?

I ride simply because I love being on a bike!

I love going fast, I love riding on the edge of my physical
limits....and actually, for as big as I am, I like climbing...slow
gradual climbs are awesome....feeling my heart beating hard , but
not too hard...

I love riding with friends ... chatting ... while going 17-18 mph ...

I prefer doing "organized" centuries as they provide a great opportunity to meet
new friends and talk about our bike gear and such....

I'll be doing the Seagull century on Oct.6th and I just can't wait!
There's nothing like riding on quiet back roads and seeing nothing but hordes of
cyclists ... passing them and being passed ...exchanging friendly conversation ...

My commute is getting kind of old ... it's really taking a LOT of time out of my day and
I'm becoming more and more fatigued.....I'm going to cut it down from 54mi r/t to 20mi r/t by
driving to a designated spot along the way and commuting from there ... and then back again
after work...maybe my enthusiasm will return..
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Old 09-14-07, 08:53 AM
  #53  
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I used to love it as a kid, I saw it as the ultimate freedom, the ability to go anywhere on my own under my own power. I used to ride the bus home from school then immediately hop on my bike and ride all over town, even going way past the school I had just ridden a bus home from. Then for some reason I forgot all about my love of bicycling when I turned 17 and got my license. Then for the next aggravating 6 years, I went through 6 lemon cars, always needing repairs and breaking down on me at the worst times, getting into a few accidents, hitting deer, etc. I started riding again this past year when I got a job a couple miles away and wanted to get there fast, and I still didn't have a working car. It didn't take long for me to realize that I never really needed a car in the first place, and that I absolutely LOVED riding a bicycle again. Now I am a hardcore addict, collecting bikes, and spending way too much time on this forum at work, then spending maybe way too much time on the road after work. I almost wish I lived farther away from the office so that I had a longer commute. But at most it takes me ten minutes and I am home, and I have to keep going past my house and around the block for a while before I am really satisfied. I see all the other benefits as happy side effects. I'm saving a lot of money (besides always wanting to pick up new bikes/accessories), doing my part for the environment/natural resources, feeling great and healthy, I've lost the 20 pounds I put on in college and then some... But none of that really matters, that's not why I do it. I do it simply because I love to ride.
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Old 09-14-07, 08:58 AM
  #54  
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pure hedonism.

(sure, there are other reasons, but why get into them.)
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Old 09-14-07, 09:18 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by ax0n
* The looks I get from my cow-orkers as I walk in carrying a helmet and panniers

Guess you work on a farm then

I ride for all the mentioned reasons. Mostly for the finances (I don't want to buy a second car), the exercise is great too and it only takes me 10-15 minutes longer each way by bike.

I've been known to take a certain route after work where I know cars pile up behind two successive red lights (there's just no way to make 2 in a row here) and zoom by in the bike lane smiling all the way
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Old 09-14-07, 09:23 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by 1ply
Guess you work on a farm then
All the orkers(oinkers?) at his office are fat as cows?

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Old 09-14-07, 09:56 AM
  #57  
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I ride so that when I'm in my 50s and 60s I don't look like a giant pear. I've found cycling to be one of the few sports I can enjoy over and over again. I used to go to the gym but that gets old rather quickly and eventually I just stop going. Cycling is something I loved when I was a kid, it gave me a certain freedom and I've always loved that feeling. I still feel it when I get on the bike to this day. It's liberating not being strapped into a cage every morning sitting in traffic with the rest of the herd.
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Old 09-14-07, 10:20 AM
  #58  
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"...I mean there is no real pleasure about it..."

Only ride when I want to, I drive 90% of the time. Only ride because I like to, and enjoy it. If it's too cold, too hot, too windy or I get up too late, I drive. If I can't thoroughly enjoy the ride, I don't bother. No sifting, clips or helmet, just a leasurely pace on my "granny bike".
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Old 09-14-07, 10:43 AM
  #59  
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I got on my bike this morning and I was singing "Bicycle Race" by Queen:

"I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride my bike,
I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride it where I like"

I did get some funny looks from the people at a bus stop. But I kept on singing anyway.
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Old 09-14-07, 03:15 PM
  #60  
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it blows away a few cobwebs, saves money and is the only opportunity I get for exercise

Originally Posted by mtnwalker
I gave him some smart answer like I do it for the pain. But after I really thought about it I asked myself why do I really ride? I mean there is no real pleasure about it. Sure there is the pleasure of accomplishment but I don't remember feeling happy as I was huffing and puffing up those really steep, long climbs and I'm usually sore the next few days. In fact just last night I was contemplating driving in to work because I was so tired and my knees hurt. And yet I got up this morning itching to get on my bike to ride to work. And I'm itching to get in some more riding and climbing on the weekends. Am I crazy or are we just gluttons for punishment? Or both.
try getting a recumbent before you do yourself an injury

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Old 09-14-07, 03:44 PM
  #61  
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2 Kids in the last couple of years have taken what used to be a sizable check, and turned it into almost nothing LOL. Can't afford to keep 2 cars running, and since my wife needs her car to take the kids to a friend that sits them while she works i have her drop me off in the morning, and ride home. I find i enjoy it a lot though i have not been doing it very long. The most aggrevating part right now is i keep finding things i need to get for the bike that id din't expect. Helmet..several new sets of ties because the thorns just shred them back pack ect...Once i have all that in order though i will be happy.
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Old 09-14-07, 05:43 PM
  #62  
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I like beer, and I don't like being fat. If I ride my bike, I can continue to drink beer and not get fat.
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