xfimpg

Commuting vs Riding; which is more strenuous?

I'll explain:

I find that if I commute to the office - 2 hours back and forth - my legs are consitently more tired and sore than when I do a weekend ride of 4 hours. (and I have a desk job!)

Can anyone else relate to this? and provide insight as to how this is possible?

Any insights would be appreciated as I can't figure this one out...

Michael

uke

Maybe the stress of riding to work and in traffic makes one form more arduous than the other.

Since I only ride with a destination in mind, commuting and riding are one and the same to me.

xfimpg

That's an interesting insight. I have noticed that I'm often stressing to get to work if I lose time because of the docks being raised, and at night getting home in general.
There is also this nasty headwind (15-30 km/h) that I'm always facing in the morning and the evening, that really ticks me off cause I would sure like a break from that once in a while.

I would also be led to think that I would be sore elsewhere, but it's only in the legs...

BA Commuter

Same bike?

My commute has more hills and my commuter bike has upright bars. On weekends we ride on a fairly flat trail. In addition, my road bike is much lighter and with the drop bars, I'm way more efficient.

Lizzylou

Commuting is way more strenuous that regular road cycling.

I commute about 18-20 miles a day round trip (I change the route up a lot). And on Saturday mornings I go on a group ride that is generally around 40 miles.

Why is commuting more strenuous?
1-Doing it way early in the morning. It's a lot easier to get on a bike at 8AM than at 6AM.
2-The commuting bike weighs a good 10 pounds more than my road bike (once you factor in all the junk I carry in the saddle bags)
3-When commuting, I ride alone. Cycling with a group is always easier, and not only because you can draft, but because having somebody to talk to makes the ride much more pleasant and interesting.

xfimpg

Yes, same bike. Only difference between wkd riding is I have a 5-7 pound backpack.

nahh

I'm carrying a 15-20 pound backpack when i commute, and as someone mentioned, biking in the morning is hard. It's also quite hilly.

When i'm out on a weekend ride i'm not carrying all the extra weight.

xfimpg

More great points. I have noticed that I pick up drafters because of my flat-pacing ability, so I am facing more resistance.
Very good point about the early ride time. It is tough that early in the morning.

apricissimus 

When I commute, I tend to take routes that I'm very familiar with. I know every pothole, every corner, every storm drain. As a result, I'm able to go harder without having to worry about looking out for obstacles and such.

When I ride on the weekend, I tend to use less explored routes, and I don't ride as hard.

Don't know if that explains it for you, but it's a thought.

paulwwalters

Riding is more strenuous. My commute is relatively flat and is 6-10 miles, depending on the route. My rides are much harder, due to following another person's pace, as well as the face that once you get outside of my town it's all hills (huge hills) in every direction. That, compounded by the fact that we do 10-40 miles at a time, is the reason why I like commuting more.

Now if we had flat rails to rails around here (longer than the 4 mile ones we have) I would be much more keen on recreational riding.

10 Wheels

You shoulfd always be Alert to objects in the road.
Items fall off of trucks everyday.

envane

Weekend rides are easier for me because I give myself more time to warm up. It may take 20 miles before I feel good, but once I do, I can go forever.

I tend to make my commutes time trials.

Booger1

Doesn't make any difference to me,20 miles is 20 miles,as long as it's the same 20.

Indie

My commute has horrible roads, some hills, and I'm constantly dodging traffic. It's stressful and not the route I would choose to ride just for enjoyment. Plus I'm trying to get there in a certain amount of time.

On a weekend ride I'd go find a nice MUP, either the flat one that people let loose and go top speed on because nobody else uses it, or a pretty one with trees and wildlife. I have more freedom to choose my terrain and my speed.

slowjoe66

This is my second year of commuting but the first year I've had a road bike for non commuting rides. At this time I think road riding is even or possibly more strenuous. But, by the same token perhaps it's whatever your used to, or whatever effort you give. On my road bike It's like a Ferrari, I push it because I love the speed and reactionary handling. On my commuter with lunch, clothes, rack, lights, bags etc, you will never get that snappy speed...so I don't really try. I just pedal for pleasure.

RGW

I think part of the difficulty with commuting may be attributable to all of the sopping and starting with urban traffic. I have a 34 mile round trip commute from the burbs into the city and the constant stooping & starting as I navigate traffic is tiring. Alternatively, my weekend rides are generally in rural settings where I can just spin for long stretches with very limited sops & starts

apricissimus 

Normally I keep my eyes closed on my commute. I didn't realize there was a problem with that.

Grim

I guess the Commute on busy streets. I'm pushing hard to stay in between groupings of cars that get caught at lights most days and I also have a habit of racing the clock. I have tried to take it easy but I am always pushing hard when I am in rush hour traffic.

Weekend pleasure rides I tend to pace a little more since I am not dealing with the traffic so much. Stress level is totally different. I usualy choose a destination to go visit a Bike store or see what sort of events the towns in a 6-12 mile radius have going on. I may make a loop of their Square or main drag and head back but it is usually double or more my commute but I don't seem so stressed or taxed from it. I sometimes run a Rails to trails Mup and its a easy ride compared to the hills on my commute.

knobster

Seems the same for me. I do enjoy my weekend rides much more, but I don't feel that any commute is any harder than any rec ride. My commute is flat and about 22 miles one way. It's freaking boring as all hell. It doesn't tire me at all though, which is good so I don't have to shower when I get to work. Going home I crank it up a notch and average around 19mph. That makes it a little more fun.

thebarerider

My commute is very easy, so even after five days of riding it I have no fatigue (and alternately no maintenance or improvement of fitness level). For me, riding is more strenuous.

And I do ride fairly hard on my commute, as well. At 4 miles, it's just too short and flat to make a dent in my legs.

sharkey00

When I am out riding for fun I am generally distance oriented.
When I am commuting I am time oriented. I need to be at the office at 9 so if there is a headwind/rain/ect I need to push harder.

ZombieButcher

Commuting is going to be harder on the body given that you are gen getting up and then getting on the bike fairly soon. You maybe be doing less but then you are bringing the muscles up to a peak and then shutting down. Your not giving them enough time to adjust to the stress of moving the bike and when you get off you legs are then cooling down way to fast rather then at a slower pace then what you would do on a weekend ride. With this in mind you are storing more lactic acid.
Make sure you do a warm down and some stretches after you get to work. This will help reduce the soreness. Sitting at a desk all day is murder on your body since you aren't getting any physical activity out of it. Idea is to use a fitness ball as your chair so you are constantly using your core muscles plus its great on the tail bone.

I ride 4 miles to work then jump right on to the Karate floor to teach classes for a few hours then later I am teaching for 4-5 hours straight on my feet then getting back on the bike at the end of the day and going home. My legs always feel great.

gear

My legs get more worn out from my two hours a day commuting than my four hour weekend rides, because I am pushing more weight on commutes.

My heart and lungs get more worn on the weekend rides because I am going as fast as I can.

dalmore

I find exactly the opposite. The longer weekend rides are rougher on me than the commutes. I ride the same bike generally but without my waist pack on the weekends. So I'm a little lighter for the longer rides. I think the main factor for me is the start and stop nature of my commute. I generally get three 2-3 minute stops due to traffic on my 15 to 19 mile commute (depending on my route.) Sometimes it's as many as 8 such stops if I've pissed of the traffic light gods.

On weekends I'll go 20ish miles before a break.

JMRobertson

I tend to bike faster on my commute than on a ride. I know how long my commute takes... 1hr. I try to beat that when ever I feel up to it. On a weekend (or Wednesday) ride, I don't have a regular pace to try to better. I just bike. I probably travel slower since I don't have a goal to beat.