Originally Posted by Crunkologist
Then I reiterate: scrap all the high tech. Ride as far as you can, then turn back. You'll know when its too far. You'll get real tired.
Repeat this. You'll notice that you're making progress... you can go farther and farther.
Keep that up till you can ride 50+ miles several times a week.
Wow, you lost the weight.
Its that simple. Save the money on gadgets, don't overanalyze, and have FUN with it.
If I was a lotto winner, and had 24 hours a day to do as I please, this would be a great plan. However, my free time is limited, which is why I asked the original question.
Perhaps on my days off, I can ride and ride and ride. However, during work days, this isn't an option. This is why I'm trying to get a ballpark answer as to how long I should expect to put into a ride (or keep my HR in the target zone) in order to get a decent benefit from it.
If the answer is, say, an hour, then I can aim for that. If my HR is too low, I can always ride faster. Unfortunately, riding longer isn't necessarily an option for me.