Thanks for all the good information. The 45 minutes for 8 miles was probably a little slow because about 15 of it was me getting from where I live in a major city with a lot of traffic to the bike path. Once I got on it I think I made decent speed but I do agree I need a lot of practice.

The weather where I live in Texas seems to fluctuate between extreme heat and cold/rain which makes getting outside not so easy lately so I'm resorting to my trainer. It has only automatic resistance that increases as you go faster and I'm not sure thats working out for me, honestly its a horrible experience on the trainer as opposed to biking outside. http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Motivator...5353850&sr=8-2