Bicycle Addict

Looking at BFishers latest thread I got to thinking how many people found themselves cycling/wrenching/and just plain obsessing over our C&V's
I thought it of interest to ask you guys if you consider yourself(through decision or reality) a group cyclist or a solo cyclist, obviously most of us commute alone, so I am talking about the enjoyable spare time cycling.

I through circumstance am a solo cyclist, but do occasionally manage to enthuse a mate to go for a ride with me, they normally do not get past a second ride.
So I cycle alone a lot of the time, it used to feel lonely, sort of you know? I then realized very quickly that at no other time could I be away from everything in such a way where my brain would very calmly go through thinking about various things that were going on.

I almost fell like everything other than my ride/traffic stays on my front door step as I ride out my front gate! To this day I still feel at that point like an 8yr old boy who has just finished chores on Saturday morning, off to ride for the rest of the day.

Your thoughts guys and gals?

bconneraz

I'm solo about 80% of the time; I enjoy the alone time, however, when I do club rides, or ride with my son, I'm always amazed at how quick the rides seem. There's something to be said about having someone to help you "pass the time", especially on the long rides.

sloar 

Solo 100%, no other riders in my town. I like riding alone though.

Velocivixen

I've thought of going on organized group rides, as there are lots around Portland, however when I look at the descriptions they say things like, "Going 20-30 miles at a 15 mph pace. Nobody dropped". That pretty much ends it for me. I've ridden 30 miles a handful of times, and not at that pace. So I won't put myself in that situation. I'd be the last soul out there and some poor group organizer would have to be out there with me OR worse, I would get dropped, then I'd be p!ssed off just out of principle. I'm capable of riding that fast, but it's not my style. I'm a city rider with stop & go of traffic. I'm not a "ride for miles out in the countryside" rider, especially because we have pickup truck driving cyclist haters who like to, occasionally, harass bikers. I'm not a "strong" rider, not because I couldn't be if I tried, but it's not something I see myself doing as a "sport". Now get me in a gym with some TRX straps & that's a different story.

Heck, to honest, I'm nervous about the Portland C & V ride on the 26th. I'm slow, but I know how to get around town well enough that if I find myself away from the group I can confidently make it back.

Okay, now Im rambling. Yes, I'm mostly a solo rider. Once in awhile I ride with friends, who are much stronger than me, but they know my pace and are happy to oblige.

spdntrxi

predominately solo...

otg 

Mostly solo, I enjoy getting out in the country and putting in 35-40 fairly leisurely miles. I usually stop for something to eat, take a few pictures. I've ridden some with my 34 year old son, but he gets bored waiting for me at the tops of the hills around here. Group rides for me are with the local "50 plus" riders from this forum.

Johnny Mullet

Solo 99% of the time unless I talk someone into a short ride.

seedsbelize 

Solo

BFisher

I am mostly a solo rider, occasionally I'll have my wife and/or my oldest children with me. I prefer riding in the city and in the adjoining buroughs. I, too, am after the freedom of feeling like a kid again nowhere to be but where I choose to go. A fellow hobbyist to enjoy the rides with sometimes would be nice though.

markk900

80% solo, which is fine by me, but the other 20% is usually with my wife, who while not as fixated on C&V as me is very appreciative of the older bikes and not only has a selection of rides, but actually chooses between them for the ride together. 2 weekends ago we did our first charity group ride, her on her Norco and me on my 3-speed Trek. There might have been 2 other "vintage bikes" and it was really my first group ride in 30 years....was fun but we ended up riding just the two of us by the end.
@BFisher - would also like to have that social aspect every once in a while, especially to debate the nuances of C&V (Columbus vs 531; Campy vs. Shimano, etc which my wife could care less about). Of course, these debates are best lubricated with local craft beer IMO.

Bandera

I came up through the ABL of A and later USCF club system and have a pretty fair idea of what a proper paceline is, and they are not available locally. What passes for "fast paced group rides" is a wobbling dis-organized testerone poisoned gaggle that lacks pace, technique and road sense.

I ride solo.

-Bandera

markk900

I'd not be worried - I thought the same at the group ride I mention in my previous post, but we ended up being pretty mid-pack in a field of spandex and carbon, and we were taking it easy....I doubt you'll have to use your escape plan!

curbtender

I've a small group for weekend rides, mostly two. We know how each other rides and sometimes get the wives to join, but not often. We join larger rides on occasion to learn new area's. But I like to ride alone also.

Velognome 

solo, but have herded with other solo cyclists from time to time

rgver

I'm solo unless my daughter is in the child seat on the back of my Raleigh Grand Prix, but I'm as chatty in real life as I am here.

rando_couche

Group by choice (but rarely), usually solo.

SP
OC, OR

top506

I got tired of organized group rides after it became the group tiring to drop the old guy on the old bike. Never quite happened, but another story....
There are two groups I ride with on a regular basis: the 3000 or so who do the Trek Across Maine every year and the folks here (Jim, Sharon, OTG, both Scotts, ect) who ride the season openers/closers on the CCRT in the spring and fall. Aside from those, to paraphrase George Throughgood, I ride alone.

Top

jimmuller 

Mostly duo because most of my non-commute riding is on the tandem. But if you count it by bikes instead of people it's mostly solo. We do ride with other people occasionally, Sometimes that means not being able to go as far or as fast as we'd like, but we ride with a few people who match our pace nicely. If someone wants to ride faster we don't even bother to try to keep up - ain't gonna' happen 'cuz we ain't that fast. When I ride solo non-commuting I don't like riding close to another bike, let alone a paceline. Many of the riders I know or have ridden with scare me one way or another, so I usually don't do a second ride with them. In any case, schedules and stuff generally make it hard to arrange a ride with anyone else.

jyl

It is a social ride. We'll have a few re-group points too. I just need to pick out shaded ones.

Antieverything

98% solo except for the few organized centuries around here. I don't like or trust riding with others. I enjoy the peaceful solitude, plus I always ride at the perfect pace for the moment because I'm not pacing or pacing after someone else. Once in a great while I will ride with a select friend but I tend to avoid it. I used to ride only with groups but have lost the need for it and the people I used to ride with.

AZORCH

Other than the (very) occasional charity ride, I'm out there on my own. Those few times when I've been with other riders, I'm adjusting my pace to keep up or to allow someone else to keep up with me. And honestly, riding is "me" time. So solo.

Bicycle Addict

Well put. Thank you to all who have replied. BA

vonfilm 

Solo so far. I normally ride at 6:30 AM before breafast. Afterwork its a short ride in the neighborhood. My wife has only ridden the bike I built up for her with me once. On Sunday mornings I ride at the Veloway where there are other riders, but they always pass me very quickly.

I see a lot of C&V bikes being ridden around central Austin, mostly by commuting young people. Whe I do talk about C&V with other people, they never have a clue. I am talking to a much younger co worker whose father plans to buy him a bicycle. I suggested he get a Jamis Coda Sport, a nice modern chrome moly hybrid. His father who lives in Florida has an expensive Specialized carbon road bike.

I did find out my old college roomate, who still lives here and who I have recently reconnected with after his wife's passing, has a Voyageur 11.8. I told him that I would rebuild it for him if he bought the parts. He had to cancel last Sunday afternoon but maybe we can begin this weekend.

If I wasn't able to share this hobby a little in this forum, I probably would not engage in it.I have learned so much here. I was totally dependent on the LBS when I started here and now I can buid up a bike from the bare frame.

Ed.

A bit funny - as a result of a past event I've tended to want to do things in small (maybe only one other) groups. This Winter I joined a bike training group (the rest cheated and used trainers, they about freaked when I brought in my rollers, LOL), but since I've been riding nearly daily, solo, a short, flat out (for me) ride.

I did the cape ride in the Spring - it was fun, and nice to meet others.

jyl

My commuting and errand riding is solo, of course.

My weekend rides are about half solo, half with someone: a buddy or a shop group ride or an organized century sort of ride. On the group rides, I spend a fair bit of time drafting or being drafted. I tend to ride solo more during the winter.