What kind of cyclist are you?
#51
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A post in the Lessons Learned thread gave me the idea for this one. For those of you who have been riding for 6 months or longer, how would you classify your riding?
a. Racer - You concentrate on being faster and stronger on the bike.
b. Tourer - You don't care much about speed, but concentrate on riding longer distances.
c. Commuter - You ride mostly for transportation. Whether it's commuting to work, running errands around town, or both.
d. Other - Please specify.
I definitely fall in the "Commuter" class. Most of my rides are work-related or running errands.
a. Racer - You concentrate on being faster and stronger on the bike.
b. Tourer - You don't care much about speed, but concentrate on riding longer distances.
c. Commuter - You ride mostly for transportation. Whether it's commuting to work, running errands around town, or both.
d. Other - Please specify.
I definitely fall in the "Commuter" class. Most of my rides are work-related or running errands.
D: being recreation with the local club, and family rides pulling my toddler around in her trailer.
#52
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D. Fitness rider (combination of A & B). I ride it to work, to the gym, to Starbucks, long rides in the hills...
#53
Senior Member
Old, Fat, Slow racer who prefers Time Trials.
Rarely do group rides any longer and doubt I'll do rides longer than 60 miles this year with the exception of when I'm stuck at the beach with the wife and her family then it's a double metric one day and a bunch of metrics on the other days. At least gets me away for 3 hours.
Spoken for truth right there.
I was one of those "I'll never wear spandex, why do folks spend $300 or more on a wheel, what's a powermeter and why?" kinda folks. Now I never leave the house without a powermeter and it's all about the workout du jour.
I think crack with meth chasers might also be less expensive
Rarely do group rides any longer and doubt I'll do rides longer than 60 miles this year with the exception of when I'm stuck at the beach with the wife and her family then it's a double metric one day and a bunch of metrics on the other days. At least gets me away for 3 hours.
I would not chisel anything of the things in stone that you think you will never be :-), give it time, never say never :-). The tires, or the spokes, or the wheel bearings.....something makes this magic singing sound up over 20 mph , that sound is more addictive than crack with a meth chaser :-)
I was one of those "I'll never wear spandex, why do folks spend $300 or more on a wheel, what's a powermeter and why?" kinda folks. Now I never leave the house without a powermeter and it's all about the workout du jour.
I think crack with meth chasers might also be less expensive
#54
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I'm definitely a commuter, because I commute.
I'm not a tourer because I'm not particularly interested in long rides. For me 30mi is a long ride, and I do that only a few times a year. I've ridden 50 miles in one go (or 70 miles in a day, with long breaks), and I have no interest in completing a century.
And I'm not a racer. Even though I've crept back up to 250, I can't stay motivated to ride hard/fast on my daily commute, track my progress, etc.
I'm not a tourer because I'm not particularly interested in long rides. For me 30mi is a long ride, and I do that only a few times a year. I've ridden 50 miles in one go (or 70 miles in a day, with long breaks), and I have no interest in completing a century.
And I'm not a racer. Even though I've crept back up to 250, I can't stay motivated to ride hard/fast on my daily commute, track my progress, etc.
#55
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Old, Fat, Slow racer who prefers Time Trials.
Rarely do group rides any longer and doubt I'll do rides longer than 60 miles this year with the exception of when I'm stuck at the beach with the wife and her family then it's a double metric one day and a bunch of metrics on the other days. At least gets me away for 3 hours.
Spoken for truth right there.
I was one of those "I'll never wear spandex, why do folks spend $300 or more on a wheel, what's a powermeter and why?" kinda folks. Now I never leave the house without a powermeter and it's all about the workout du jour.
I think crack with meth chasers might also be less expensive
Rarely do group rides any longer and doubt I'll do rides longer than 60 miles this year with the exception of when I'm stuck at the beach with the wife and her family then it's a double metric one day and a bunch of metrics on the other days. At least gets me away for 3 hours.
Spoken for truth right there.
I was one of those "I'll never wear spandex, why do folks spend $300 or more on a wheel, what's a powermeter and why?" kinda folks. Now I never leave the house without a powermeter and it's all about the workout du jour.
I think crack with meth chasers might also be less expensive
#56
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I would say I am a mutt. I would easily blend Fitness (Trying to come down from 380+)/Tourer (Exploring parts of Gilbert)/Racer (somewhat). According to MapMyRide and Strava, I tend to average between 10-15 mph but definitely want to increase my speed and do longer distances.
#57
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fitness/tourer. I ride to get into a fit enough shape so I don't suffer through my week tour, which may include a century ride.
#58
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I know I will never be a race unless I count the Strava racer or the racer that try to push myself every time I ride.
I ride for fitness, stress relief, social aspect and because I love it.
I have been back riding for 4 months shy of two years. My miles have increased and my ft climbing has increased. My goal this year is to complete a 200km and 300km Brevet and long term goal is to ride PBP 1200 km brevet. But that's 4 years away.
So I guess I fit in the tourer.
Allan
I ride for fitness, stress relief, social aspect and because I love it.
I have been back riding for 4 months shy of two years. My miles have increased and my ft climbing has increased. My goal this year is to complete a 200km and 300km Brevet and long term goal is to ride PBP 1200 km brevet. But that's 4 years away.
So I guess I fit in the tourer.
Allan
#59
Senior Member
I fit into the oft-mentioned "fitness" class as well. I am trying to get faster as I participate in the occasional triathlon and like beating my times, however it is nice to take off for a couple of hours and just enjoy the scenery. I would commute if 1)My schedule allowed for the time and 2)I wasn't afraid of getting shot, robbed or both on the way...
#60
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I guess I fall into the category "D" as the others do not apply.
I am now what had formerly been categorized as a "fast recreational rider."
I ride for fitness, and mileage is growing after about a year's layoff due to a relocation.
But, I still have a competitive nature and am always out to gauge my performance level as
compared the other riders with whom I ride.
However. my primary competition is with myself.
I have done and will do some touring. Only problem there is holding the pace down..........
I am now what had formerly been categorized as a "fast recreational rider."
I ride for fitness, and mileage is growing after about a year's layoff due to a relocation.
But, I still have a competitive nature and am always out to gauge my performance level as
compared the other riders with whom I ride.
However. my primary competition is with myself.
I have done and will do some touring. Only problem there is holding the pace down..........
#61
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A and C. I like the speed aspect of it, but I don't officially race. I also commute 3-4 times a week.
#62
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I would say I am a mutt. I would easily blend Fitness (Trying to come down from 380+)/Tourer (Exploring parts of Gilbert)/Racer (somewhat). According to MapMyRide and Strava, I tend to average between 10-15 mph but definitely want to increase my speed and do longer distances.
#63
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#64
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I hope we do run into each other. I just did an 11 mile ride with the wife today.
#66
Senior Member
I would put myself somewhere between racer and commuter.
#67
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Tourer (with an emphasis on fitness). Most rides are 50-80 miles in length. I do try to maintain a minimum average speed of 15-17 MPH. I track and keep a record of heart rate, cadence, and average speed.
#68
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I am like others. I am a mix of all of the mentioned styles. Racing got me interested in riding and touring style riding has gotten me back into the sport. I dont commute much yet, but anticipate that picking up in the next year
#69
Senior Member
I'm an "other".
I don't care about long distance, so I wouldn't call myself a tourer. I am an explorer though.
I live out in the middle of nowhere and happen to have an absolutely beautiful trail 8 miles from home, the Allegheny River Trail. When I started, I was on it every day.
I like to ride the different trails. Here in PA we have some awesome rails to trails. I am trying to roam around western PA and hit them all. Not much time though so it will take a while. I mainly use the ART and a local trail near work. I have the Sandy Creek Trail which crosses the ART not too far (further than a bike ride so I've traveled by car often to ride it.) Furthest ride I've taken was the Toby Creek Trail, 36 miles round trip. It is located up in the Allegheny National Forest. The middle 6 miles I felt like I was the only one left in the world.
I've made 1 trip down to Pittsburgh, PA to ride along the shores of Three Rivers for a change of scenery. What a change of scenery it was too. Really neat riding past PNC Park, Heinz Field, Rivers Casino, across the Fort Duquene and Fort Pitt bridge, even got some riding the streets of Pittsburgh. So different than my rail trail riding in the middle of the woods.
I would like to see a definition of what you all mean when you say "fitness". I started riding for exercise. It is sustainable exercise because it is fun. I guess I ride for fitness, but I'm not extreme where I have to ride at X zone heart rate, do intervals, specifically ride for athleticism. I just ride because it's good for you and fun exercise. My normal day to day riding is I try to ride an hour a day, which is about 12 mile or so. It's not as extreme as some of you folks but the 149/95 reduction to 122/78 blood pressure and 450 to 189 triglycerides is definite proof to me that my hour a day riding is working.
All that said, I have to confess, I've only got 10 miles on the bike so far this year. Long hours at work is keeping me from riding after work as I usually do. That and buying a kayak is keeping me off the bike on the weekends. I do have about 25 miles in the kayak so far since I bought as a birthday present to myself the end of April. Kayaking is quite a workout for the upper body, but there isn't a whole lot of cardio that comes from it, at least not anything close to like on the bike.
My fitness is doing very well with blood pressure, triglyceride count, cholesterol, all reduced pretty much just to the edge of acceptable levels. Weight and eating on the other hand, I was doing very well but just completely fell 247 off the ladder with it. I was down from 247 to a low of 208 I think, but last year the diet started returning to what it was previously and I didn't lose anything while riding all summer. Winter hit and the weight has climbed back up. I think I'm back to about 238.
I worked all weekend this weekend. Went out on the kayak tonight for about 3 hours but for tomorrow, I've got the bike loaded up in the car for after work. I need to get that exhilarating feeling back that I use to have after my after-work ride and get the motivation back up again. I think I'll make a nice salad for lunch tomorrow instead of eating from the vending machine to kick start the better diet again.
I don't care about long distance, so I wouldn't call myself a tourer. I am an explorer though.
I live out in the middle of nowhere and happen to have an absolutely beautiful trail 8 miles from home, the Allegheny River Trail. When I started, I was on it every day.
I like to ride the different trails. Here in PA we have some awesome rails to trails. I am trying to roam around western PA and hit them all. Not much time though so it will take a while. I mainly use the ART and a local trail near work. I have the Sandy Creek Trail which crosses the ART not too far (further than a bike ride so I've traveled by car often to ride it.) Furthest ride I've taken was the Toby Creek Trail, 36 miles round trip. It is located up in the Allegheny National Forest. The middle 6 miles I felt like I was the only one left in the world.
I've made 1 trip down to Pittsburgh, PA to ride along the shores of Three Rivers for a change of scenery. What a change of scenery it was too. Really neat riding past PNC Park, Heinz Field, Rivers Casino, across the Fort Duquene and Fort Pitt bridge, even got some riding the streets of Pittsburgh. So different than my rail trail riding in the middle of the woods.
I would like to see a definition of what you all mean when you say "fitness". I started riding for exercise. It is sustainable exercise because it is fun. I guess I ride for fitness, but I'm not extreme where I have to ride at X zone heart rate, do intervals, specifically ride for athleticism. I just ride because it's good for you and fun exercise. My normal day to day riding is I try to ride an hour a day, which is about 12 mile or so. It's not as extreme as some of you folks but the 149/95 reduction to 122/78 blood pressure and 450 to 189 triglycerides is definite proof to me that my hour a day riding is working.
All that said, I have to confess, I've only got 10 miles on the bike so far this year. Long hours at work is keeping me from riding after work as I usually do. That and buying a kayak is keeping me off the bike on the weekends. I do have about 25 miles in the kayak so far since I bought as a birthday present to myself the end of April. Kayaking is quite a workout for the upper body, but there isn't a whole lot of cardio that comes from it, at least not anything close to like on the bike.
My fitness is doing very well with blood pressure, triglyceride count, cholesterol, all reduced pretty much just to the edge of acceptable levels. Weight and eating on the other hand, I was doing very well but just completely fell 247 off the ladder with it. I was down from 247 to a low of 208 I think, but last year the diet started returning to what it was previously and I didn't lose anything while riding all summer. Winter hit and the weight has climbed back up. I think I'm back to about 238.
I worked all weekend this weekend. Went out on the kayak tonight for about 3 hours but for tomorrow, I've got the bike loaded up in the car for after work. I need to get that exhilarating feeling back that I use to have after my after-work ride and get the motivation back up again. I think I'll make a nice salad for lunch tomorrow instead of eating from the vending machine to kick start the better diet again.
#70
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I would have to say I'm a C = commuter at this point. When I got back into riding to work again in March this year I was 215lbs. That made me a Clydesdale. I found this sub forum and read the inspiring posts. Those stories made me want to get back onto my bike, Now almost three months later I lost almost 20lbs so I'm no longer a clydesdale.
I ride about five miles a day to and from work. So I've been doing about 100 miles a month. I'm feeling better my clothes are nowhere as tight as they used to be. This past weekend we had beautiful biking weather but was on-call so I was unable to get out and enjoy as much as I wanted to.
I hoping to possiblly move from C = Commuter to possibly B= Tourer or maybe a modified A = Racer. I'm considering joining a local bike club to try group rides.
I'd like to thank all those who have posted their inspiring stories. They made me want to get back on my bike. I wish I had taken before picutres at the end of February. While I'm no longer a clydesdale I will still visit this sub forum for encouragement. I hope everyone gets to whatever goal they have. There are a great bunch of people here help and assist you. As Wayne Gretzky said "you miss a 100 percent of the time on the shots you didn't take."
Just get up, start moving get on your bike and ride to your ability. As you get stronger your ability will increase and the pounds will drop off.
I ride about five miles a day to and from work. So I've been doing about 100 miles a month. I'm feeling better my clothes are nowhere as tight as they used to be. This past weekend we had beautiful biking weather but was on-call so I was unable to get out and enjoy as much as I wanted to.
I hoping to possiblly move from C = Commuter to possibly B= Tourer or maybe a modified A = Racer. I'm considering joining a local bike club to try group rides.
I'd like to thank all those who have posted their inspiring stories. They made me want to get back on my bike. I wish I had taken before picutres at the end of February. While I'm no longer a clydesdale I will still visit this sub forum for encouragement. I hope everyone gets to whatever goal they have. There are a great bunch of people here help and assist you. As Wayne Gretzky said "you miss a 100 percent of the time on the shots you didn't take."
Just get up, start moving get on your bike and ride to your ability. As you get stronger your ability will increase and the pounds will drop off.
#71
Senior Member
I ride because I like the feel of moving. Most of my rides are commuting or running errands, because there are more work days than weekends, and riding makes the commute fun.
Weekends are longer rides; some two or three times a year I'll do a 75 or a century as a fundraiser for a charity I care about.
For the past several years now, I've tried to do a week-long tour for my vacation. I've had four "successes" (GAP/C&O, P'tit Train du Nord and Quebec, Finger Lakes supported, and Pacific Coast Washington supported) and one "DNF" (Skyline Drive in Virginia, unsupported). I'm planning an unsupported ride from Maine thru New Hampshire and Massachusetts just to the NY border in August -- that's hills! -- so I'm making a point of running my errands locally on the bike, with a trailer to carry my groceries up and down the nearby terrain. It's training, and it's fun.
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#72
Senior Member
You are missing the big one, mountain biker. Which I do year round, winter either using the fat bike or one with studded tires. I also commute all year too. A tourer is someone who actually tours, which I do every year as well. I sometimes do errands and get groceries by bike, so utility biker. No racing for me. I guess you would call me a cyclist.
#73
Senior Member
+1.
I ride because I like the feel of moving. Most of my rides are commuting or running errands, because there are more work days than weekends, and riding makes the commute fun.
Weekends are longer rides; some two or three times a year I'll do a 75 or a century as a fundraiser for a charity I care about.
For the past several years now, I've tried to do a week-long tour for my vacation. I've had four "successes" (GAP/C&O, P'tit Train du Nord and Quebec, Finger Lakes supported, and Pacific Coast Washington supported) and one "DNF" (Skyline Drive in Virginia, unsupported). I'm planning an unsupported ride from Maine thru New Hampshire and Massachusetts just to the NY border in August -- that's hills! -- so I'm making a point of running my errands locally on the bike, with a trailer to carry my groceries up and down the nearby terrain. It's training, and it's fun.
I ride because I like the feel of moving. Most of my rides are commuting or running errands, because there are more work days than weekends, and riding makes the commute fun.
Weekends are longer rides; some two or three times a year I'll do a 75 or a century as a fundraiser for a charity I care about.
For the past several years now, I've tried to do a week-long tour for my vacation. I've had four "successes" (GAP/C&O, P'tit Train du Nord and Quebec, Finger Lakes supported, and Pacific Coast Washington supported) and one "DNF" (Skyline Drive in Virginia, unsupported). I'm planning an unsupported ride from Maine thru New Hampshire and Massachusetts just to the NY border in August -- that's hills! -- so I'm making a point of running my errands locally on the bike, with a trailer to carry my groceries up and down the nearby terrain. It's training, and it's fun.
#74
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I am a serious blend of A, B, and D.
When I am on my Road Bike I push hard like a racer, when I am on my hybrid I am usually just dragging the kids in a trailer or going for a leisurely ride with the wife, and then I have been dabbling in MTBing.
When I am on my Road Bike I push hard like a racer, when I am on my hybrid I am usually just dragging the kids in a trailer or going for a leisurely ride with the wife, and then I have been dabbling in MTBing.
#75
Full Member
I don't think there are enough categories. First, I ride because it's fun. If it was not fun, I would not do it---or at least not as much. I do not run. Running, for me is not fun. In college, my girlfriend ran marathons. She talked me into running, saying that when you reach 3 miles, then it starts being fun. I got up to 6-7 miles. It never became fun--- my back hurt, my knees hurt, my feet hurt; plus it was like the scenery never changed! I went back to riding. Second, it can be like moving meditation. It clears my head. Sometimes I just have to stop my mind. Riding can do that for me, sort of like being on a motorcycle, but more laid back. Riding also is utilitarian. I don't commute to work. I do 12 hour night shifts at a hospital that's 22 miles away. I would have to ride at least 2 hours to get there and two to get home. Since a 12 hour shift usually requires me to be there 13 hours, I can not see adding another 4 hours to my work day. I DO run errands, on my days off, or ride to a nearby (5 miles) microbrewery on occasion. I'd call that utilitity riding, basically just getting around. I'm not trying to go faster than anybody; I'm not trying to do more miles than anybody--- I just ride.
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