I'm retiring in July so I have to find a good way to keep up the exercise, my commute is usually a hilly hour and a half ride each way. Don't really want to do a three hour ride each morning but.....

Well, with all your free time, you can always get into touring. Commuting is great preparation for touring, especially if you commute in all weather.

Why do a three hour ride each morning? How about an hour and a half in the morning, and another one in the afternoon, just like you were commuting, only commute to a different destination each day?

Time for touring.

Find a nice coffee shop an hour and a half away from home.

Ride to nice coffee shop. Buy coffee and sit and drink it slowly. Read the newspaper from cover to cover. Sit outside if the weather is nice and look at people coming and going. Do the crossword, if you like crosswords. Surreptitiously munch the trail mix or sandwich you brought from home.

Ride home.

Now that one makes me want to retire.

Perfect!!!

KLW2,
I am retired and ride every day I also do my chores with an instep kiddie trailer I just bought to do groceries,laundry I live in an apartment so I go to the Laundromat every two weeks. I find the trailer makes everything work I can go shopping any time I want and have plenty of room for what ever in the trailer.
Check out the live car free and utility section of the forums and welcome to retirement.
Retirement is the best job I have ever had.

Also try going car-lite and use the bicycle to go everywhere you want it will make a difference in your new life

This sounds right to me, although I'm not retired. Even though you're not going to work, it's not like you're never going to leave the house. Running errands by bike, especially if you end up hauling stuff on a trailer, will provide plenty of exercise. There might be different logistical challenges than there were riding to a job, but you're retired, you have time to figure out how to make it work!

You can always add fishing to your bike trips, and a Bobk trailer can haul your golf clubs.

Ditto. I started using my bike to get just about everywhere I go on a regular basis. As a result, I often put more miles on my bike during the weekend then I do on my short commute on the weekdays.

I'll send you a bag of birdseed so you can feed the pigeons in the local park.

Start touring lad! Pack up your bike, find a place you never been to, ride there! You're retired dummy!

I'll be retired in 14.5 years. Woot!

No, no, no! It isn't age that makes someone an old man or an old woman; it's reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles, and drinking tea! This might sound good now, but once you realize the danger, it'll be too late. This is just like how Darth Vader goes around tempting people to join the dark side because he has cookies...

Riding one's bike as a transportation tool to go to work/school is quite different to using the bike to go on a leisure rides. The main difference is with cyclo-commute, you are going somewhere daily (or frequently). There's the time factor too. Now that you are retired, there's no time factor to arrive somewhere nor there is a primary reason to ride to a destination. Over time, you will just said to yourself "ahh... why bother. To heck with it. I think I want to go golfing instead".

So I would highly suggest that you do some volunteer work. Give back to the society. Say volunteer at a library, local community centre, etc. Now then, there is a purpose to go and "Commute". I hardly think riding to a local coffee shop has the same effect as true commute.

Thanks for all the feedback...great ideas. I do volunteer as an emergency responder for the local sheriff's dept but speed or at least faster than a bike is sometimes crucial. I plan to take the bike and go fishing, touring as well (want to do the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Ride) just need to find a reason to get in some reasonable riding most other days...Don't want to go car free..it does get kind of crappy here in the winter and although I commute in the snow and sub zero temps, I would rather drive to the store when it's bad weather. Love my MGB so I drive that around a bit.(wonder if I can get my Magic Shine to replace some of the Lord of Darkness's lights on that thing) I really love the idea of 2 hours of riding in the morning for my espresso so I'm going to do that.
Damn, I really love cookies but if Darth may get me.........oh what the heck, I can out ride that dude!

Budicca,
Come on up and I'll buy the coffee!

You could continue commuting to work anyway just to say "neener neener" to your former coworkers. (?)

Or the coffee shop and the touring...

So now you can do four or five hours! I am freaking jealous.

Hope you still drop by Commuting and keep us posted on your "rebirth".

Cheers!

OP, you can always get a volunteer gig at a food bank or something. 3 times a week... just make sure it's about 7 miles from the house.... perfect.

Commute to the SENIOR CENTER.

.02 cents!

Congratulations on retiring with a enough money to do it young enough to enjoy it.
You retiring from the military?

Tour!

I have been following Scott on his ride for the last year. www.powercycle.net He just made it to Belize from Miami Via Denali national park in Alaska.

Grim,
Nope, just did 8 years in the military....67 to 75.
Have fun!

Take three 1-hour rides. Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon errand. Or any combination of meals and errands. If you don't have one, get a laptop and make yourself ride to a wifi hotspot, instead of signing on at home. Then you'll have another reason to get out and ride.

And as mentioned, before, bike touring. I've had two weekend mini-tours in the last month and am absolutely hooked.

1. Get a Walmart greeter job.
2. Continue commuting.

I am also near retirement and will miss my commute. I have just started volunteering with bike advocacy groups in Baltimore. I hope to increase my time with these group when I am fully retired. I bike to all the meetings and events. I don't know if this will be enough riding but there are tons of bike meetings. Looks like you are in Mn. They have lots of bike advocacy groups, check 'em out .

You don't need that much time to keep your fitness level up.
I used to ride 4 hrs a day. Since I started working from home I ride when I can and crosstrain as well. I ride less and ride stronger.
Anyhow, congrats on the retirement.