cyclezealot

I guess if you have a purpose like getting groceries and not cranking your car's motor; then it is worth while. Or should you have a short ride to work and leave the car home..But, just for some recreational ride which is short, it is not worth getting sweaty and suiting up.
I just do not consider it a serious ride..My dilema..If it is not cold or any hills- I will get to my destination sweaty..If sweaty ,there might be a need for cycling gear. and I do not want to get to work stinking.

webist

Ten miles is generally my minimum ride. I try to get at least 10 miles per day with a goal of 100 miles or more per week.

In this day and age, where even the government is recommending walking the stairs or parking a car some distance from a building in order to increase the amount of exercise; I just gotta believe that a 10 mile ride is meaningful.

Actually "10 miles" was a former goal. My actual goal is a minimum of 30 minutes of riding daily. I can almost always do 11 miles in 30 minutes or less depending on stop lights, etc. And, I always wear cycling clothes when cycling. My best days are when I am able to do more than an hour in the morning with an average speed above 14 mph or the weekends when I just ride for a long time.

Blackberry

Well let's see. If you rode six days per week @ 10 miles per day that would come to 3000 miles in a year (including a two week vacation where you didn't ride at all). Three thousand miles ain't a bad year.

aj in ma

If you enjoy the ride (and something tells me you do) it's worth every minute/mile. Do whatever you're comfortable doing or have time for and don't give it a second thought.

aj

abm1213

If you want to go for a little ride then 10 is quite nice. If you want to do some car chasing then ten is not quite enough. BTW, the guy who has the 10 mile commute has the right idea. You feel really good both directions, leastwise I did when my job let me.

moabrider

Depends on the rider, the terrain, the bike, the season I guess? In the chilly winter road riding can be cold. If I do 6 tough uphill miles on a Mt. Bike, I get a good workout.

stapfam

Only a short ride, and I'll agree about the not very challenging to an experienced rider, but I would still love the chance to get out and ride for 30minutes or so occasionally. Some of us still have to work hard to keep fit enough for a century ride, it does not come naturally so any chance of getting on the bike will even help us. Hate to say it though, 10 miles is still far enough for me to get dressed in the right gear, to make certain that I am comfortable on the bike. Nothing worse than shorts that catch or the shoe that slips on the pedals to make a short journey into a nightmare.

cyclezealot

If we are saying 10 miles one way, that is more my style.

slide

If you are thinking it's not much of a workout, make it time trial.

peterjcb

Most of my rides average about 10 miles simply because I don't have the time to do more than that.
It also depends on what kind of terrain that you're talking about. When I do 10 miles there are a lots of hills where I ride which makes it pretty intense.

quatrecats

I used to feel the same way--but I started commuting on my sweet road bike, 10 miles each way, and is it ever worth it!!
I still love my 25-40 milers, when I can fit them in, but heck, a ride to the corner works for me for pure enjoyment...

Now, it does seem to take my bod a long time to warm up and get into the groove, hence the love of longer rides.....

I say, ride up and down the driveway and make it worth it!!

bkaapcke

When I'm cramped for time but really need a ride, I often take 6 mile jaunts on the local trail. To make it worthwhile, I really hump it, doing windsprints and generally pushing it. It builds strength, endurance and makes the most out of a quikcie. BK

Barese Rider

I cant figure out why many consider a 3 mile 25-30 minute jog great exercise while over on the bike front many apologize for a 10 mile 40-45 minute ride.. Heck if you can get your heart beating at a good rate for even 15 minutes then youve done yourself some good.. From what Ive read theres a law of diminishing return viv a vis aerobic exercise after the 30 to 45 minute range... So hell yes a 10 mile ride, assuming riding along at a fairly good clip is definitely worth it..

Remember Dr Kenneth Cooper the father of modern aerobic exercise ? In one of his later books he came out and said that less is better...And admitted that he over estimated the need for prolonged aerobic[45 to 60 minutes] earlier in his career..

greywolf

I enjoy getting one of my lesser riden bikes out of the shed just to ride a couple of 100 metres round to the shops !

MarkS

To paraphrase the old saw, "The doctor told grandma to ride 10 miles a day, and now we have no idea where she is."

moabrider

whatever makes one happy, joyous and free!

jackb

Riding any distance is good. If you worked out in a gym, you'd probably only spend 20-40 minutes on a cycle machine. My average ride is only around 16 miles. On weekends I have more time and can get out for longer rides. Unless you're training for racing, any distance is good distance.

cruzMOKS

Today it drizzled all day. Yesterday I didn’t ride so I wanted to ride but not too far. The
sky looked like it might turn to hard rain at any time. So I rode a hard hill route. After I go out my driveway I go up a hill about 13%. Then I go about 1/2 mile on slightly down hill then down 2 blocks on a steep hill that I will have to climb back up at the end of the ride. I go up and down some 8% to 12 % slopes.

Today I rode 4.1 miles but I was winded and my legs were tired. The hill climbing makes
up for the short distance. Tomorrow if its dry I’ll try for longer distance.

roadnsnh

I support those who say that whatever your distance, enjoy it and don't apologize. I also agree that time and effort are good measures, maybe superior to mileage, if a workout is the goal. Runners often go by time, rather than mileage. I do a lot of thirty minute rides, forty minutes, etc. I also do 80-100 milers. As to getting dressed, I always do that. I'm a runner too, and I wouldn't do that in street clothes and shoes.

The ride's the thing.

Leland

trmcgeehan

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who founded Aerobics many years ago, says all you really need is 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week. This will take care of your heart and cardio-vascular health. He classifies vigorous as getting your heart rate up to 75% of your maximum. So a half hour ride, if you put out some effort, is very much worth it.

Trekke

If 10 miles or less were not worth the effort then I would not be riding at all today. When I frst started riding, after extensive knee surgery in Feb 2001, I only rode 3-4 miles each day. Gradually made it to 6, then to 10 while never leaving my subdivision. Now I average 25-30 miles a day and longer rides on weekends however still enjoy the short rides very much on occasion. When I don't have much time available I get out the old hybrid I started with (about 20 yrs old) and just loaf around the neighborhood. This kind of ride is also good for a recovery ride day instead of laying on the couch. I also use short 6-10 mile rides the week before a big ride (century or brevet) instead of not riding at all. Days off are tricky and you really never know how you will feel on the big ride. Riding some has helped me rather than just not riding at all.

RonH

I do it 4-5 days a week -- 8.5 miles in the morning, 8.5 miles in the evening. The 8 hours in between is the unpleasant part -- working.

slide

1. Cooper had modded his claim (that's from like 30 years ago!) that shorter aerobic efforts count too. That is, you DO get benefit from less than 20 minutes. Of course, longer is better.
2. For some of us, 10 miles was a significant goal. That includes me so I'm sort of baffled by this thread. It strikes me as being rather elitist.

KeithA

Yes, it's going to be skewed on a board dedicated to cycling and, in the end, to fitness as well. The general public would say, "Wow!!!" to riding 10 miles. Nonetheless, 10 miles is, imo, excellent exercise, especially after a long day at work. The benefits seem obvious to me. You are being active. You're not sitting around being a couch potato stuffing your face. And, most importantly to me personally, you're out in the fresh air having fun. Psychologically, that leads to personal satisfaction and is a great stress dumper.

Hey, I've even done five miles and felt I've accomplished something.

DnvrFox

Current thinking:

3 10 minute aerobic sessions = the value of one 30 minute session.

And, that is about all you need to meet the current thinking on aerobic fitness for the general population.