NOS88

I'm serious about my riding, but wouldn't consider myself hardcore. To use a parallel example from the music world. My youngest son is a fairly decent guitar player, can play a bit of violin, and can sight read music (something I could never do); these days he plays guitar two to three hours every day. When he first started studying music I showed him an interview with the Jazz violinist Jean Luc Ponty who said, "My day revolves around music - from when I first get up in the morning until after the sun goes down." I showed him an interview with guitarist George Benson who simply stated, "If you practice six or more hours every day, you get to be a pretty good guitar player." I showed him yet another interview with the rock guitarist Ted Nugent where Ted says, "Practice until your fingers bleed. Then you know you're on to something." My son thinks Benson, Ponty, and Nugent are all hardcore, but that he's more of a laid back musician. When it comes to cycling, I'm more like my son, and less like Benson, Ponty or Nugent.

Part of my point is, that to be really hardcore means things like training six or more hours a day, riding until you can suffer no more, and making it the focal point of your life. Hardcore is a very different place than where my ego would sometimes like to delude me into thinking I am.

Allegheny Jet

I rode in at least 25 races last year and put over 7,500 miles on the bike training and racing. I guess I'm hardcore, however I enjoy most every minute of it which includes a lot of thinking about cycling while off the bike. Most of my life I have had the need to entrain myself into a sport.

badger1

I had to vote 'between.' Really, though, I don't know how to answer. I suspect we most of us who populate these boards are somewhat-serious cyclists, else we wouldn't be here agonizing over questions like this

Anyway, a 'tweener profile, FWIW:

1. Have only one bike: casual
1(a). Constantly upgrading/fiddling with/maintaining that one bike
2. Obsess over bikes in general; the 'scene': serious (or seriously disturbed)
3. Ride pretty much every day/everywhere March through December: serious
4. Avoid ice/snow: casual
5. Use a modified mtb for road riding and off-road: casual/Fred
6. Always wear dedicated cycling clothing: serious/poseur
7. Bought a bike computer, used it for about 3 weeks, got rid of it: casual
8. What's a heart-rate monitor?: casual
9. I know what 'training' is, but d___ed if I could ever dedicate myself to it, let alone race: casual
10. I do "look" like a serious cyclist (i.e. body type/shape, general fitness [according to doc.] etc.): serious, but
11. that's by default, an incidental result of the fact I just like to ride a bike.
12. I do have grand illusions of long-distance on/off road tours: serious (or seriously self-deluding).

That's about it.

CrankyFranky

Dividing line for me is my failing cartilage. Used to be much more serious before major joints and upper/lower spine started yelling at me.

Barrettscv 

I would describe myself as hardcore from March to December. My winter is my off-season and I don't like training indoors.

I rode 5000 miles last year and I keep three bikes in rotation. I'll commute, take fitness rides and ride with a younger & faster group to improve my conditioning. I hope to ride 200 miles/week and complete 10 century rides during the next 8 months.

I'm motivated to remain fit as a 50+ individual. It's a fun and accessible form of recreation and I like the people I've met through riding. I also like the bicycle as a form of art and engineering.

Michael

leob1

Too casual to give an answer.

closetbiker

I'm a hard core commuter, casual errand runner, and former hard core weekend warrior relegated to weekend stress reliever.

BigBlueToe

I'm an enthusiastic cyclist.

mkane77g

10,000 a year, change my vote to in-between then. Thats a lot of miles. I do 250-300miles a week, except in the winter. Retirement makes this an easy task, also making my wife jealous.

bobbycorno

Yeah, I'm pretty hardcore. Randonneurs pretty much gotta be. But train hard? No. I ride a lot, and I ride hard a significant part of the time. I use a heart rate monitor (mostly to keep from riding TOO hard). I have a cyclocomputer with cadence and altimeter (and I pay attention to both). I'd like to try a power meter. I keep track of how long my morning commutes take (39:37 this morning for 12 mi). I do carefully choreographed trainer workouts when I can't get out and ride. But I don't do spin classes, lift weights or follow a structured training program. Tried that back in my racing days, and while the results were gratifying, it took all the fun out of cycling for me - made it too much like work. So I'm back to riding a lot, training pretty randomly and enjoying it. And for me, that's what it's about.

SP
Bend, OR

Neil_B

I still don't understand the definition, if any, of "hardcore." It seems to vary from person to person.

bobbycorno

That ain't casual, that's self-preservation. Prior to my 20+ mph fall on icy chipseal this winter (), I might have thought otherwise.

SP
Bend,OR

George

When I start out on my ride, I tell myself to take it easy, but it never happens. So I voted where I'm devoted to cycling and I do train hard. I just can't to get to where I can just pedal around and take it easy. I asked a friend of mine if he thought I had a type A personality. He laughed and said no, maybe a B+. Anyhow I do enjoy myself going as fast as I can. Maybe when I get older, I'll slow down. Wait! I'm still slow now, but I'm trying to be faster.

NOS88

OK, let us work toward a standard definition. I propose the following:

Hardcore is a term used by individuals who make a substantial investment in a defined activity. They believe their investment to be significantly more than the average person participating in the same activity. They carry a level of pride for the investment they make, and often times feel the investment require sacrifice on their part. Finally, they believe that this investment pays dividends in a level of performance they could not achieve without being "hardcore".

badger1

Cheers, mate -- I feel better about myself now I know precisely what you mean; I stopped trying that (riding in winter when roads are iced/snowed up) three years ago when I took a nice fall/came very close to fracturing a hip -- no thanks! Part of 'serious Badger' is a determination to continue riding till I (a) physically cain't ride no more or (b) turn me toes up; given my relatively fragile bones, any major break might mean the loss of a season or more -- not worth the risk.

stapfam

Up till 96 I would have considered myself hardcore. Only did one ride a year but the training for that meant plenty of miles- plenty of hills and plenty of Gym work just to be able to be fit enough to do that one ride. So for 100 miles and 12 hours I used to do about 6,000 hard miles in training .

And up till last year I still kept up the training without the ride. Finally realised that the body just can't take the knocks any longer so I now consider myself a wimp of a roadie that is struggling to stay fit.

Roll on Summer.

Phil85207

Sounds good to me. I am just under the definition then. Although if you talked to the wife you would get a different answer.

Bud Bent

+1

I rode 7,500 miles last year, so I can't call myself casual, but I'm not training for races these days.

Booger1

I'm just a guy without a car that enjoys riding bikes.Whatever that is,that's me.

cruzMOKS

Compared to some on these forums there is no way that I'm hard core. But some have asked me if I am going to race in the Tour de France. So I guess it depends on your perspective.

Mr. Beanz

Casual. Anywhere from 4000-7300 miles the last 14 years or so. But I ride for fun so it's casual. I will do a 10,000 ft organized century once a year just to test myself.

My wife does over 3,000 a year. Casual riding on the trail, sometimes with forum people.

mustang1

I've gone from being a training/fun rider to being a commuter/fun rider.
I voted "not serious"

unixpro

I don't race or train or try to go faster than everyone else. However, I'm out there on days when everyone else is inside dry and warm. I ride 36 miles/day, 4-5 days/week. I'm slow, fat, old, and cranky, but I still ride.

zonatandem

Investment of time has been worth it.
After 300,000+ miles of pedaling, am still healthy, knees/joints are fine; at age 77 weigh in at 135 lbs. Still ride +/- 100 miles a week. Just checked my pulse and got 54 bpm.
In $$? It's an investment in my continued good health . . .
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem

DX-MAN

YOU STOLE MY ANSWER. For that, you must,.... ah, hell, I dunno.