After a long rebuild, my tandem finally came back home last month. It was an incredible joy to ride out in the coast hills with my wife during the past month. These were some of the best times I have had on or off a bike in years. Two days ago we discovered that we had sheared the stoker's seat tube right off the bottom bracket. At the moment, I'm not having fun. Of course, I know we get to do it all over again after it is repaired.

I'm eagerly anticipating my arrival at the point where the cycling itself will be fun. Right now, I'm out of shape and at best it's just at parity in terms of the actual riding. The fun comes once I'm done and can say, "I finished <whatever>". But hopefully as I improve, it will become (more?) fun. I certainly have no intention of stopping...

I have fun riding and will continue doing it for a number of reasons including the health benefits. For me every ride has purpose weather for recovery, training, riding with buddies it's all good. I've added mountain biking to the menu last year and don't have enough time for all the riding I'd like to do. I used to love fishing but after many years no one else wanted to go fishing and it became a solitary venture. Now days I like fishing and still do fish if someone invites me or when we are at our cabin and family or friends come along. Getting up at the crack of dawn and being on the river casting lures in the fog is cool, but just not my passion any more. I do still love ice fishing and don't need anybody else to slow me down when I'm on a frozen Lake Erie 10 miles from shore.

This reminds me of the little joke about the guy going to the doctor and banging his head against the wall....

headbanger: "my head hurts"
doctor: stop banging your head
headbanger: but it feels so good when I'm done

I'm going out for what could be the last ride of the season any moment now...which also means I wont have the legs I had over the peak of summer and my mind just wont accept that. Tomorrow will hurt a little bit.

I often get what I call the "turnaround" phenomenon. I'm enjoying the ride, and the weather and the views, but soon after I turnaround to go home, it all changes to just getting there. I'm counting the hills and wishing I was already home and sitting on the couch.

I was thinking just this morning, that the commute seemed to routine. 473 trips, to or from the office. At times I'm just getting from A to B and shut it all out, just like driving. But usually it's still fun. It's always less fun if I don't ride, and that's the insidious part about it that we don't usually tell new commuters.

The first few months I cycled I loathed it. Fun didn't even factor into the equation, and I disagree with the idea that it always should. Sometimes you need to achieve something or better yourself, or discover for yourself something new. It can be fun but doesn't have to be, and often isn't. It wasn't until 3 or 4 months later that I was in shape enough to realize that I had grown to enjoy it.

I could be wrong, but I think one of Hermes' points is falling through the cracks. Part of what he is saying is that people tend to think you have to ride the way they ride in order to have fun, and that is just not the case. Most of the people who say that are those with the "take it slow and enjoy the scenery" approach. In fact, I've never seen a rider who really pushes it say that you need to push it to have fun. Hermes is having fun when he is pushing his limits training, and also when he is pushing them even further in a race. He isn't just enjoying the benefits of the training, he is enjoying the training itself. Look at pictures of him and his wife at the track. They are having a blast! You don't have to be a masochist to enjoy the "pain" of training hard. The entire process of improving your performance is fun, including both the hardships of training, and the affirmation you get from the accomplishments it enables. I think that is what Hermes is saying. That, of course doesn't mean that it's the same for you.

If I have it right, I wholeheartedly agree with him. Really hard rides are fun for me, especially if they are a race, or a competitive group ride. There have been rides I didn't enjoy. When I started commuting on a hibrid, and was still over 220#, I started breaking a spoke a week, and I had a lot of flats. I often wanted to throw my bike in the canal I commuted along. Then I got a new rear wheel, and life was good. Then I got a road bike. I found my passion, the weight melted off, and life became great.

Every ride is fun.

+1. In fact, while you were typing this i was posting similar sentiments in the "setting goals" thread.

For me, fun is fine when it occurs, but the key is to keep riding regardless. As they say, "when people ride bikes good things happen." Many of those things, in my experience, require frequency and consistency. Sometimes that is more work than fun and my body seems to respond best to riding five days a week. Everyone's goals are different. I'm not saying mine are better than anyone else's, but while I would love for every ride to be fun, they aren't and I'm riding anyway. Sometimes I hate this sport. Sometimes I love it. Crack addicts may have similar mood swings.

So, the other day I was meeting friends for a ride and it was a day where it would be nice, then ten minutes later be raining. No problem I decided to take my older steel bike with full fenders. As I went to lift the bike up on the roof of the car I was reminded that steel is real......REAL HEAVY!!! I'm use to putting my CF bike up there, no problem, it's as light as a feather, but this thing almost broke my back. I was NOT having fun!!! Old fashion steel bikes, old fashion tube materials....not fun.

Many years ago I used to hate hills. Look on them now as a challenge and the lift I get when they are over is tremendous. So why do I hate those long drawn out 3 to 5% drags that never seem to end?

No idea. Perfect, as far as I am concerned. Find the right gear, get into a rhythm, barrel up them with your HR in the 150s, best feeling you can have on a bike.

Fun = Cold, Wet, Tired, Hungry, 20+ miles to the cabin, not another human in miles and miles, the boat is stuck and it is getting dark. Now That is having fun.

Fun today was a 30 mph very gusty head and side wind blowing me all over the trail as I lumbered alonG on my recumbent at about 6 miles per hour. Yep, took me an hour for 6 miles on a slight upgrade with those winds, AND I ENJOYED IT - VERY MUCH!!

Um, This is I am NOT having fun thread. The fact you rode a recumbent in a 30 mph gusty wind for 6 miles is unremarkable. What is your point?

Um. Is there a bicycle involved here? If this your idea of fun, great, this is the I am not having fun thread.

Geez - I guess I got my threads mixed up. My sincerest apologies for intruding. Have a great evening!

Come on Big D what is your point? You are the make sure you have fun guy. Is riding a recumbent supposed to be hard but you still had fun?

Disagree with "if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it". Most of my rides are fun, but today I was reminded that riding upwind in the rain really sucks. Still going to keep doing it, because my bikes represent my exercise regime, my independence from both public transit and the infernal combustion engine, and my money saver.

Well, they will be a money saver again after I've earned back the money spent getting my latest, used road bike into shape. That'll be a while. But the general point stands.

OOPS, guess I got confused and didn't know it. I'm told that is a problem in old age.

Hey, you sure know how to NOT have fun.