It's easy, cycle faster, cycle further, maybe find a park with some hills, enjoy the sense of freedom that cycling can give you.

Life's hard enough with out attaching weights to your ankles.

^^ Just realised there's no "Thanks" button.
Thanks for the advice, as I get steadier on 2 wheels I'll certainly heed it!

Cycling can be as easy or hard as you make it. If you're sticking to pathways and flat city streets with lots of stoplights and an average speed of 10MPH, it's going to be easy.

I also work from home and have a daily "lunch ride". Either road, mountain or cyclocross I average ~1:30 or riding time, 1000-1700 feet of climbing and 20-25 miles. With mountain biking, I do more like 10-15 miles, depending on time constraints. My average speed, including the tough climbs and fast descends with everything in between is around 15MPH.

I usually go see my clients in the evening, so I have to be back within a reasonable time frame.

Seriously, go do hills or sprints with your current bike and report back if biking is still "easy".

Dont deflate your tires, wear weights or any of that stuff - just go hit some hills.

I live in florida...no hills

Have a larger wheel in the front. You will have a hill all the time.

Ride a bicycle with a dynamo in the front wheel, and a internal gear hub in the rear wheel. Or a IGH which contains a dynamo. Then constantly ride with lights on, and charge your mobile at the same time.

Removing the chain is a sure way to make the riding more difficult.

Sprint intervals on flat, then.

Riding uphill is a surefire way to make biking harder! Small inclines but my friend and I were sapped. So, need a harder bike experience? Tackle hills as advised here.

Today, I went for a ride with a friend in Dalgety Bay - beautiful BTW, it was a lovely ride. My first proper ride!

Single speed folder.

One of the replies here said it would not make any difference if u added ankle weights, what you are really doing is adding weight to the bike. After reading that, I took off the weights and put them on my carrier thus increasing the weight of the bike.. I am now pedeling a 48 pound bike and I have the same effect as when I had the ankle weights. I am riding the same route faster now with the heavier bike. When I do my next centruy I will take the weights off the bike (If I can remember ha ha)..at my age I forget things sometimes...

What is a Pugsley??? Isnt that a dog breed???

Be careful of your knees. Too much abuse and you will pay for the rest of your life. If your knees are in good shape, keep them that way by "spinning more". Lots of readers have had self-inflicted knee problems that HAVE NOT gone away.

I dont need to worry about knees, Im pushing 71, Im sure they will hold up until the end...lol

Fill tires with water rather than air .. overfilling them with tire sealant,
like 'Slime' is pretty close to that, water is cheap [unless privatized& Bottled]


No , Pugsley was a character in the Addams Family. [cartoon in papers then Film and TV.]
A right on seasonal theme mid-late October..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Addams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Add..._and_Wednesday

If I wanted to make my biking harder first thing I'd do is eliminate all the maintenance hassles:
-Switch to airless tires.
-Stiff heavy rims with stiff heavy spokes.
-Indestructible steel frame.
-Drum brakes front and rear.
-Fixed or single speed gearing.
-Dynamo to charge electronics.
-Recumbent seat for comfort (maybe a recumbent trike?).
-Roof for weather protection.

If that still doesn't make it hard enough then just adjust the brakes until they rub and if necessary just ride with the brakes fully engaged all the time. However, if you try this then you'll definitely need drum brakes because rim/disc brake pads don't last long enough.

I know I'm late to this thread, but this is a great idea and so simple I can only say, "Duh, I shoulda known that!" The reason I say so is because I just got my bike outta the shop after $150 worth of mods to change out the entire crank assembly and rear cassette for slightly bigger gears up front. I ride outside in the lowest gear (the hardest one to pedal) for my workout and had max'ed out the bike. The new gears give me another 20% resistance, but I need more. The ankle weights are a great idea. I needed a new crank assembly anyway, though, as I had worn out the biggest front sprocket and the smallest one one the rear.

Thanks,
Greg

Greg, Welcome to the fold.

That is OK, Necro-posting is a time honored tradition for newcomers.

The hardest to pedal is generally referred to as the highest gear.


What bike do you have?

Put your bike on a quality bike trainer and ride that during your breaks. A good quality trainer should have built-in adjustable resistance, and each of your gears will offer additional levels of resistance. It's probably not as fun, but it would definitely be harder.

Necro-posting... that's funny... and true! I was searching for exactly what this topic offered, so rather than start a new one, I raised this one from the dead.

Highest gear - got it. I always thought of highest gear like a motorcycle - the one you switch to to go the fastest... which makes sense now .

I've got a Schwinn something-or-another 21-speed mountain bike with big knobby tires, though I am strictly a road rider.

Thanks for your reply.
Greg

Good point, though I prefer the movement outdoors... and I guess, the dodging of traffic to avoid becoming roadkill Anyway, point taken... might provide some relief from ultra cold winters, which we did not have this year.
Thanks for your reply.
Greg

You need the right machine for the job. Reworking existing equipment to do the opposite it was designed for, is a tough route. This is my fix:
www.harderbikes.com

A custom ordered and carefully engineered fix-gear out of the same shop:
https://publicbounty.com/

Add more weight to it, or carry a lot rocks in a backpack.

Get a set of rollers. Learning to balance on rollers is quite a challenge, but they do wonders for improving your balance and pedal stroke. After using rollers for one hour, take a ride outside on your bike, you will notice a difference.

Riding rollers can give you an intense workout, and you can use them to ride indoors on rainy days. I set my rollers up in front of the television and watch movies. Old Martial Arts movies are the best, but Tour videos and such will work.