novumcollegium

So, I'm relatively new to cycling and I'm still trying to decide if it's something I would like to continue doing on a regular basis and at what level I would like to pursue it at. I think a lot of this surfaced after a particularly scary day on the road yesterday- I was nearly hit twice, in addition to ignoring various awful things that drivers yell during each ride. I think riding with a group would definitely help with having more of a noticeable presence on the road- as well as meeting and befriending other cyclists- and I would definitely like to give group rides a try. For me, the draw comes in the manifold challenges that cycling presents- hills, mileage, wind, navigating through traffic- and getting to know my body all the better each time out. Yet, one might say that ultimate frisbee or jogging might have similar effects. How did everyone here decide that cycling is "for them" and at which level they felt most comfortable pursuing it? A fantastic day to you!

alanbikehouston

Ride every day...every single day...each of your questions will answer themselves in time.

Learn WHERE to ride. If you ride through narrow residential streets full of parked cars, kids and joggers, you will be treated with courtesy by drivers. In contast, if you ride on four lane roads, or roads where the flow of traffic is above 35 mph, you are viewed as an "obstacle", and many drivers will find ways to convey that to you.

In most communities, there are windows where most of the "jerk" motorists are not on the road. In my neighborhood, that is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on weekdays, around 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on weekends, and from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the evenings.

Avoid busy roads with heavy and fast flowing traffic during the times the jerks hold their mass rallies: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

50mph

Ultimate frisbee is awesome fun and will get you in better shape for biking too. You don't have to give up ultimate to get into biking. It sounds like you've got the bug, there's no logic better then what you've already said to explain the merits of cycling.

jsharr

Bought a road bike on a whim in college, and got hooked. High school football took it's toll on my knees, so running is not fun for me, cycling is much easier on my knees. I ride purely on a recreational, fitness level. Never raced. Most of my riding is done on the street and a large portion of that is at night these days. Strange though, in 20 + years of road riding, I do not have a single instance of a confrontation with an automobile coming to mind. Sure, there have been those times when someone did not see me, etc., but never an instance where I felt like a target.

TexasGuy

If its not your thing its not your thing. Feel free to move on to something else. Hopefully you did not invest too much money into it that you can't recoup.

For me I started cycling because a year of sedentary life after the car accidnet had left my heart and body in an extremely weak condition. It was painful to start but I continued riding because I liked the improvemnets I saw. I now ride because I find it to be fun and its the one place I can just go and be myself. You just kind of know that cycling is for you. And you realize you're addicted when you don't go out on a day you are supposed to and you feel all wired up.

Some advice that I will share is that if traffic is a problem or a challenge of any sort then I would personally tell you not to cycle. Traffic is a problem you will always lose out on.

But the bottom line that i should stress is you need to look at it and determine whether its too dangerous or risky. This is something that is based upon what you are willing to risk and how much your life, or your ability to move pain or some-what pain free means to you and the current surroundings. If it isn't - then move on. There are more things in this world to do.

richardmasoner

Hello Novum. That's like Latin for "Newbie" isn't it ;-)

Riding with others probably will help tremendously. Equally useful to help with confidence on the road is to take an LCI "Road 1" class. If your local bike shop or advocacy group can't help you out, you can find instructors at

https://www.bikeleague.org/instructors/byState.cfm?s=FL

I think you've missed the classes in Florida this year, but if you contact the instructors listed on the calendar or the LAB website perhaps they can tell you of more resources.

I've been riding on the road since I was about 10 years old so I'm pretty much used to everything out there. I'm still insanely hooked to the activity.

RFM

TexasGuy

Same here. I was lightly ran off by a diesel truck while climbing the startsville hill, and i've had a few bottles thrown at me and a few honks and that really is the extent of my malcontent from the owners of the road. I guess I should feel lucky that I lived in a place where for the most part most people just ignored me. It pains me to move into San Antonio

bigskymacadam

i used to train for and run marathons for fitness. since cycling, my overall fitness has certainly improved. i like that. i ride because it keeps me honest with my workouts and i like dorking out all the equipment. with running, it was an hrm, singlet, and shoes. cycling has a lot more options!

chroot

If you really get yelled at and attacked by motorists on -every- ride, you're either riding in the wrong places, or you're really just doing something wrong. Certainly, some ocassional traffic confrontation is normal -- it happens even while driving a car -- but it should be a rare occurence. Can you tell us more about where, when, and how you're riding? Maybe you can just make a few small changes and alleviate most of the grief.

- Warren

va_cyclist

Why cycling? Because I've been doing it my entire life, and it was the only athletic thing I was even close to being good at as a kid.

noisebeam

1. This is great if you can do it. Where I live the residential streets go nowhere, they are trapped in a 1x1mi grid of aterial streets and designed to make thru travel annoying at best.
2. Bike commuting is a great way to get cycling in a week. Without commuting I wouldn't keep motivated to cycle. But that means riding during those hours that you list as worst.

I find as a solo rider on the busy streets during rush hour the single most important thing to make it safe is to behave like a vehicle and follow all the laws.

Group rides on weekends are a whole different story... Then (6am mornings) the roads are often empty and the group dynamic means you become the most obvious and large thing on the road and this leads to things you never do when riding solo, rules get bent, chances get taken. Group rides may be fun and easy, but unless its a group highly focused on traffic skills (some are, but most are focused on 'racing' skills) then you don't learn how to best/safest ride in traffic.

Al

ke422azn22

cycling is good because, it increases aerobic oxidation, and cellular break down from free radicals. It also increase chances of hemorroids, as well as decreased bloodflow to the testicles.

i have to cycle because my sponsors pay me to.

H2OChick

Hey novumcollegium, please ignore certain obnoxious replies... you'll soon discover that the forums are filled with many friendly, helpful, albeit opinionated people - but there are a few that don't fit that mold... 'nuf said.

I'm new to cycling as well, after years and years of being into other sports. I like it because it's easier on the joints than lots of other things, because you get to cover lots of territory and see lots of things, because you can do it alone or with friends, because you do it outside, and because it's a great workout with nice fringe benefits (nice legs.)

It's definitely got a component of risk, but it's a calculated risk. Riding with other people will help you learn certain useful skills as well as routes that are safer than others. I'm a pretty cautious person by nature, but I've found over the past few months that my confidence is increasing in lots of different ways as I gain more experience. Now I really try to carve out time to ride and I try to figure out ways to ride longer and farther (within the limits of my family-life.) One thing that was really helpful was to go riding with a friend of mine who is a pro - he taught me quite a bit over a pretty short ride.

Good luck. Give it a try - I hope you like it!

caloso

Not to get all zen on you, but you do not choose the bicycle. The bicycle chooses you.

Blackberry

A few reasons I ride borrowed from the pens of others:

A bicycle is the long-sought means of transportation for all of us who have runaway hearts.
--Lance Armstrong

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.
--Iris Murdoch

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.
--Elizabeth West


Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
--John F. Kennedy

Chucklehead

hmm..
early 80's heavy metal bmx racer-turned-bmx freestyle rider. saw american flyers and tour de france, then became heavy metal road cyclist trying to emulate greg lemond and andy hampsten.
for me, riding has always primarily been about having the ability to defeat self-doubt. don't think you can do it today? go do it anyway. that sort of thing.

all forms of cycling carries an inherent risk, but so does dog-walking. that's why i carry a big metal flashlight.

djgonzo007

I enjoy cycling bcz it allows me to be outside and breathe "fresh air" while exercising. I used to run but that really beats on my knees and shins too much to do for long periods of time. Also, with cycling I can travel a greater distance and at a faster speed than when I'm running so that keeps me entertained in a way.

I ride early in the morning (around 6am) to avoid heavy traffic and try to stay off busy roads to limit potential hazards.

Shooter

Since you're in Sarasota, there are group rides on Long Boat Key a few nights a week. I believe Monday is for beginners/ intermediate, & Wed or Thurs are for the experienced. Don't know where you bought the bike, but check with Bikesenjava, near Sarasota Hospital. They'll hook you up with different group rides. They also do Sunday AM rides. Good luck.

-titanium-

ultimate frisbee lol whilst im sure going by the pictures i looked at online it is fairly vigirous excersize, its nothing like cycling, or for that matter jogging, i think the worst part would be when you get talkign to some one new especialy a girl, and you tell each other your intrests and you say "i like to play frisby 8 hours a week"lol

simplyred

I choose it because it's a small [in the fantastic world of /insert generic sport channel/] sport - highly underrated; as are most other intensive sports that deserve more recognition: rowing for example - you're watching people suffer.

I am a masochist at heart; I enjoy suffering to a certain extent. I find that cycling allows me to suffer w/o actually doing damage to my body. Training/LT Intervals/Hills are all reasons that allowed me to become a better person.

I'm not really at a level as of yet, nor do I plan to be persay, - I'm not a fierce enough competitor to win; I have no killer instinct, but I am willing to undergo intense training to go as fast as the pro's do.
Why? Because being able to blast down a flat @ 60 kph at your whim is a very engaging and empowering experience. To fly past 300hp/3000 lb machines in the local roads makes you feel pretty damn good.

So I guess the equation for simplyred the cyclist is:
loves underdogs + masochist + speed demon = cyclist

If your interests reflect those of many cyclists; then... you know it's for you.

rmwun54

I would say that cycling is one of those things that has become a way of life with me. It began with a Shwinn Sting Ray at 11 years old and then onto a 10 speed by the time I was 21. Then when I was 30 I had a serious knee injury and that was the clincer that convinced me to ride a lot. It was one of the best rehab fitness that I had became involved with. It was at the time the only thing I was able to do without irritating my knee, anything else like standing or walking was too painful. Then at 40 I started riding in group rides and that really challenged me to up my level of riding. By then I had decided to buy my first real road bike and continued to ride 100 miles a week for three years. Now I ride just twice a week on the bicycle paths and on fire roads, and I also ride to the store, and to any place that is within 20 miles to visit family and friends. I have four bikes and pretty much ride everyone of them for different situations. A touring bike, a road bike, a mtb, and a cyclocross. My motivation for riding is just the feeling of getting out into the environment and enjoying the moment. It's has become a zen thing for me when I ride. The beauty of cycling is that it is a very low impact type of fitness that is very easy on the body especially as one gets older. Also it is a kind of fitness that is adventurous, challenging, and fun all at the same time.

dfw

Knowledge, experience, and skill allows you to avoid dangerous situations. Most of that comes from knowing where to ride, and how to ride. Drivers who yell at you are inevitable, so get used to it. I look at it this way. Any driver who yells at you doesn't exercise on a regular basis, if ever. They also have no class, no good sense, and probably breathe out of their mouth most of the time. I pity them just as I would any other human pile of garbage. A driver who yells at you is generally not a threat because they obviously see you. It's the ones who don't see you that you have to worry about.

I broke my ankle years ago, so any type of high impact exercise is pretty much out for me. But even if you have no injuries, high impact exercise takes a toll on your body over time. Most people will have to decrease their level of high impact exercise when they get older out of necessity. Biking is one of those things you can do pretty much at the same amount for almost your entire life. I know a guy in his late 70's that still gets in around 100 miles per week. I'm sure there are a lot of people his age doing the same. I'm not so sure there are all that many people his age who run for that many hours.

telenick

Cycling helps pass the time until the snow begins to fall. Then it's time to ski.

Skiing helps pass the time until the roads begin to dry. Then it's time to cycle.

There are time that I ski and cycle in the same day. Life is good.

webist

I became convinced exercise was necessary for health. Cycling provides that.
Cycling (and careful eating) has made me 60 pounds smaller.
I quit smoking so that I'd cycle better.
I use it to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
Can't run.
Cycling is an activity which I can do either with partners, or alone.
Progress is easily measurable.
I enjoy cycling.

VeganRider

Started cycling to keep myself from going back to my old ways. Doctor told me my heart was extremely strong and would let me continue my bad habits to the point of lung cancer or lugging an oxygen tank around. Use to smoke and have lots of drug abuse. Figured if I spent a large enough amount of money on something like a bicycle I could never justify going back to my old ways; that's why I own a Litespeed titanium bike. For the past five years now I've been trying to improve myself in every way, got into swimming, diet, general health. I feel cycling saved my life; now I enjoy it.