So my usual routine during the week is to come home from work, grab a few handfuls of trail mix and ride my hybrid ~ 15 miles. I just started this a few weeks ago and really enjoy it but I have been building up my endurance and would like to go further, but I'm running out of daylight. I don't really want to use lights as the roads I ride are pretty busy.

I have a weight vest that can go from 5-40 lbs and I was thinking of wearing it to maximize my workout instead of riding longer. Has anybody tried this and if so what did you think? Kinda worried that I might screw up my back or something. TIA.

Ride faster.

This.

Adding a bunch of weight would make riding suck. Ride faster if you want to maximize your effort.

I read somewhere that ankle or wrist weights for running was bad for some reason, not sure if similar reasons would apply to cycling with a weight vest.

it does stink when we lose daylight. you might consider other forms of exercise for the winter such as an indoor trainer or a 6 month gym membership

Weight only matters when accelerating or climbing, really. When you're at speed, it doesn't matter nearly as much. It takes a lot of weight to matter. Maybe 40lbs will do it. But it'll make your ride suck, because the vest is going to block the evaporative cooling you get from moving at a decent speed. Ride faster, or find hills to go up.

This.

And pretty soon you're going to run completely out of daylight. Get a set of rollers with resistance, a big box fan, and get all the workout you can use.
https://www.sportcrafters.com/produc...ve-pro-rollers

These things last almost forever. I've had my rollers for 15+ years. Best investment, other than a bike, I've ever made.

Switch from endurance to HIIT with a series of hard sprints over a shorter ride. IMHO it is good to mix things up a bit rather than doing the same old routine for extended periods. Winter is a great time to work on increasing VO2 max with shorter but more intense training rides. Hill repeats or wind sprints are good places to start. I also like to add some extra cross training including more resistance training with free weights and/or machines.

Steepest local hill 4-5 time in one ride. Then ride home again. Your legs will thank you.

Thanks all. I think hills are the way to go and I've started to seek them out. I usually do a P90X hybrid workout during the fall/winter, but on weekends I will be biking to get a better mix,.

I don't understand why everyone in this thread so far is against a weight vest on a bike. I've done something similar with a backpack full of random weights (which I don't recommend for more than 5-10 miles at a time, I had to do that because I'm just out of college and very poor) and it's a killer workout. Weights vests are great because they add intensity to almost any movement (especially vertical stuff) and they distribute the weight much better than my ghetto setup. It's reasonable to be worried about your back, though, so start at 10-15 lbs or so to be safe and then add weight from there gradually. But really, they're great even to use on a walk and I fully plan on purchasing a proper one when I have the money.

I guarantee you that no one on BF is maxing out his effort on the bike such that a weight vest is necessary to add intensity. It probably won't hurt you, but it really isn't necessary.

No one is saying that adding weight wouldn't make the workout harder, just that it would make riding less enjoyable and there are better ways to add intensity i.e. ride faster or ride fast up hills.

Hiking is a legitimate use of a weight vest, since your back is upright. When your back is bent over and rounded a little, not as smart. Just ride harder and find steeper hills -- that's free!

If you want a workout, load some panniers up with a bunch of weights and go climb some hills. 40 pounds bent over a bike sounds like a great way to make a fun activity miserable. You could just climb long(er), steep(er) hills, or simply ride faster (as previously suggested). Any of these will increase the amount of work you're doing, which makes the workout harder.

Rode about 13 miles and then hit a fairly steep, though not long hill at a local country club. Up and down 4 times and standing on the pedals was the charm. My quads were a bit sore which they have not been on any of my rides yet (most was 28 miles), though I've only been riding for 4 or 5 weeks. I really felt good at the end. Thanks for the tips.

Gman, you jogged a memory loose. I rode a supported tour on teh Blue Ridge Parkway (which has some hills) a few years back. One of the riders lived in Florida (which doesn't have many hills). His training was to ride up a bridge over the Inland Waterway, loop back under the bridge on a bike path, and repeat. And repeat. It must have worked, because that 70 foot climb did get him ready for 3,000-7,000 feet of climbing every day.

Now we're talkin'! One of the best things for my biking fitness was to build a fixed-gear bike, which necessitated standing on the pedals for climbs.

Put cyclocross tires on my tourer and carried 20kg of water and gear. That makes for a serious workout up the hills.