Who just rides for fun?
Discussion
I can see this being controversial, but I've recently been cycling a lot on my new gravel bike. I have a lot of loops and runs I use, as well as various places I cycle to for a coffee etc then continue on the loop.
My point is, really, that I've just been enjoying it as something fun to do, I've been paying no real attention to ride stats (despite using a Garmin) and I've got no real desire to start chasing times. I'm pretty competitive, in other sporting stuff, but with the bike, it's just something fun for me and allows me to chill and have some "me time".
Anyone else like this?
My point is, really, that I've just been enjoying it as something fun to do, I've been paying no real attention to ride stats (despite using a Garmin) and I've got no real desire to start chasing times. I'm pretty competitive, in other sporting stuff, but with the bike, it's just something fun for me and allows me to chill and have some "me time".
Anyone else like this?
Edited by TheJimi on Thursday 20th August 16:54
TheJimi said:
I can see this being controversial, but I've recently been cycling a lot on my new gravel bike. I have a lot of loops and runs I use, as well as various places I cycle to for a coffee etc then continue on the loop.
My point is, really, that I've just been enjoying it as something fun to do, I've been paying no real attention to ride stats (despite using a Garmin) and I've got no real desire to start chasing times.
I'm pretty competitive, in other sporting stuff, but with the bike, it's just something fun for me and allows me to chill and have some "me time".
Anyone else like this?
Yep, that’s pretty much how I view it. ‘sMy point is, really, that I've just been enjoying it as something fun to do, I've been paying no real attention to ride stats (despite using a Garmin) and I've got no real desire to start chasing times.
I'm pretty competitive, in other sporting stuff, but with the bike, it's just something fun for me and allows me to chill and have some "me time".
Anyone else like this?
ts and giggles‘ rides, for the most part, with the odd semi serious effort now and again to maintain fitness. I’m not one for using it as a sport, I cannot be bothered with all of that malarkey.When I stop enjoying it and having fun I’ll stop riding. Doesn’t mean it’s not bloody hard work at times though that’s for sure.
Sometimes I just grab my bike, literally walk out of the door and go wherever my nose takes me. No time agenda, no set idea on distance, no Garmin checking, and 99% if the time I have a much better time than anything I have planned and monitored.
Sometimes I just grab my bike, literally walk out of the door and go wherever my nose takes me. No time agenda, no set idea on distance, no Garmin checking, and 99% if the time I have a much better time than anything I have planned and monitored.
I've loved bikes for years, having recently made the change from motorcycles to push cycles, I did it because I knew I'd enjoy it.
I do use it for fitness, I'm doing structured indoor training to get my weight down, FTP up, increase my overall pace and ability etc and I do road rides for the sheer enjoyment of it.
For me, the fitness and enjoyment of riding go hand in hand, the fitter I get, the more I enjoy it. It doesn't get easier, you just go faster, as they say, but I do recover faster and faster after hard efforts and I don't get DOMS as hard or as long-lasting as I did even as little as a few weeks ago, but I'm getting faster all the time. The overall health benefits of being lighter and fitter feel like a byproduct of doing something I actively enjoy.
That said, as much as I love riding and training, I have no interest in racing, official time trials or chasing Strava leaderboard times. I may get to the point of timing myself next year over certain routes and trying to beat my own times, but organised competition isn't something that interests me.
Maybe if Strava has some short A to B sectors near where I live it would be interesting to see how I compare to local racers with massive FTP values, but then you have the issue of people on ebikes riding the routes and posting their times as if they didn't have 500 watts of assistance.
I do use it for fitness, I'm doing structured indoor training to get my weight down, FTP up, increase my overall pace and ability etc and I do road rides for the sheer enjoyment of it.
For me, the fitness and enjoyment of riding go hand in hand, the fitter I get, the more I enjoy it. It doesn't get easier, you just go faster, as they say, but I do recover faster and faster after hard efforts and I don't get DOMS as hard or as long-lasting as I did even as little as a few weeks ago, but I'm getting faster all the time. The overall health benefits of being lighter and fitter feel like a byproduct of doing something I actively enjoy.
That said, as much as I love riding and training, I have no interest in racing, official time trials or chasing Strava leaderboard times. I may get to the point of timing myself next year over certain routes and trying to beat my own times, but organised competition isn't something that interests me.
Maybe if Strava has some short A to B sectors near where I live it would be interesting to see how I compare to local racers with massive FTP values, but then you have the issue of people on ebikes riding the routes and posting their times as if they didn't have 500 watts of assistance.
I've got a power meter on my bike, use Trainerroad, Strava, Intervals.icu etc. I'll do interval sessions and have done races. hoping that the cyclocross season happens.
But it's a lovely evening and my parents have got the kids so I'm just about to get my MTB out of the garage and find some local trails. No idea for a route yet I'll just see what takes my fancy. Nothing stopping someone doing cycling as both sport and pleasure?
But it's a lovely evening and my parents have got the kids so I'm just about to get my MTB out of the garage and find some local trails. No idea for a route yet I'll just see what takes my fancy. Nothing stopping someone doing cycling as both sport and pleasure?
I do a bit of structured stuff on trainer road - mostly in winter
I ride alone and with various groups, but don't race (haven't for over 20 years). Sometimes just short rides, sometimes all day rides with stops
I don't have any device for tracking actual real life rides. I don't have a strava account and I don't want one. It is just a ride out to me. It pleases me, so I do it.
I ride alone and with various groups, but don't race (haven't for over 20 years). Sometimes just short rides, sometimes all day rides with stops
I don't have any device for tracking actual real life rides. I don't have a strava account and I don't want one. It is just a ride out to me. It pleases me, so I do it.
Brads67 said:
Every blue moon I stop logging rides and chasing stats just to remind myself why I ride.
Mountain bike rides are purely fun. No numbers involved. (logged but pretty much ignored , apart from a few climbs)
Having to pay for Strava cured me of a lot of number crunching.
I find the extreme flakiness of my Garmin Edge 1030 tends to cure number addiction, it’s forever refusing to start. If it works ( a once in a blue moon event ) some of it’s data is useful. It’s a piece of garbage though, so I can’t rely on it:Mountain bike rides are purely fun. No numbers involved. (logged but pretty much ignored , apart from a few climbs)
Having to pay for Strava cured me of a lot of number crunching.
I ride for fun, but...
I remember when starting mtb a couple of years ago I was fairly unfit and I would get to the top of a climb and be so knackered that I couldn't enjoy the downhill.
Being fitter (both strength and aerobic) allows you to have more fun as you're not spending as much time blowing out yer arse! And it allows more speed on the flatter sections as you'll have the strength to put in the extra pedal strokes.
Couple of weeks ago I did 4 straight days riding on a trip, with over 12k ft of climbing - there's no way I would have been able to survive that trip a year ago, I would have been suffering big time.
Mastodon2 said:
For me, the fitness and enjoyment of riding go hand in hand, the fitter I get, the more I enjoy it. It doesn't get easier, you just go faster, as they say, but I do recover faster and faster after hard efforts and I don't get DOMS as hard or as long-lasting as I did even as little as a few weeks ago, but I'm getting faster all the time. The overall health benefits of being lighter and fitter feel like a byproduct of doing something I actively enjoy.
Fitness is still key and can negatively impact the amount of fun you're having. I remember when starting mtb a couple of years ago I was fairly unfit and I would get to the top of a climb and be so knackered that I couldn't enjoy the downhill.
Being fitter (both strength and aerobic) allows you to have more fun as you're not spending as much time blowing out yer arse! And it allows more speed on the flatter sections as you'll have the strength to put in the extra pedal strokes.
Couple of weeks ago I did 4 straight days riding on a trip, with over 12k ft of climbing - there's no way I would have been able to survive that trip a year ago, I would have been suffering big time.
I wish more of the road rider would venture off road more because they can be a real pita. The roads are my work place 9-5, i liken it to the equivalent of me bringing a rowing machine to someones office space and setting it up by the printer so its difficult for them to complete their work whilst im just having fun. Hope that weren't controversial.
A500leroy said:
I wish more of the road rider would venture off road more because they can be a real pita. The roads are my work place 9-5, i liken it to the equivalent of me bringing a rowing machine to someones office space and setting it up by the printer so its difficult for them to complete their work whilst im just having fun. Hope that weren't controversial.
Maybe you should get a bike and try using the roads for there intended purposes, going from one place to another. Like cyclists do.You don't own the roads mate, and no one cares if you earn a living on them.
I earned a living at sea but I didn't claim it as mine.
A500leroy said:
I wish more of the road rider would venture off road more because they can be a real pita. The roads are my work place 9-5, i liken it to the equivalent of me bringing a rowing machine to someones office space and setting it up by the printer so its difficult for them to complete their work whilst im just having fun. Hope that weren't controversial.
There is always one.Some of us ride on the roads because we like the bike to go where we are pointing it rather than sideways and I don't need to cart all that suspension around.
A road might be your workplace but to everyone else it is a PUBLIC highway. If you can't cope with having the general public in your place of work go work somewhere that isn't accessible to the public.
TheJimi said:
Anyone else like this?
I uninstalled Strava from my phone around 3 years ago and haven’t looked back. I bought a cheap bike computer and just use that as a rough guide for distances ridden over a year period.I never look at average speeds any more and I ride purely for fun.
IJWS15 said:
A500leroy said:
I wish more of the road rider would venture off road more because they can be a real pita. The roads are my work place 9-5, i liken it to the equivalent of me bringing a rowing machine to someones office space and setting it up by the printer so its difficult for them to complete their work whilst im just having fun. Hope that weren't controversial.
There is always one.Some of us ride on the roads because we like the bike to go where we are pointing it rather than sideways and I don't need to cart all that suspension around.
A road might be your workplace but to everyone else it is a PUBLIC highway. If you can't cope with having the general public in your place of work go work somewhere that isn't accessible to the public.
Fun yes all the time.
I have been riding for 55 years, Strava has only been around recently for me. The recording of rides and sharing within the club, bunch of mates really, is all I’m interested in.
I have some age related KOM’s but that just shows there’s nobody at my age riding much.
Fun first , fitness second, social third
I have been riding for 55 years, Strava has only been around recently for me. The recording of rides and sharing within the club, bunch of mates really, is all I’m interested in.
I have some age related KOM’s but that just shows there’s nobody at my age riding much.
Fun first , fitness second, social third
A500leroy said:
Just remember that next time your parcel is late!
How many parcels are late because the driver was held up by a cyclist? I'm sure if you drive like a normal person you will find it quite easy to pass even a quick cyclist with a wide berth without having to wait for too long.Here's another wild thought, the roads don't exist simply so delivery drivers can use them to deliver parcels.
A500leroy said:
I wish more of the road rider would venture off road more because they can be a real pita. The roads are my work place 9-5, i liken it to the equivalent of me bringing a rowing machine to someones office space and setting it up by the printer so its difficult for them to complete their work whilst im just having fun. Hope that weren't controversial.
Vehicle traffic has a noticeable impact on my cycling commuting time.Please stay off my roads.
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