Are there any cyclist in the group?

[Jaybird]

So I got back on the bike after a 7 year hiatus because of a hernia I just wouldn't take the time out of my life to get fixed. I have now go it fixed and to be honest have had all kinds of pain and problems since then but I digress. So back on the bike and training for a 540mi ride in July. Longest ride so far has been a 51 mile BEAST! I called it the Suicide Loop. I have found a few REALLY KILLER apps and a great way to connect with friends to see their rides and show mine as well. its called Strava and I am also on Relive. Relive is cool because it has a video of your ride. They show all the stats etc. I just bought a "new to me" bike. I named her "My Girlfriend" ( My SWMBO loves the name and its all in good fun). So when I am not with her she at least knows I am out riding my girlfriend and she is OK with it. I have been riding my new girlfriend all over town showing her off to all my friends...HA HA HA. Are any of you on Strava or Relive?

Cheers
Jay

 

[RCope]

I’ve been on Strava for years. Ex runner/triathlete turned cyclist only. I saw your planned ride in another thread…I wish you the best of luck on your multi-day ride! And it’s for a great cause! I do most of my rides on gravel and only post my weekend rides on Strava. Stay safe on the road! Rick Cope

 

[Kharnynb]

i'm more of a daily work biker, got myself a nice ebike this year as wintertime riding was getting a tad to heavy especially during slush season...

 

[Brewin’&Qin’]

I am also on Strava with the same user name. I am about to get back on the bike after about an 18+ month no ride period. I was not feeling well most of the beginning of last year which resulted in having open heart surgery July 2021. The recovery period was longer than expected and only now starting to feel more like myself. I will be riding the 5 Boro Tour in NYC on May 1. It is a 45 mile ride which used to be a pretty easy one. Not being on the bike or much physical work for 18 months will make it very challenging this year.

 

[Jaybird]

i'm more of a daily work biker, got myself a nice ebike this year as wintertime riding was getting a tad to heavy especially during slush season...
View attachment 763710

How far is the commute? That looks fast... AND COLD!

Cheers
Jay

 

[Jaybird]

I am also on Strava with the same user name. I am about to get back on the bike after about an 18+ month no ride period. I was not feeling well most of the beginning of last year which resulted in having open heart surgery July 2021. The recovery period was longer than expected and only now starting to feel more like myself. I will be riding the 5 Boro Tour in NYC on May 1. It is a 45 mile ride which used to be a pretty easy one. Not being on the bike or much physical work for 18 months will make it very challenging this year.

Good for you for getting back on the bike. Sorry to hear about the health issues, man that sucks! But good for you! I'll find you and follow on Strava.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Kharnynb]

How far is the commute? That looks fast... AND COLD!

Cheers
Jay

not that bad, about 5 km each way, it's a nice bike, but the assist is speedlimited at 25 kph, so mostly for hills and when the snow is deep/soft. temps get down to -30 C in the wintertime, so having full winter kit with goggles etc is needed below -20

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

You cycle in -30? I would never even dream of it, even when using the engine warmer my car struggles to start in the morning during those periods of 30-35 below freezing...

 

[duncan_disorderly]

not that bad, about 5 km each way, it's a nice bike, but the assist is speedlimited at 25 kph, so mostly for hills and when the snow is deep/soft. temps get down to -30 C in the wintertime, so having full winter kit with goggles etc is needed below -20

Respect!

I quibble if the temp drops below +10 C.

 

[Jaybird]

not that bad, about 5 km each way, it's a nice bike, but the assist is speedlimited at 25 kph, so mostly for hills and when the snow is deep/soft. temps get down to -30 C in the wintertime, so having full winter kit with goggles etc is needed below -20

Uhhhhhh -30C Are you serious. I am such a Puss! I would NEVER even consider it! You are 1 bad MOFO!

Cheers
Jay

 

[Kharnynb]

below -20 it does get annoying, but with good gear, it's more problematic that your core gets too hot and you start to sweat(ebike makes that bit less likely).
with good mittens and face protection, including goggles, it's not too bad.

 

[Kent88]

I think we used to have a bicyclist thread around here somewhere. Haven't seen it pop up for a while. Guess it's this now.

 

[Kent88]

Cycling

I don't want to revive a thread that's been dead that long. But if someone else wants to, I'm not going to stop them.

 

[jrgtr42]

on and off rider here. I've been more concentrating on running lately, so I haven't gotten a lot of miles on the bike in a couple years. Each spring I tell myself I need to get back on there, but it doesn;t happen as much.
I'm not on Strava or anything, but I do use the MapMyFitness for other sports, so it'll work out for riding also.
A ways back I was a long-distance guy, have a bunch of centuries under my belt, a lot of metrics, and would go out and ride a half-century just for fun on a weekend.

 

[quantumguy]

I'm also a rider and have a been on Strava for several years now. Stays cold up here in ID for quite a while (and I'm a wimp riding in cold weather), so I do a lot of miles every week on my indoor trainer. You should check out the Xert app - it a great app to track and improve your fitness on the bike.

 

[Kent88]

I'm a pretty consistent casual rider. I get in maybe a dozen rides a summer for the past decade or so. When my first kid was born I pretty much took a couple years off. Last summer I took my bike with on the big in-laws reunion / fishing trip and rode for 5 or 6 days, about 2-3 hours each ride, and also got a few rides in around home through the summer.

The picture I shared above is my new setup now that I'm trying to get my son to start riding. I don't want to give the company free advertising, but after trying it out yesterday, I'm pretty happy with this tandem riding attachment. My kid can ride by himself until he gets tired, and then I can hook him up and tow him the rest of the way, even though he is really early in learning to ride and doesn't have great balance yet.

Looking forward to teaching him to ride by himself.

 

[Kent88]

Fun dad moment I feel like sharing.

I took mini-me out for a walk / balance bike ride. I was just wondering how I could entice mini-me to keep his butt on his bike seat, when I looked over and saw him, seated, gliding on his bike with his feet off the ground for a brief, exciting moment.

Hopefully he remembers he can do this at our next bike ride.

Changing gears, does anyone ebike? I think my wife would enjoy that, so I'm looking into it and the amount of information and the variety of ebikes available is a bit overwhelming.

 

[Kharnynb]

I've posted my ebike above, really love it and if you want something practical, haibike has a new low step-in model that has the exact same features and would be great for someone who does semi-serious distances on hard/gravel roads, not good enough for full off-road stuff, but does have luggage rack and splashguards/lights etc so they are more frequently usable.

US model, slightly different than mine, but similar enough.

 

[balrog]

does anyone ebike?

Wife and I did a western coastal Ireland VBT trip and had ebikes, but our hybrids are not E. We do 60/40 roads & rail trails. Doing a 300mile Wisconsin trip this summer. My knees cannot tolerate running, but have no issues on the bike, or elliptical, and complain only a little with tennis (doubles). The pollen in Western Mass is exceptional this year tho, I can testify to that. Ebike wouldn't help much.

 

[Knightshade]

So I got back on the bike after a 7 year hiatus because of a hernia I just wouldn't take the time out of my life to get fixed. I have now go it fixed and to be honest have had all kinds of pain and problems since then but I digress. So back on the bike and training for a 540mi ride in July. Longest ride so far has been a 51 mile BEAST! I called it the Suicide Loop. I have found a few REALLY KILLER apps and a great way to connect with friends to see their rides and show mine as well. its called Strava and I am also on Relive. Relive is cool because it has a video of your ride. They show all the stats etc. I just bought a "new to me" bike. I named her "My Girlfriend" ( My SWMBO loves the name and its all in good fun). So when I am not with her she at least knows I am out riding my girlfriend and she is OK with it. I have been riding my new girlfriend all over town showing her off to all my friends...HA HA HA. Are any of you on Strava or Relive?

Cheers
Jay

Figured we’re well enough into August that you’ve potentially recovered. How did the ride go?

 

[_BullDog_]

I mainly mountain bike and then it isnt to far. My endurance has never been good but there are plenty of trails around here

 

[Coastalbrew]

@Kharnynb , you are a beast! I've been a life long commuter (never had a driver's license). My coldest ride was -14F and that was plenty cold enough for me. -30C takes it to a whole different level.

 

[Kent88]

I went on a "long" (your definition might be different than mine) ride a few days after my last post. I wanted to get a feel for a good chunk of the path I frequent. It was also really hot that day.

About three-forths through the ride I noticed my neck was hurting. My neck was messed up for almost a month before I caved and went to a doctor to check it out. Then a week later it was a pinched nerve. On the good pain days I've been able to take mini-me on short rides around town.

I think I might be recovered enough now to take mini-me back on the bike trail, but my goal of putting x-many hundred miles on my bike this summer before my new tiny roommate arrives has vanished.

Mini-me is still making progress, though. He was so comfortable on his balance bike that I found him a slightly used pedal bike and I got another kit to hook it up to my bike. Hopefully we'll see some more progress before the snow flies.

 

[Funkychef]

My self I race xc MTB marathon, try to train and race as often as I can.
The last month has been way too busy to ride the hours I want. But that's life.

 

[Jaybird]

Figured we’re well enough into August that you’ve potentially recovered. How did the ride go?

IT WAS AMAZING! I ended up at 574 miles total for the 7 days! Rode next to the Hudson all the way up from Manhattan and then took a left at the Erie Canal and rode it all the way to Niagara Falls! We didn't set any land speed records but we also were not trying to just BANG IT OUT. We stopped at just about every ice cream shop along the way. We stopped at ever hydration station and refueled. We took pictures like crazy and just really enjoyed the ride! OMG I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! You want to talk about being taken care of! HOLY CRAP that is the ride to go on if you want to feel like a KING! Best experience! Will absolutely do it again and I would challenge ANYBODY to take some time out of their lives and do something like this that will absolutely make a difference.
Thank you for asking!

Cheers
Jay

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Does Peloton count?

 

[Kent88]

Uhh... I guess?

 

[patrick66]

My wife and I are bicycle travelers. We have some of our journals on Rachel and Patrick Hugens - Member Profile - CycleBlaze
Biking is a great way to burn the beer calories.

 

[Donnyy]

So I got back on the bike after a 7 year hiatus because of a hernia I just wouldn't take the time out of my life to get fixed. I have now go it fixed and to be honest have had all kinds of pain and problems since then but I digress. So back on the bike and training for a 540mi ride in July. Longest ride so far has been a 51 mile BEAST! I called it the Suicide Loop. I have found a few REALLY KILLER apps and a great way to connect with friends to see their rides and show mine as well. its called Strava and I am also on Relive. Relive is cool because it has a video of your ride. They show all the stats etc. I just bought a "new to me" bike. I named her "My Girlfriend" ( My SWMBO loves the name and its all in good fun). So when I am not with her she at least knows I am out riding my girlfriend and she is OK with it.

I have been riding with it my new girlfriend all over town showing her off to all my friends...HA HA HA. Are any of you on Strava or Relive?

Cheers
Jay

Hope you feel better now! I now have a condition that precedes a hernia, it is not amenable to surgical intervention, so I now try to minimize all the harmful loads on the lower back and strengthen my back muscles with a personal trainer. I like cycling, but I do not really like using some apps. I think when I can continue cycling again, I will use Strava or Relive.

 

[estricklin]

When I lived in rural Arkansas I was big into gravel grinding, back before gravel was "cool". I live in OKC now, and I commute a few times a week to the office and back, its about 22 mi round trip. I do it in pretty much all weather, at least down to around 20F or so.

I also do the occasional mountain biking, though I'm not serious about it.

I mostly ride a Motobecane, full carbon, Ultegra with hydros adventure bike. I laced the wheels up myself (they are LOUD) and I wax all my chains, do all my own wrenching. I also ride a Trek hybrid some.

Here are photos of some of my adventures. There is a strange tree in one of them, I wonder if anyone notices what's so special about it.

 

[estricklin]

And the rest.

 

[Kent88]

30 Days of Biking

 

[Kent88]

My part of the world is still holding onto some amount of snow, but I did see some people get their bikes out when it warmed up and the roads cleared. I'm hoping I can get outside and ride before the end of the month.

 

[Kent88]

Just got my bike back from the shop. Now all I need is for the weather to cooperate.

 

[balrog]

Went out with the wife for the first ride of the season yesterday. Was 50-ish. Night before last was 28F. Tomorrow is supposed to hit 87F.

Wild.

 

[cubalz]

Yep, I ride around 120 miles a week (road and mountain) and also my Peloton daily. It is the only way I can drink beer and not become Jabba the Hutt.

I also race competitively 6 times a year at least.

 

[seatazzz]

We both have nice road bikes, but last year we splurged on a pair of Rad Rover 6 ebikes. They have a big store in Ballard, and their service can't be beat. They've sat idle for most of the winter, but this week I've taken mine out for a few quick rides around the neighborhood (after my bruised rib healed from me falling off it). With finances a bit iffy right now, husband and I are going to be taking a lot of rides this summer instead of short weekend spendy trips. It's pretty hilly here, which fact kept me from riding the road bike too much; but with the Rad I just give the throttle a twist and I'm up an incline lickety split. The only downside is I can't lift it by myself to the rack on either our truck or a public bus; darn thing weighs almost 80lbs.

 

[Kharnynb]

those look like nice bikes. bit heavier than my haibike, but similar style, they work great in winter too with good studded tires, I love the 27.5 inch tire style, perfect fit between full mountain bike and road bike.

 

[passedpawn]

There is a strange tree in one of them, I wonder if anyone notices what's so special about it.

Survivor tree. Survived the Oklahoma city bombing of the FBI bldg there, 1995. It was full of debris from the blast, and it was almost cut down to retrieve any evidence hanging from its branches.

[edit] I see you have bike in pics of both the 901 and 903 gate of time structures. Bldg blew at 9:02. Also see the chair monuments to the 168 lost souls. That water feature was actually 5th st where the Ryder van parked, in front of the fbi bldg.

 

[estricklin]

Survivor tree. Survived the Oklahoma city bombing of the FBI bldg there, 1995. It was full of debris from the blast, and it was almost cut down to retrieve any evidence hanging from its branches.

[edit] I see you have bike in pics of both the 901 and 903 gate of time structures. Bldg blew at 9:02. Also see the chair monuments to the 168 lost souls. That water feature was actually 5th st where the Ryder van parked, in front of the fbi bldg.

You seem to know the bombing history pretty well. I've actually gotten pretty familiar with it myself, because I work in the building adjacent to the memorial. The building I work in was damaged, but (obviously) not destroyed, which is pretty amazing seeing as how it was built around 1920 or so.

The tree I was referring to, is actually the one with a swing set in the background. It's an old growth oak, that's been cut down and has grown back, at least once. It grows in a church yard. The little community is called St. Elizabeth, and it was settled around 1847. I imagine the tree was originally cut by the timer industry (there was a sawmill a few miles away) or to build the original catholic church that was on that site.