WhyFi

For all the talk, by some solo riders, about how they don't like groups because they have to put up with the personalities of others, I'll say that the vast majority of cyclists that I've met in real life have been pretty cool, accepting, and easy-going. About the only cantankerous person I've crossed on the road was a guy that got upset with me for announcing my pass.

nagakuraruan

Solo! You get to set the pace.

seypat

I've ran into all kinds. I ride C&V bikes with toe cages and straps Stiff soled cycling shoes tend to give me Plantar Fasciitis. I'm currently giving cycling shoes/clipless yet another try. I have to find some without uber stiff soles. Anyway, the most frequent conversation starter from chance encounters is, "You really need to go clipless. It will greatly improve your cycling!"
To which my reply is, "Ding, ding, ding, winner winner, chicken dinner! You're the XXXX(the number changes) person to tell me that. Tried them before. They gave me medical problems."

The funniest encounter was when 2 scrawny climber types caught me at the top of a hill. It was a century ride with a halfway turn around lunch stop. We crested the hill and the terrain flattened out. I went through the gears and began to leave them in the dust. They started whining/crying and asking for help. I slowed down and said I would work with them. I asked them for a speed number then we began to work. We were rolling along and everything was hunky dory. Then we hit another decent hill. They quickly tried to drop me like a bad habit. I said, "Hey, what happened to this working together so we can get down the road faster biz?" They said, "if you can't keep up, that's your problem." They then dropped me. Over the next 15-20 miles the terrain would change from flat to hilly constantly. I would catch and go by them on the flats and they would do the same on the hills. We caught a longish hill and they left me. I topped the hill and the turn around spot was off in the distance. Then I spotted them. They had about 200 yards on me. They turned and spotted me and the race was on! I was closing fast and they were out of their saddles giving everything they had as was I. At the end, I ran out of real estate. I had closed to about 2 bike lengths when we hit the turn around spot. We all dismounted and glared(the look) at each other as we stood in the lunch line. It was one of the better times I've had on a bike.

dkatz1

Solo.
I'm kind of loner, and it's so much easier to only have my own schedule.
I've been on some group rides and enjoyed them, but alas: I'm also one of the very slowest, every time and that's a factor too.
But I actually do enjoy the solitude of rides and getting a chance to be alone with my own thouoghts (i SURE don't put on earphones!)

bblevens

I ditto this.
I much prefer solo. My Jersey from Cycology says ‘Miles are my Meditation’. That is not far from true.
My friends that ride like to go all out fast all the time. I ride to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. And think.
And nothing better for me then to stop, look around, and think - now where am I and how did I get here.

TricycleTom

Who has time to gather even one other rider? And, what are the odds of finding one who rides at the same speed, likes the same routes, and so on? Given those, what's the purpose of riding together? Is it easier to converse if everyone has to stop and breathe, allowing others in?

tomato coupe

You could have texted or emailed another rider in the time it took you to write your post.

AlanO

Solo. I’m anti-social.

Ford

I much prefer riding with two or three others rather than a group for reduced complexity of decision-making about stops, routes, etc. I enjoy riding with different friends of varying abilities. Every ride is different, not a race, not necessarily a "training ride." Just A Ride.

gofish44

Agree. I could add that my wife prefers it when I give her age in Celsius!

355Mono

Groups. I like the com-Ride-ery.

bbberlin

I do some small friendly group rides but I prefer solo. I do mostly touring and I like the solitude and the opportunity to think aloud. Plus I am not a fast rider. I’m in no hurry and I’m not training for a race. I ride at Party Pace and take the time to observe and appreciate my surroundings.

TricycleTom

I don't even know another rider around here.

Ed333

I ride with my wife, but I wouldn't call us a group. I once had a tandem, and quickly sold it, that was a divorce bike.
mostly I don't want to be Old and In the Way, so solo it is. I gave up on trying to prove anything a long time ago. In my 9th decade, who'd of thunk it.

WhyFi

I get a chuckle out of the responses along the lines of, "no, I don't like group rides, I just like to go out with 1-5 of my friends."

Eric F 

I kinda get it. I wouldn't really call my ride yesterday with 3 friends a "group" ride, even though we all stack up into a tight single or double line formation out of habit. I'm not exactly sure where the "group" line is, but it's more than 4 (IMO, YMMV).

Gundo

I ride solo mostly, I belong to a club and would ride with them but their rides are all in the morning. I have too much to do in the morning and don't like to get up early anyway. So I ride solo and set my own pace and route and enjoy the solitude.

WhyFi

If you're riding with someone else, it is, by definition, a group - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/group

God, I hate being the guy that posts a link to a definition..

RonE

Solo. But, I am an introverted loner.

Eric F 

Yes, anything more than one is technically a "group". In my experience with cycling, "group rides" have a different feel that comes with it being more than just a few folks riding together. This is my opinion, and yours might be different...which is why I included "IMO, YMMV".

Just because you can be pedantic, doesn't mean you need to be

Cycle Tourist

I've tried group rides but slowing my pace or having people wait for me is just not for me. Solo touring and the idea of overcoming difficulty on your own is where the sense of accomplishment and joy come from for me.. Mass rides are a different matter. They feel more like an informal race and there's no need to stick together. I think it's a matter of personality.

Cycle Tourist

Interesting. Having my wife as stocker put her at my direction without discussion or argument and changed our dynamic at least for the length of the ride. We both liked it. I finally got the last word.😅

WhyFi

Yeah, I absolutely agree that big group rides have a different feel than small group rides, but that doesn't mean that two people isn't a group or, heaven forbid, is a "solo" outing.

You must be new, here.

Eric F 

We definitely agree that "solo" is one, and only one. What do we call two "solo" riders riding next to each other?

Yes, I'm new(ish) here, but I've spent way too much time over way too many years burning through my work days on other discussion forum sites. Every site has that pedantic guy.

tomato coupe

That's a different issue.