Inpd

If you don't know the Simon and Garfunkel song here it is SIMON & GARFUNKEL LYRICS - I Am A Rock

It seems just about everyone on this board rides in a group if not mostly at least once a week.

Are they are any other "I am a rock" riders out there that *only* go out solo? If so why?

I'm not an anti-social person I just don't find the act of riding particularly social and it can be down right dangerous. I can think of nothing more frightening than riding fast in a group on a road: wheels touch, people go down, people get run over ...

dtrain

I don't get that sense. Many do (at least once a week) - but IDK about "just about everyone". ~90% of my rides are solo.

series1811

I prefer to ride solo, I get better workouts in that way. I use group rides as recovery rides about once a week.

Seattle Forrest

At least 95 % solo riding here. I used to commute to work until my company moved too far north for that. Now I get home, catch up with my girlfriend for a while, go out and ride, and come home and go on with my evening. There aren't groups that are ready to go do my evening loop whenever I happen to be ready.

Riding with friends can be fun. So can going at your own pace wherever you like.

Jarrett2

Because I have historically ridden so frequently, I ride solo a lot.

But given the choice, I like riding with a group. Safety in numbers and I'm fairly sociable on bike rides.

indyfabz

When I ride solo I have my books and my poetry to protect me.

Dan333SP

1 or 2 out of 6 weekly rides will be in a group (or, in the summer, a race).

Needing to ride before work (and before dawn) most days means it's hard to find buddies who are willing to ride with me, and when they do, I'm incoherent because I'm not really awake yet. Sundays are generally my "big group" day and it's fun to catch up with my friends in the community and get a little competitive.

Inpd

But when you fall down do you feel pain or cry. If so your books and poetry aren't working.

Seriously, there are always posts about group rides, people forming tripods to stop falling etc so I got the impression that just about everyone rides in a group.

Also, how are group rides social? Are you guys cracking jokes, giving stock tips, converting people to your religion or what? Riding isn't tough but when going fast its not exactly as easy as walking.

RPK79

The group rides I do don't start up until May and end in August so during that time I do 1 or 2 group rides a week and I do another 1 or 2 rides solo every week. The rest of the year almost all my rides are solo.

indyfabz

Yes. We often tell jokes, swap stories, etc., while riding and during breaks. On Sunday I will be leading a few people on a 94 mile ride to Brooklyn. This will be my 16th year doing the event. We will have a blast and will certainly be yucking it up along the way. We will also be there to help one another in the event something should happen. Much better than what happened to a friend of mine while riding solo in CA last year. He crashed and ended up in a ditch. No one saw what happened and he was no visible from the road. He was unconscious for a while but luckily came to and dragged himself out. A passing motorist called for assistance. If you are with a group of skilled, attentive riders I find you are far safer. Most car-bile collisions I hear about involve solo cyclists.

With that said, when I tour I like to tour alone. Touring involves more than riding.

Lazyass

I prefer group rides but I usually ride solo because I'm the only cyclist I know of in these parts. But I don't listen to Simon and Garfunkel, and I don't carry books, poetry and flowers with me. Loner by Black Sabbath is more like it.

PepeM

I enjoy group rides. I don't really talk much to people (others do get a lot of talking in though) but I think it is a lot of fun to ride with others, plus some of those rides really make me push my limits, so that is an added bonus.

cycledogg

Same as most here, about 90% of my ride time is solo. I get a better training ride and enjoy the tunes via ipod, big hair 80's glam band. This way I can pick my own route without someone complaining about too many climbs and such. I ride every once in a while with the local club to gauge my fitness with others. Also, I like to sleep in on saturday, were the club starts off around 7 am. Been doing this routine for about 20 years.
Cheers

caloso

Even the hardest race ride has a neutral roll out and then a mellow ride back into town after the final sprint. That's social time.

BillyD

I never ride in a group. Ever. I don't care about drafting, I don't care about racing, there's nothing in it for me.

Plus I go when I want, pick the route I want, stop and rest where I want, and come back when I want.

It's a no-brainer, really.

RPK79

ftfy

bruce19

I am not a solo-only rider but I do prefer it. So, much less stress watching out for other less experienced riders. Riding solo gives me the chance to just get into the ride. Me, the bike and the road. Lovely.

rms13

Define group. I do what I would call a group ride maybe once a month. I ride with 3-4 other guys a couple more times a month and solo the rest. The choice to ride solo is mostly logistics of being able to be in the right place at the right time

bt

When I ride alone,
I prefer to be by myself.

dtrain

Thorogood

dagray

"and a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries"... yup solo rider here unless I can get my oldest son to ride with me (he will be 15 in 10 days), but that is mostly due to living in a rural location where the bike shop is over in a town 30 miles away.

My group rides have been on the trainer... me on my trainer at home and others on their trainers all on the same course (BKool Pro trainer/simulator).

series1811

Do you get to point out simulated road hazards?

dagray

Absolutely, like when the graphics go funny you can mention it using real time voice to other riders within 50 foot of you on the course. The BKool trainers allow voice communication between riders if you are within 50 feet on the same course.

I like the trainer as It automatically changes resistance based on road grade, and I can input the routes I actually ride outside or ride other routes. This trainer is a lifesaver allowing me to ride when the conditions outside won't (snow, ice, heat, wind, dark)

bakes1

Yes.
There are many other solo riders.
People ride solo for a variety of reasons that are probably common to 98% of all solo riders.
I imagine the most common reason is that they choose to not ride in a group or with other people in general.
Seriously?

Gladius

I don't always ride alone,
but when I do, I ride by myself.