Phamilton

Yeah, you’ve definitely hit a nerve. It’s so embarrassing to be a bike rider and a smoker at the same time. I’d say it’s the one thing standing in the way of my being a real cyclist. It’s embarrassing to have to admit in front of high mileage riders like yourself that the longest ride I could ever do was 40 miles (but to be fair it was on a Friday afternoon in August and I’d already ridden 100 miles that week and was also wearing my backpack with work laptop in it because I just didn’t want to go home first, ended up with a meager 65 miles of sweet easy flatland cruising that day). It’s embarrassing to admit that I can only hold 20 mph for about 5 minutes before I start sweating. It’s embarrassing to admit I’m pretty tired after riding into a 25 mph headwind for a hour. It’s downright sad. For someone in his late 30s
who’s been cycling for a year and a half, my numbers should be SO much better. I know that if I’d just quit smoking the cap will be lifted off my fitness and I’ll achieve numbers closer to serious cyclists like yourself. And my bum leg isn’t really all that bad, my adductors in my left leg were taken by a tumor in 2013. But adductors are just the muscles that pull your leg inward, they don’t contribute very much to cycling except for keeping your knees tracking straight. Fortunately, the knee isn’t all that important to cycling. And although I’ve indicated elsewhere on these forums that I stopped tracking my miles because I was too lazy or it didn’t matter - I think these are just copouts. I think it just bugs me so much to see that all my cycling dreams would come true if only I would just quit cigarettes. I can’t stand to see the numbers that all the serious non-smoking cyclists can achieve and compare them to my own sad bests. Honestly, I don’t even know why I ride. With numbers like mine, it’s clearly a waste of my time, and a waste of everybody else’s to even mention them here.

clengman

400-600 ft of climbing in 19 miles is topography?

ksryder

Oh cool the "hillier than thou" dick swinging has started

RubeRad

Defensive much?

You don't need to quit smoking just so you can become a 'real cyclist'. You could just quit because it's unhealthy and expensive and gross.

robertorolfo

Yeah, I also find that the more I ride, the more I eat. But I'm perfectly fine with my current body weight (I'm lucky, I know), so that allows me the luxury of not having to think much about what I eat.

People have mentioned this before, but for some reason it just feels difficult not to push it a little. The day after a soccer game, my legs are normally pretty sore and/or banged up, and I always tell myself that I'm gonna ride really relaxed. And, sure enough, halfway through the ride I'm saying to myself, 'why are you pedaling so hard, you idiot?'

You do you. Seriously... no sarcasm there. Ride the way you want, and do whatever else you want. Europeans still smoke like we used to, and the last time I checked they are living longer, happier lives than we do...

RubeRad

I am exactly opposite. I have gone through spurts of trying to use my bike commute as 'exercise', but inevitably I get distracted and find myself just tootling along, not working hard like I 'should'. Eventually I gave up, and gave myself permission to just ride how I ride.

Korina, if you want to TRY to take it easy, try listening to podcasts. I find that when I'm immersed in something I'm listening to, I can't focus on biking hard. Or sometimes I'll leave work in the middle of a tough problem, and my mind is crunching on it so that I can't focus on my podcasts, so I just turn it off and think. Either way I bike along just as casually.

Not to say podcasts make me unaware of traffic. I can tell that my focus changes (as appropriate, I think): when I'm plodding along in the bike lane just going straight, no intersections around, I am totally zoned out, and often am surprised when another cyclist passes me. But I know my danger zones, and I always become hyper aware and use my mirror to monitor traffic behind and watch for holes between traffic cohorts to make my move through the danger zone.

Korina

Thanks; I ended up riding, just went down a gear and took it easy. It turned into a beautiful day, and a really nice ride.

Phamilton

I guess my point in all that babbling is that for plenty of people, getting a workout on a bike commute just isn’t a priority. It was for me at first, and for a little while, but it was a sort of beginner’s enthusiasm.
Riding a bike is an incomplete workout. Ask my upper body.
I do perceive some health benefits from my velo-commuting, despite my diet and smoking habit. 2 hours a day of sunlight, fresh air, and mild exercise is pretty good for anybody, and if I can do it despite my injury and despite my smoking then just about anybody could, even if only one hour, that was my point. Despite my diet and smoking habit, I’m in better physical shape than most people my age, but most people my age go from bed to chair to car to chair to car to couch to bed. A “healthy” weight for me is about 170-175. I’ve been as heavy as 235, but generally hovered most of my adult life at around 200. But since I started bike commuting my weight hasn’t gone above 190, usually between 180 and 185. And this is without making it a “workout”, just riding back and forth at whatever speed suits me. When it’s really windy, my commute ends up being more of a workout than I care for but it’s part of the territory. I only have 170 feet of climbing over my 12 miles but it’s often windy here. Yesterday’s morning commute saw winds from the east at 20 mph steady gusting 35. Without any hills to coast down, that’s a lot of nonstop pedaling.
I’m car-free, so my perspective is gonna be a little different than most other cyclocommuters. My bike is my car. I didn’t travel to work competitively in my car, why would I do so on my bike? Why is travel competitive? What is the prize for winning the competition, getting to work faster? That’s kind of a garbage prize.

Korina

I tend to push a fair amount because I'm an overweight diabetic who doesn't get much exercise otherwise. Also, pushing hard on my flat route gave me strong legs to climb hills; a route that used to kick my backside is now fun and mildly challenging.

Thanks Rube; I listen to a lot of podcasts but fast traffic just to my left is much too loud, particularly the semis and log trucks. It's okay, I have pretty scenery to look at, and with an effort of will I can slow down like I did yesterday.

RubeRad

Some people seem to feel cycling is pointless if it's not a workout; bikes are exercise equipment, transportation is a side-effect. To them riding a bike without working out would be like hanging out on a weight bench and not doing any bench presses, or standing still (or walking) on a treadmill for half an hour. Would such a person be able to walk to the store? Why not run?

I guess they just can't enjoy cycling for its own sake as much as we can!

To be fair, though, some people simply enjoy exercise more than others; and some people use their bikes/commutes as means to get that exercise they love -- while also getting to work. To you that's a garbage prize, to them it's gold.

RubeRad

I hear that! When people tell me cycling with earbuds is dangerous, I tell them traffic noise often drowns out the podcast I'm trying to listen to, never the other way around

Phamilton

My grandma is praying for me to quit smoking. I think as long as she remembers my name I’m guaranteed some success. But last time she prayed for me my brother got a new job.

robertorolfo

I'd be willing to wager that cycling even one hour a day, at anything above say 10mph, puts you into the higher percentiles in terms of exercise. I'm also fairly certain that the surgeon general (or whomever is supposed to care about these things) would be over the moon if every American cycled for an hour a day, at any speed.


Don't forget the fun factor for some people. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but riding a bike is still a very fun activity for me. Having multiple bikes helps this I think (keeps it fresh), and when most of them are sporty type bikes, going faster seems more natural and enjoyable.

josephjhaney

****, I thought I was snarky. Damn dude.

Joe

Phamilton

I suspect this is just a happy coincidence, but I haven’t had more than a runny nose since I started bike commuting. My wife and daughter each got the flu twice this last winter and somebody at home or work always has a cold or something. I’m not superstitious and I know I could catch anything at anytime, but I literally haven’t been sick in almost 2 years.

Phamilton

It’s an art form. Joe is my name too.

starkmojo

touche

Korina

Yep. My tinnitus and associated hearing loss means I'd have to blast it in order to hear anything, and that's just not happening.

acidfast7

I'm more pleasant and relaxed after arriving at work. Walking is also possible, but it's too tempting to purchase a latte on the way in and a pint on the way home. Cycling is also quicker, which is nice.

Andy_K 

I get this, and it's not just when I get to work. It makes a difference for days. I sometimes go through stretches where some combination of schedule constraints, family responsibilities, and just plain laziness keeps me off the bike for a week or more. Eventually I get so grumpy that my family doesn't want to talk to me and I realize I just need to get on the bike. It's like a Snickers commerical but with cycling instead of candy.

Phamilton

Not sure if anybody mentioned this one yet or not, but seeing a motor vehicle as a luxury item. That’s one change that has been brought about for me by bike commuting.

acidfast7

Over here, that's especially true with bus/train/boat also being readily available.