Standalone 

I want to get involved in riding with others. (Pay no mind to the screen name-- it's from the music forums) What should I "work on" before joining local group rides?

I once did MS-150's as a 12 year old, but always on ancient bikes. (not that anything is different now...)

But I'm putting in 50-80 miles/wk in on a folder. The police-trailer-roadside-radar-guns tell me that I'm doing 17 on my folder when I'm feeling slow and have a 15 lb bag and a 45 lb toddler on me.

When pushing it, I run about 20-25 on the flats on my Panasonic, 28-32 on the big downhills. sub-clyde @ I'm 6'4" / 185.

So, my questions: What are the first things a utility/commuting rider needs to work on as far as riding technique and training? What kind of rides should I take on?

Will being on a $40 30 year old rusty bike in tennis shoes really bother anyone? Should I care? Are there any sine qua non upgrades that need to happen to my bike before I'm likely to be able to keep up?

Standalone 

jeez. not even a helpful link?

I've read through the stickies, but it's mostly gear questions. I am looking for a starting place to learn technique.

For instance, I rarely stand and ride, but I see quite a lot of this in pro rides. How do I begin to learn where and when and how much to be out of the saddle? Are there certain styles of riding that suit different folks?

ericm979

If you get on and ride to somewhere other than work, presto you are a road cyclist instead of a commuter.

You shouldn't care if someone's offended by your cheap old bike. Not that many will be. But you might want to get clipless pedals and cycling shoes for comfort, and make sure that the bike is in good working order. Squeaky chains are irritating and hard old brake blocks don't stop very well.

As far as riding in groups goes, there's about 1000 threads on the subject. But basically, be predictable and don't brake suddenly.

Brightwork

How fast/long are the local rides you want to join? What is the longest distance you've gone and how long did it take you?

Standalone 

at age 12, I did a 75/75 mile MS150. Took me all day either way.

A 16 mile urban jungle/ I-95 corridor ride from Bridgeport to New Haven, CT takes me 70 minutes, laden and on a folder.

I haven't done any long solo rides recently. My goal: I'm looking to do a 50 mile local charity ride in September-- my thinking was to approach it as a more serious competitive rider to see how I do against other folks. 20/30 mile local rides would be of interest to me, I think.

I guess I ride about 17-18 mph on average, even on a bike with 2.1" tires. But I don't have a computer that calculates this, and most of my riding is without a computer. I believe that I have the capacity to work up to riding much faster average speeds, especially on group rides.

ericm-- thanks for your reply, too. my bike is in pretty decent shape. my main concern on riding in groups is that I don't know how straight a line is necessary or expected. shifting old downtube shifters is a little harder than sti, and at speed and when putting down power, I'm worried that I'm not smooth enough.

Standalone 

oh, and more recently, I rode from belfast to galway to dublin about 10 years ago on the worst gaspipe flea market '80's ten speed available in Belfast. With tent/bag/campstove/etc. It was two and a half days to Galway and a day and a half Galway to Dublin.

So I've got endurance-- I think I'd like to work up to riding more endurance oriented road riding, but shorter local rides will be a step towards that.

Brian Ratliff

Equipment wise, just show up on what you have. Join the slowest group for the time being, or tell people what you've said here and ask them what group to ride with. Make certain that you have a helmet; most groups won't let you ride with them without one, all helmet debates besides. It's a liability/insurance thing for them.

You'll need to sign a waiver if it's a club ride, so when you show up, look around for a clipboard. Ask someone if there is a waiver to sign.

Keep your eyes open and do what others are doing. As far as handling skills go, when you are riding solo, you should strive to be able to ride on top of the white line on the road for significant lengths of time. Your equipment is fine, but you will likely see some very high zoot stuff, and as you ride with them more, you'll understand the purpose for all that high zoot stuff. First thing you'll want is cycling shoes and clipless pedals; these help with control and efficiency, and road cycling is all about control and efficiency.

Everyone starts somewhere. Don't be shy about your bike, just show up and keep your eyes open to learn the norms and customs of the group.

Scummer

Approach:
Ask your local, friendly group ride to join. And voila, have fun. You will get to know your riding style once you put in 100-150 miles/ week on a road bike.

Standalone 

darn it. everything looks like it's on Sunday AM. Y'all are a bunch of Heathens!

Glidedon

It's not about the bike :-)