Originally Posted by
gigadeath
At like average walking speed (with a bike) of 2.5 miles per hours, it's impossible to have meaningful time on a bike and still stay within 2 hours of walking, when/if flatting. Unless the bike is only used to buy bread at the corner shop
But I know you all are joking, since I consider tube+co2+inflator the minimal, MINIMAL carriage for any cyclist. It's like what, 10 ounces?
Have respect for your wives - brothers - friends
You're actually quite wrong about the impossibility thing. The people who set long distance riding records (x miles in a year for example) often do it by riding a fairly tight circle (diameter of, say, 4 miles) around their homes. It's an extremely efficient way of piling up miles (it makes all sorts of pit stops/bail outs very easy). A few people have posted on BF describing how they do this to ride an otherwise incredible number of miles. It would, however, drive me absolutely nuts with the monotony. I consider myself a pretty slow walker, and I can definitely cover at least 3 miles in an hour, so they're never more than an hour walk from their homes on such a route.
I ride equipped, my long routes are typically a fairly straight line for 50 miles out, and then come back the same way. I think most people have figured out what's appropriate for them, at least after the first time they flat en route.