OldsCOOL

Is it a ride to the grocery store for a gallon of milk? Is it a ride with the nudists? Or perhaps a ride on a rusty Schwinn Varsity??

Interesting term since we know all miles are good miles. I live atop a hill, nothing junk about my rides.

texaspandj

Probably meant miles that are ridden with no intent to make you reach your goals e.g. getting faster,fitter,better,lighter...
But as we all know, if you're on a bike there's no such thing

OldsCOOL

I'm an avid rider with goals that include top speeds, improving avg speed and fast PRs. Distances are not my physical forte, never has been. So, with the improving of riding to this end, weight loss is a major factor. My losing 25lbs this season has hinged on the nightly rides I take around town, just puttering along. These "junk miles" are calories burned and muscles invigorated.

Just a few thoughts, y'all.

BlazingPedals

Generally, "junk miles" are ones that are ridden too hard to be a rest ride and too easy to be training. Of course, if you're not into the training aspect, none of that matters.

tarwheel 

There are no junk miles as far as I'm concerned. However, if you are the competitive type and always seeking to go faster, then perhaps the concept has some merit. My goals in cycling are to have fun riding, control my weight, reduce my consumption of gasoline and limit air pollution from driving. (Yes, I'm a bike commuter.) If I'm faster or slower on a given ride, so be it.

TimothyH

Anything in zone 3

Bandera

Junk miles are miles that someone else rides, not the amazing high wattage all-out desperate efforts that you routinely perform w/ utter nonchalance in Imaginary Racing sessions.

-Bandera

wphamilton

No such thing as junk miles. In my opinion. I believe that, even in training, those miles aren't wasted.

bikemig 

Junk miles are great. Anything done on a bike that is just done for fun with no goals in mind is a plus.

leob1

Any riding you do on the couch.

sevenmag

The only miles I've ever called junk miles were the last few of a long charity ride when I'm just coasting back to the starting point. I may have at some point, while trying to keep a friend moving that was running out of gas on a metric century referred to the last 5 miles as garbage miles anyone can do. He agreed and kept pedaling.

Hell, I rode for about an hour yesterday, making a few stops back home to make adjustments to my new bike. I even counted that as good ride. Worked up a sweat and got winded somewhat. Now I'm ready to get a couple of good hours on the new bike in comfort.

Jim from Boston

What Are Junk Miles?

I’m a very goal-oriented cyclist be it a destination or miles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

For me, a ride should be at least 10 miles long [with 6 miles of warm-up], and my straight, shortest commuting routes are 14 miles. A “long” ride is at least 40 miles,IMO...

So I guess “junk miles” are anything less than 10.

OldsCOOL

I agree entirely.

rumrunn6

I don't know, but coasting behind Wifey almost doesn't feel like cycling at all. it has value because we are spending time together, but in terms of "cycling miles" they are kinda junky :/

DaveQ24

Over 50 in a country where obesity and the disease they bring on are epidemic? No such thing as a junk mile IMHO, except personally when I get ready for a ride and break down a mile into it and have to return home.

himespau 

When I was a runner in high school junk miles were those you did at a very slow pace that didn't leave you out of breath. I suppose, if you are training, the same could apply to cycling. But only if you're using them for training and expect to get some physical benefit out of them. If you're riding those easy miles with a friend or as transport or to get work done, that's different.

Darth Lefty 

My grandad used to get on his 10-speed every morning with a plastic bag on his handlebars to ride out into the desert and look for interesting junk.

rando_couche

bowzette

But only if you are training for racing or the club Saturday Morning World's. Otherwise just ride whatever/however you feel. For "training" purposes about 80% in zones 1-2 and 20% in zones 4-5 with as much in zone 5 as you can tolerate. Every third or fourth week backing off distance and some effort for recovery. "Periodization" training focuses every more on the 80% at a very, very easy pace and 20% at very high effort such as Max VO2 intervals and HIT intervals-near death experiences Most group rides, unless they are serious race training rides, will average in zone 3. I limit such rides to one or two a week so I can go slower or harder. I don't race but have to "train" to ride a respectable club ride pace in my twilight years.

Garfield Cat

That's about it: junk miles are those miles that are no longer fun, and resulting in some kind of temporary distress. From a cost/benefit approach, you get little benefit for that extra mileage. It could be due to cramps, heat exhaustion, going way beyond what your conditioning can handle.

And later you end up paying for it with muscle soreness, high resting heart rate, other symptoms.

Wildwood 

I prefer the term "just saddle time". But aside from what you call it, junk miles are the most fun-ly.

canklecat

^This.^

Occasionally I'll tote a heavy duty trash bag and pick up the junk people discard along one of my rural riding routes. For some reason people will toss bags of perfectly good clothing alongside the road, rather than tote them another mile or two to the nearest church or donation box. So I'll bag up the stuff myself for donation. Or clean up the post-Fortha July fireworks litter left alongside the road. Or, last week, fetch a pretty good little deer skull that had bleached in the sun.

OldTryGuy

At the end of a ride I have the opportunity to SAVE or DISCARD all data that has been recorded for that ride. When I hit SAVE they were good miles and when I hit DISCARD they were junk miles. I have hit DISCARD on rides up to 25 miles.

rando_couche

The only junk miles are the ones in the car, not going to a ride.
SP
OC, OR

drlogik 

There is no such thing as "Junk Miles" for us over 50 crowd. Think of how many of your friends don't exercise at all. Now think about the fact that instead of driving two miles to the grocery store you bike it. Start doing that regularly and the miles start to add up pretty quickly. Those miles also contribute to better over-all health and hopefully a longer life.

Riding doesn't always have to be about training or getting into the zone. It's about working the body.

The next time you drive by some home or commercial construction see if the brick or stone masonry crew is working. If they are, stop and take a look. There's usually one "old guy" working on each crew. Check out his physique. Yeah, even well into their 60's most masons could put men 1/3 their age to shame. That's what working your body does for you.