JohnDThompson 

I do much of my riding, up to 100 miles, on a fixed gear, where, whenever the bike is moving, you are pedaling. You can choose to pedal hard or soft, fast or slow, but unless you come to a complete stop, you are always pedaling.

RCMoeur 

And one of the peculiar charms of a fixed gear bicycle is that if you forget you are on one and stop pedaling, the bicycle is more than happy to remind you You Can't Do That and attempt to launch you from the side with the upward-moving pedal.

Don't ask me how I know this...

rob214

I live in the south if we stop pedaling we coast to a stop. I stop pedaling when approaching an intersection or if I just need a break for a second but basically if you want to go forward you need to pedal and most of us cyclist want to go as far and as fast as we can so there's that.

pepperbelly

I’m in Fort Worth. Not a lot of elevation changes here either.

PeteHski

The biggest difference when riding on the road is the large and dynamic variation in pedal resistance with changes in gradient, wind conditions and gearing. Unless you are riding on a smart trainer or using an interval program, the stationary bike will probably be providing constant resistance during your 30-45 min workouts. It would be like riding on a road with no change of gradient and constant wind conditions. I find such conditions mind-numbingly boring, pedalling constantly at the same force and cadence. When riding on the road, pedal force is far more dynamic and there are moments when you can coast or soft pedal (pedalling without force) for a brief recovery. I find this variation in effort makes long rides far more bearable and interesting. Don't be afraid to coast whenever it feels natural. As you gain strength and fitness you will naturally coast less anyway, especially on flatter terrain or when climbing. On rolling terrain it is quite normal to coast or soft pedal more often.

pepperbelly

Thanks. I wasn’t comparing road cycling to indoors at the gym. I am using the gym simply to get my legs back in some level of fitness.

PeteHski

Sorry, I thought you wanted to know if pedalling on the road was the same as in the gym i.e. constantly pedalling throughout.

mackgoo

Personally, I'm always pedaling except when I get to the point going down hill it's faster to stop pedaling and tuck.

pepperbelly

I was-sorta. I haven’t ridden in a group before and was curious.

rsbob 

In the immortal word of Mr. Spock, “Fascinating”.

canklecat

I only worry about continuous pedaling for indoor trainer sessions, or fast group rides with drafting. I don't do the latter anymore, so it's not an issue.

Outdoors, I don't worry about whether I'm pedaling or coasting. Some friends mostly ride fixed gear bikes now and pedal continuously. But I never learned to like fixies. I like my gears, and the ability to spin up a climb in an easy gear, or stand to stomp the pedals in top gear.

Road Fan

What are the numbers? What is the bike's weight limit, and that of the seatpost? How much do you have to drop to feel comfortable? Do you know the technique of lifting your butt off the saddle as thebike goes over a bump?

I think it's a shame to waste the use and the riding time of a fine bike like a Roubaix. Have you heard of any actual failures of this type on a Spec Roubaix of your size and model year? The bikes actually have some bad road cred in actual use!

pepperbelly

I have dropped enough weight that it isn’t an issue now.

philbob57

That's great, but parts of your bike is likely to last longer if you ride 'light'. Your body is likely to be more comfortable, too.

pepperbelly

I will do what I can. I do stand on the pedals and flex my legs on abrupt bumps like the transition between an asphalt street and a concrete valley. There are 3 on my local circuit through town.

OldTryGuy

Great reading you dropped the weight. Standing and flexing legs is good for over bumps BUT it's also great to exercise muscles not used when seated.

My 2018 Roubaix is propped in front of me as I type and is ready to ride in a bit over 3 hours to begin my 11th Anniversary 100 mile ride for a friend hit by a semi and killed as he a 2 others began their last week of riding from Prudhoe Bay to Key West. It also is the 1 year Anniversary of my being hit by a WILD HOG for the 2nd time.

As for your continued riding adventures, make sure they remain fun and keep on improving your riding form so you become more efficient.

Smooth and safe miles for you and ENJOY!!!

p.s. - as I ride I will be listening to

KPLX 99.5 The Wolf FM live

pepperbelly

I am more of a 92.5 guy. I really miss KZEW and Q-102.

OldTryGuy

Just tried listening before I head out the door and afraid they're not biking tunes for this 73yo geezer

pepperbelly

I’m 65. I can’t imagine my cadence listening to ZZ Top Afterburner and Eliminator.
Are you in Dallas or Fort Worth?

OldTryGuy

Enjoy ZZ Top but not for biking.

r.e. bold - live in SW FL. Just completed 55.55 miles of the 100 miles I ride for friend hit and killed by semi 11 years ago.

added 45.54 miles on 2nd ride so got my 100 Mile Memorial Ride for Pete.

gottahavit

When i was younger I would sprint/stop a lot, now I tend to pedal more consistantly and mostly only stop on sharp downhills.

pepperbelly

I was just curious about pedaling non-stop for 20-25 miles or more.

RCMoeur 

I'm planning on doing a 12-hour ride Friday night, and I'll probably be pedaling nearly the entire time I'm on the bike, which hopefully will be 100 miles or more.

gottahavit

I'm also really bad about cadence, I tend to bike in harder gears at lower cadence