how do YOU ride road?

[lewis1641]

just bought a road bike (sadly not retro, its a 2001 claud butler san remo, formerly owned by Mave - the co star of the boat that guy built).

been out on it a handfull of times now. First few rides were just bimbling about, getting used to the different riding position etc. Last couple of rides were 40 and 30 milers and they got me thinking.

Firstly i feel really stretched out riding on the hoods. how do i knoiw if the frame/stem are too long? centre of the stem seems to be directly above the centre of the hub.

I am riding this to try and get a little fitter. what's the best way to ride? spin a lower gear? grind a higher gear?

just wondering really what a road ride means to you, what is your average ride like?

i use my mountainbike for fun and chilling out but cant really see a road bike operforming those tasks

 

[Kestonian]

At the moment, I only ride my singlespeed (Specialized Langster) on the road. It's my only road bike and gets used for the daily commute (11km each way), the odd sprint triathlon and on rare occasions longer weekend rides up to 70km.

From tomorrow, I'm starting to ride with a group out here for long (50km upwards) rides before work and I think the shortcomings of the Langster will quickly become apparent; ie: it's too small for me and only has one gear.

Road riding is about to change from being a mode of transport with the odd race thrown in to keep an eye on fitness, to being a route to fitness.

I thought I would find long road rides pretty dull, but the fact that I'll be up at 4.30am tomorrow and, hopefully, regularly in the future suggests that I quite enjoy it.

I haven't done much group riding before, and certainly not in the size these guys get up to (up to 100 people on the weekend) so I'm looking forward to the social aspect, too

That and it means I can convince myself to buy another bike!

 

[highlandsflyer]

Sadly I barely ever ride on the road now. Just too dangerous by far.

I miss the feeling you get when you realise you have covered sixty miles without even noticing it. When you lose all awareness that you are powering the machine, and just feel like you are floating.

I used to head out at night and cycle by moonlight for miles, along empty country roads.

But the seventies were a different world.

Nowadays my road running tends to be a quick link to the next path or cycle way.

London is a different matter, but even there I avoid the road as much as possible, which is actually an awful lot!

Can you maybe pop into a decent bike emporium and get a proper fitting?

 

[longun]

alone lol

 

[Neil]

I used to head out at night and cycle by moonlight for miles, along empty country roads.

But the seventies were a different world.

Didn't I make that point in another thread - about other decades in the past being different in terms of attitude and contention for cyclists and traffic, and you rubbished it?

I too was cycling the roads back in the 70s, and recall well the number of times I was nearly taken out by daft drivers, and nothing has really changed, cars have just got faster and the number of lorries has increased.

I have always maintained that in decades gone by, the attitude of drivers, and for that matter (it's probably not unrelated - but hardly the sole factor) the amount of traffic has changed significantly - which has had a notable affect on cyclists and drivers cohabiting on roads.

One minute you're dismissing it, the next you're saying it yourself?

Not sure I get how that works at all...

 

[feetabix]

My average road ride is about 25 miles two or three times a week on my own......I'm self employed and really struggle to ride with mates as I'm always working..... I swap about from a singlespeed 'dale to my mountainbikes on slicks and I have an s-works roubaix sl road bike too......I have a great ride to the Cotswolds of about 100 miles that I do about twice a year weather/kids/fitness/weather dependant.......most of my time is road based as I can go from the door......spin a lower gear for fat burning and not Bonking miles from home, but you will benefit from shorter harder rides too.....try singlespeed, it's a real eyeopener and will make you see hills and momentum maintenance in a different light!!.....

 

[highlandsflyer]

I used to head out at night and cycle by moonlight for miles, along empty country roads.

But the seventies were a different world.

Didn't I make that point in another thread - about other decades in the past being different in terms of attitude and contention for cyclists and traffic, and you rubbished it?

I too was cycling the roads back in the 70s, and recall well the number of times I was nearly taken out by daft drivers, and nothing has really changed, cars have just got faster and the number of lorries has increased.

I hardly call that rubbishing your point. I merely stated my opinion, that attitudes had not changed, merely the type and amount of traffic.

I have always maintained that in decades gone by, the attitude of drivers, and for that matter (it's probably not unrelated - but hardly the sole factor) the amount of traffic has changed significantly - which has had a notable affect on cyclists and drivers cohabiting on roads.

One minute you're dismissing it, the next you're saying it yourself?

Not sure I get how that works at all...

I am still not saying the attitude of drivers has changed.

Nothing to do with driver's attitudes or any difference between mixing with traffic then versus now.

On an empty road you are not 'cohabiting' with drivers.

An empty road is an empty road, circa 1975-2011.

I lived in a different place back then; a place that still has generally empty roads at night, though societal changes have led to vastly more car ownership and nocturnal driving across the board.

 

[al]

Go and ask those weirdos in the road forum bit.


Roadie!!





al.

 

[Neil]

I hardly call that rubbishing your point. I merely stated my opinion, that attitudes had not changed, merely the type and amount of traffic.

I guess everybody has an opinion.

I am still not saying the attitude of drivers has changed.

Nothing to do with driver's attitudes or any difference between mixing with traffic then versus now.

Well you're free to believe that if you want.

But drivers attitudes have most definitely changed over the decades. Both to cyclists (you've only got to read comments on the various news sites with the recent cycling camera footage), and to other drivers.

Whilst I'm sure some anger occurred in past times, I don't buy that it's just the Daily Wail inventing road-rage.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Everyone has an opinion indeed. You are merely a bigger opinion than most.

I base my opinion on my personal experience, I don't base it on news reports or websites that were few and far between back then.

Hardly the basis for a comparison.

Back then cycling was a risk you took, and if you copped it it was all part of the dangers of being on the road.

Nowadays if you cop it, the driver will be scrutinised from the perspective of having injured or killed a more vulnerable road user.

We now have many more cycle ways and road markings, etc. promoting the rights of cyclists as protected road users.

The people changing all these things are not just cyclists, they are drivers too.

I would say attitudes are much the same, averaged out.

For every casually regardless motorist there is another who is bike aware.

Only problem is there are ten times as many passing you, so five times more of the ones who could not care less about you.

Misquote as much of that as you will.

An empty road is still an empty road.