Why do you ride?

[fred2ride]

I was just thinking about, i think its a pretty important subject

i'm really quite curious, why do you ride your bike? why do you love it, what do you love about it, and so on...

should be an interesting discussion

[fogrider]

first, it's fun! and it makes me happy. it's great exercise, challenging and it demands skill!

[harro]

so i can eat more

[kinofaucet]

Because I use my bike as my main mode of transportation. I own a car but I hate the idea of paying hundreds on gas per month when I can do 99% of those trips on a bicycle. The enjoyment, weight loss, and exercise I get is just a lovely side effect ;)

[ringcycles]

Because I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't. Mentally as much as physically, riding keeps me in balance.

[gforce]

It is an awakening of the senses and makes one feel alive.
I enjoy the challenge of trying to improve on my skills and
the freedom it provides.
The early morning sunrises are nice too.

[Elefantino]

To stay alive.

[LesMiner]

so i can eat more

I got into the habit of judging food based miles needed to burn it off rather than calories or points. Something like "Look at that French Silk Pie it must be worth at least 25 miles". So how many miles are needed today? Commute is 15 miles roundtrip so skip the train ride on the commute and ride the extra 26 miles home. Just a mind game to justify doing more miles and not feel guilty about higher priority on riding.

[oldpotatoe]

I was just thinking about, i think its a pretty important subject

i'm really quite curious, why do you ride your bike? why do you love it, what do you love about it, and so on...

should be an interesting discussion

Mechanical meditation......

[AngryScientist]

various reasons as well.

i was a longtime runner. longtime. i took to cycling to save my joints the repetitive pounding and found i really love to cycle.

i'm more or less a desk jockey at work. after a normal work week i'm mentally exhausted, but not physically if i dont do something, that's very unhealthy in my experience, so some hard physical work in the saddle really makes me a healthier, happier person.

[William]

As I said in another thread....

"Ahhh, riding is so therapeutic. Just enjoying the beautiful later summer day, warm sunshine, light breeze, low humidity, birds singing, squirrels staying off the road, and the hum of my tires gliding along the pavement."



That does it for me. :cool:






William

[rugbysecondrow]

Because I enjoy it.

[sjbraun]

Because it makes me feel like an 11 year old again.

[DRZRM]

Perhaps the question to the OP should be "Why do you post?" 21 posts (some may call them somewhat superficial) in 5 days or so in order to post your Zipp 404s in the classifieds. Obeying the letter of the law anyway.

[Bob Loblaw]

More reasons than I can count. Here are a few biggies.

Sunrises from the saddle. Being fourth wheel out of 20 and hanging on for dear life, then looking back and seeing I am the last survivor. Hours of rolling meditation. Setting an example for my kids on how to compete, to lose, to win gracefully. Race day morning. Going to the doctor. Sitting up with the others in the breakaway and sharing a grin as we get caught. Crushing people up hills on my single speed. All the memories and friends. Finding myself after 28 years of cycling with just as much passion as I had when I was a teenager, but now in the gratifying position of having more answers than questions.

BL

[bargainguy]

When I was growing up in a dysfunctional alcoholic family, riding was my only solace. A metaphor for freedom, independence, escape.

Today it's one of many. It's the fountainhead for a lot of other things since I turned 50: proper nutrition, staying active, clearing myself mentally, etc.

Plus I enjoy being upright on 2 wheels and being my sole source of power. There's something there I just don't get anywhere else. Tried motorcycling, just didn't do it for me.

Don

[Jaq]

So I can hang out with you fine folks.

[Germany_chris]

Perhaps the question to the OP should be "Why do you post?" 21 posts (some may call them somewhat superficial) in 5 days or so in order to post your Zipp 404s in the classifieds. Obeying the letter of the law anyway.

Cynic :beer:

[67-59]

1. Stress release (I usually ride solo, so it is my "quiet time")
2. Physical fitness
3. Gives me the freedom to eat pretty much whatever I want

[tiretrax]

Cynic :beer:
But accurate.

For all the reasons above. Can't run anymore, keep in shape, mental release, rejuvenating, can eat more, avoid using car, etc.

[pjmsj21]

Mechanical meditation......


Mechanical medication for me.....I have heart disease and my doctor has prescribed at leasst one hour of aerobic exercise a day.

[henry14]

To keep in some sort of shape. I commute to work on my bicycle and it's the freedom to come and go as I please without having to wait for a crowded bus and get packed in like sardines. It's a stress relief as well riding home from work.

[Seramount]

it quietens the voices in my head.

[Frankwurst]

Because it's a stone cold cosmic groove when I do. :beer:

[chuckroast]

I do my best thinking in the saddle. Plus it's fun.

[Kylide]

I originally started riding because I could no longer afford my car when I fell on hard times a while back. It ended up being something I thoroughly enjoyed and got a lot of therapy from, especially when I got sober. Now 3 years later I am back on my feet, doing well, have a rewarding hobby, and am ready to race for the first time this year.

[struggle]

The freedom of running away but yet you still come home.

Also at 40 and family history of High Cholesterol and blood pressure I got my blood results today and while I am not ideal weight I have perfectly normal blood pressure and 167 on the cholesterol and all other parameters were in normal.

I should be third generation on those health issues and at 40 I am not so I like to ride to keep that in check as well or at least I would like to think it is helping.

[jbrainin]

Because it feels so good when I stop.

[Bob Loblaw]

:beer:

Because it's a stone cold cosmic groove when I do. :beer:

[54ny77]

i haven't the slightest idea. :banana:

[veloduffer]

Because my golf game sux..really :p I stopped riding for about 10 yrs (was racing some too) and was golfing alot but in the last two years, I haven't been able to practice much and my scoring went south (or more like northward, up!).

I started riding some and then met some local guys to ride with. So biking is the "new golf", at least for me. It's fast casual riding now, as I don't think about training and just ride as much as I feel like it. It does clear the mind and body, and keeps me away from a bad family medial history. Plus, I have always liked the social aspect of chatting and riding. I don't have any goals (races, double centuries, etc) and that's fine with me.

During my hiatus, I had reduced my stable to about 3 bikes but have rebuilt it to about 8 bikes (road, cross, mtb). :rolleyes: :beer:

[fiamme red]

The answer is in the upper right-hand corner:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/images/misc/ser_forum_logo2.gif

[toaster]

It is often a meditation...a riding meditation.

[rain dogs]

Because, amongst many other reasons which I may list, it is about the most sensible, effective and enjoyable use of one's time out of all the utilitarian things you could possibly do.

Riding provides:

1. Transportation (Don't need to own a car),
2. Excercise (less time in the gym staring at a wall, although I still go, but less time on horrible treadmills!),
3. Independence/Autonomy (1 bike can go almost anywhere: roads, trails, paths, mountains),
4. Timeliness (rush hour gridlock/delays? I stopped worrying about that 11 years ago)
5. Affordability (no car, no gas, no insurance... more fun on pennies per 100's of km)
6. Low impact lifestyle (if that's your bag... practically zero carbon footprint (excluding production))
7. Accessibility (almost everyone can ride a bike, or can join in on the fun),
8. Challenge (Aubisque and Tourmalet in one day? Check. No prob.)
and
9. The space between (good for between cities, between A and B, between the ears)

[rounder]

(e) all of the above

Plus, i like bikes that are in tune and shift and brake right. I like sights along the way. But mainly, i just like riding around and seeing stuff, and feeling good while i do it.

[Ti Designs]

50% to get there, 50% to get back.


Well, with my sense of direction it's more like 5% to get lost, 95% to get back...

[soulspinner]

Endorphins, brain reset, escaping the law, use up the tires in my basement. :rolleyes:

[friessco]

Reminds me of childhood and I do my best thinking out on the road. Please do not confuse the prior statement with constructive thinking.

[trfkas]

Along with many of the things already mentioned...
Cycling has introduced me to many great people, riding buddies i now call friends...
Its like a party that moves...

nice little side effect...makes me safer and more conscientious in the car...

[choricoff]

Cycling is an antidepressant with side effects that are all good.

[joosttx]

It's a lot cheaper than a weekly visit to the shrink and a script of Prozac.
It's the only thing I can do for 8hrs and not be bored.
It's where I find inner peace.
It makes me a better husband and father.
Its a sport I can do it all my life, unlike basketball which was my other athletic passion.

[kong79]

To meet women.

[gpl916]

I feel like my 30 mile commute to work before or while the sun comes up, feels like a private adventure. It makes almost any trip into a mini adventure.

[victoryfactory]

copped from a Bicycling Magazine article a few years ago:

because it feels like flying.