A lot of things in cycling are "over-rated", please just go out and ride

[nesteel]

Riding is therapy. Life starts dragging me down, I'll check out on a few of the extra activities and just ride more until the dissonance in my head quiets down. Nothing like sweating, pain, and accomplishment to put things in perspective.

[dbnm]

This is exactly how I feel and what I do. The last few months have been mentally brutal and I am grateful for my bike and my riding buddies.

Originally Posted by nesteel

Riding is therapy. Life starts dragging me down, I'll check out on a few of the extra activities and just ride more until the dissonance in my head quiets down. Nothing like sweating, pain, and accomplishment to put things in perspective.

[Tony]

Seems like cycling is your main priority, without it you may not be whole.
It's nice to me able to enjoy and fall back on other outdoor activities just in case your not able to ride. My right knee is starting to become an issue while mtbing so switched to ocean kayaking for awhile. And if kayaking and riding any bike become an issue there is hiking, fishing.....


Last week in Mendocino CA

[shoota]

Man for me it's been a journey. I started out with people that fast and far and that was absolutely the point of it. After a move I've found that I enjoy that mindset a little less than I thought I did. Anyway, it's a journey and I'm always learning.

[93KgBike]

I have heard it said that 'good advice grates on the ear.'

I liked your post, even though, for me, climbing thousands and thousands and thousands of feet is seriously underrated, not overrated; keep being you Weisan.

[bob heinatz]

I am 65 and feel blessed to be able to ride everyday. Most of the time it is solo rides and my pace varies on every ride. I am not out there shooting for any personal best but overall fitness and enjoying my time outdoors. Yesterday I had a 20 mile ride with my wife and it was wonderful. Nice pace but totally enjoyable. Biking is the one activity that does it for me. I also enjoy hiking with my wife and our yellow lab!

[smead]

I am grateful every day that I can go out and ride.

But I also am serious about riding fast, far, and up hills. It's all good, it's not good to think one way is better than another.

Do what works for you, and accept that others do what works for them - as Todd Snider sings - "people will do what people do I'm just happy to be here at all ..."

[Gummee]

I think a much more succinct way to put it is 'shut up and ride your bike.'

The rest is noise.

Wide rims/narrow rims? See above

Steel/AL/Ti/carbon? See above

Discs/rim brakes? See above

etc etc etc

M

[cmbicycles]

Originally Posted by VTCaraco

Bought my son a bike a few years ago. This marked his 4th ride, and came as a complete surprise.
Remarkable how content I was to shift from a more athletic ride to one that was more supportive and patient. And it rained. Not a downpour or deluge, but a mist that turned to a steady, albeit light rain.
Enough so that my wife came out to rescue us, but I don't keep the racks on the car, so only room for one bike and one person in the car.
So I pushed hard to finish the ride through a steady drizzle of rain and with lots of road spray, and a feeling of complete content.

I'm not that fast, I don't log as many miles as many, but there's still something wonderful about the whole thing, even in the rain, and especially when your child asks if he can ride with you.

^^^^ This, except anytime your children ask to do ANYTHING with you is a great thing... especially as they get older. Now you will both have that memory, "hey remember when Mom had to come out and rescue us on that bike ride... " Priceless. My daughter asked to do a night/moonlight ride in Richmond with me, I usually don't like big group rides, but I'm in absolutely. Gonna get a couple more lights and have a good time together. Just about anything we can do and enjoy together, whether biking/reading/music/etc is a plus IMO.

[Bruce K]

Gunner -

Well put but is SRAM vs Shimano vs Campy included in your list or is that the unsolvable bicycling debate?

BK

[pncguy]

For me I am struggling a bit fighting off depression that comes with diagnosis of A-Fib and A-Flutter. It is very easy to fall into the "I'll never be able to ride again..." pit. While it actually may be true, it probably isn't. And even if it is, riding SHOULDN'T be my whole life. In truth, it isn't, but I do get a LOT of joy from it and it reduces some of the stress in my life.

So it isn't so much as "shut up and ride" but more "figure out why you ride and go do it for that." And the WHY isn't "because I like to climb" or " because I like to ride far." It really is "because I can do things on a bike that most of my social circle can't, and that makes me feel strong." And because I'm more a nerdy engineer than an athlete, I need a way to feel strong.

Of course, if I change my social circle to the endurance athletes in Boulder, well, I wouldn't feel nearly as strong...

[bob heinatz]

Bruce K
Campy!

[Johnnysmooth]

I use to race and still have a couple of great racing bikes. Did long rides, short intervals, you name it to train for races. Was particularly good on the hills.

Then bottom dropped out, diagnosed with gastrinoma (form of cancer). That was nine yrs ago. Hematocrit plummeted (46 to 28), chemo has taken its toll - hills are no longer my forte.

But cycling is still there for me.

Although my rides are not as hard, as fast or as far, I still love riding a beautiful bike be it in the woods or on the road - its all good. And does it ever help when I am feeling down. No matter how I might feel, a good ride always lifts my spirits.

Just keep riding, however you like and be grateful that you can.

[HenryA]

I found the first response to be prickish and certainly not anything that advances the thread. There isn’t anything about anyone else’s personal experience or reason for riding a bike that needs to be rebutted. Calling the OP a “self congratulatory fred” and “self aggrandizing” moves the response over the top into personal insult.

My suggestion is that if you read something here that does not call for factual rebuttal that you simply click the next link and go on with your angry life.

Or in this case you could respond with what —you— like about riding bikes. Perhaps “I really like pushing myself to set new personal records on my Saturday morning ride” or “there’s nothing like a high mountain ride above tree line”.

[earlfoss]

I think the rebuttal to the OP was valuable and made a good point.