100km or 100mi

bigharj
bigharj Posts: 78
edited June 2013 in Road general
No right or wrong answer, I'm building up my distance. Do I am aim for 100km or 100 miles. I notice that people on the forum here mention their first 100 miler but a lot of cycling is measured in km.

What's your preference?
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Comments

  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    Bl**dy miles, it's kilometres on the continent.

    100 kms isn't a milestone it's just 62 miles, when you get to the 100 mile mark you'll feel like you've achieved something, just keep plodding along and you'll get there sooner than you think.
  • fat_cat
    fat_cat Posts: 566
    Depends on how far you currently ride.

    If 25 -30 miles (40 - 50 km) is a long ride, aim for 100km and then work up to 100 miles from there, but if you can already ride 40 - 50 miles (65 - 80 km), without too many aches and pains then you should be able to work up to 100 miles OK.
  • diplodicus
    diplodicus Posts: 722
    Use both.

    I was pleased to reach first 50 mile, then first 100 km, then 100 mile and just recently 200 km. Next target will probably be 150 mile. You get the idea :D
  • goonz
    goonz Posts: 3,106
    BIIIIIG Difference between the two. 100km you can do no problem. 100m is a whole different ball game.

    Please talk in miles only. I knowkm sounds bigger and makes everyone feel better but we are in England!
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  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    I did my first 100 miles 12 years ago whilst touring with panniers, long before the words MAMIL and sportives were ever invented. In those days it was never treated as such a big milestone or event as modern riders do.

    Back then even most audaxes were run well above that distance and ironically a year later I did a LEJO ride in 7 days. I have even heard stories from the 1930s and 40s where 200 plus riders regularly road a chain gang ride from Nottingham to Skegness and back!
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    goonz wrote:
    BIIIIIG Difference between the two. 100km you can do no problem. 100m is a whole different ball game.

    Please talk in miles only. I knowkm sounds bigger and makes everyone feel better but we are in England!

    Absolutely! So henceforth, lets hear no more about 170mm cranks, they're roughly 7 inch cranks. And a 500ml water bottle is just WRONG! It's a bit less than a pint. And that 13mm nut on you bike? Don't use a 13mm spanner! A Whitworth 3/8 BSF will fit almost as well!
  • The Mechanic
    The Mechanic Posts: 1,277
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  • ednino
    ednino Posts: 684
    Depends on the topography of the land

    I've had my bike 4 months and done...

    Newmarket 75 miles
    Malvern 60 miles
    Chepstow 96 miles
    Aberystwyth 62 miles
    Severn bridge 104 miles

    The hardest were Malvern & Severn bridge
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    ednino wrote:
    Depends on the topography of the land

    I've had my bike 4 months and done...

    Newmarket 75 miles
    Malvern 60 miles
    Chepstow 96 miles
    Aberystwyth 62 miles
    Severn bridge 104 miles

    The hardest were Malvern & Severn bridge

    And he still can't get home :lol:
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  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    10,000ft is the one to aim for.

    Distance means nothing without knowing the total climb.

    But what you need to do is go for something that is right for you. Personally, I train on short distances for big endurance rides. Mile munching doesn't really help you prep for a big ride beyond conditioning yourself to the task. Better IMO to do 3 20-30 mile sprints a week than 1 60-90 mile ride.
  • triban
    triban Posts: 149
    Bozman wrote:
    Bl**dy miles, it's kilometres on the continent.

    100 kms isn't a milestone it's just 62 miles, when you get to the 100 mile mark you'll feel like you've achieved something, just keep plodding along and you'll get there sooner than you think.


    Every Distance you reach for the first time is a mile stone, whether you mark it in km or miles.

    I recently completed my first 100km's, which i'm proud of as i know that for me, it is a big achievement.

    I use Km's because i find the higher number motivational, and i like to compare what i'm doing to what i see on TV without having to use a calculator.

    Funny how no-one minds measuring their bikes in metric, but measure distance traveled in metric and all hell breaks loose :wink:
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    I know that this country is a bit of a mess where it comes to the metric system, but vehicle speedos are in miles and road signs are in miles, folk just use Ks to make them feel like they're cycling further and they need a confidence boost(kidding yourself).
    A mate of mine started cycling a while back and his goal was 50 miles not 62 miles, if I plan a route it's in miles not kms because nothing's marked in kms.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    bigharj wrote:
    No right or wrong answer, I'm building up my distance. Do I am aim for 100km or 100 miles. I notice that people on the forum here mention their first 100 miler but a lot of cycling is measured in km.

    What's your preference?

    100miles is a full 38 miles further than 100km. They are two entirely different things.

    Whereas 100km is something you can be doing every weekend, 100miles is something you might look to do once a season (Obviously some riders do 100miles every other day but still)
  • Nick Cod
    Nick Cod Posts: 321
    Do the 100 miles then you'd have done both in the same day
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  • pinkteapot
    pinkteapot Posts: 367
    100 miles is nothing. It's only 0.000000000017 light years.
  • goonz
    goonz Posts: 3,106
    I find 162,000cm the most difficult to ride.
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  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    why not aim for 100km first then do 100 miles?

    or just go for 100 miles but i bet you any money you'll do 100 km first!!!
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  • gavbarron
    gavbarron Posts: 824
    diy wrote:
    10,000ft is the one to aim for.

    Distance means nothing without knowing the total climb.

    Unless he lives in Holland. Would take a hell of a long time!
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    Ride 100km on a long first half loop, rest, then return on a 60km loop - then you've done 100 miles :D
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  • meursault
    meursault Posts: 1,433
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  • charliew87
    charliew87 Posts: 371
    I did both in one hit earlier this year. Longest training ride I'd managed until then was 60 miles, then went and did 100 a couple of weeks later in a sportive.

    The biggest thing that has done is eliminated a need to worry about what to say when people asked what my longest ride is. I can now happily go out and do 30 and focus on hills, intervals and the like without worrying that it's the furthest I can do.
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  • englander
    englander Posts: 232
    Miles all the way. That said, I did do a bit extra on my ride on Saturday just to round it up to 200km... It was 125 miles, really, though.
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  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    Ignore the braggarts. If you're new to riding, 100k is a long way. I've done my first 100k and my first 100 miles this year; both felt like big achievements.
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    goonz wrote:
    BIIIIIG Difference between the two. 100km you can do no problem. 100m is a whole different ball game.

    Please talk in miles only. I know km sounds bigger and makes everyone feel better but we are in England!
    Absolutely! So henceforth, lets hear no more about 170mm cranks, they're roughly 7 inch cranks. And a 500ml water bottle is just WRONG! It's a bit less than a pint. And that 13mm nut on you bike? Don't use a 13mm spanner! A Whitworth 3/8 BSF will fit almost as well!
    I loved this response, but also:
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  • eddiefiola
    eddiefiola Posts: 344
    First 100Km for me http://app.strava.com/activities/59181371 next target 100 miles, don't see the problem with whatever tbh they're all just numbers, whatever gets you pushing yourself.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    The nice thing about having miles and kilometers is that if you use both you can alternate between them to get steadily increasing "round number" targets. Start with 100km, then work up to 100miles, then 200km etc.
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 837
    diy wrote:
    10,000ft is the one to aim for.

    Distance means nothing without knowing the total climb.

    But what you need to do is go for something that is right for you. Personally, I train on short distances for big endurance rides. Mile munching doesn't really help you prep for a big ride beyond conditioning yourself to the task. Better IMO to do 3 20-30 mile sprints a week than 1 60-90 mile ride.

    I'm training for the Ridelondon, and find I can do 2-4 sessions a week of 2-3 hours quite easily, but finding time to do the longer rides is really hard, the missus and kids moan at me if I am "out all day" :roll: :oops: I also find I can push myself to ride faster (whether I am sprinting by anyone else's standards is another issue!) but pacing myself for a longer ride is quite hard.
  • Schoie81
    Schoie81 Posts: 749
    When I run, I run kms, but on the bike its always miles - a km is a lot further on foot than it is on two wheels. Now i'm fitter and my runs tend to be over longer distances, I've even stopped recording them in kms now too. kms just sound like you're trying to make it sound like a long way, when its not really, and personally, I can visualise how far miles are more easily than kms. I'm definitely aiming for landmark distances in miles....

    I'm surprised no-one has mentioned 'the rules' yet....?
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  • Schoie81
    Schoie81 Posts: 749
    Schoie81 wrote:
    I'm surprised no-one has mentioned 'the rules' yet....?

    :oops: I should have checked page 2...... :oops:
    "I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Schoie81 wrote:
    ...a km is a lot further on foot than it is on two wheels.

    Yeah?