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Beginner to the bike scene ..

croninross1croninross1 Posts: 3
edited November 2017 in Road beginners
Hello,

Recently taken up cycling again after around 8-9 years since I last rode a bike, what would people suggest as the best distance to cycle starting out? I am currently cycling around 19 miles every other day.

Posts

  • homers_doublehomers_double Posts: 7,844
    Whatever you feel comfortable with.
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • singletonsingleton Posts: 2,468
    I'd suggest increasing distance rather than speed to begin with.
    Once you've got some miles in your legs, you can start to increase speed if you want to.
  • OnTheRopesOnTheRopes Posts: 460
    an hour to an hour and a half 4 times a week is a good start, at a steady pace so you can (just) still converse. Keep to this pace and slowly increase length of rides so you are doing 90 mins twice a week and 2 to 2 1/2 hrs once a week (if you have the time). After 3 or 4 months of gradually increasing length of rides up to whatever you target then you can start to increase intensity if you wish.
  • croninross1croninross1 Posts: 3
    Thanks guys ☺
  • shimanobottombracketshimanobottombracket Posts: 376
    croninross1 wrote:
    Thanks guys ☺

    You're welcome
  • Bumo_bBumo_b Posts: 211
    My advice is to just get out there and ride till you don't want to. I started out doing about 8 miles and it hurt, both in the neck and butt as well as the legs (I was very unfit). After a while I found I would take detours, stay out longer and generally go a bit faster. I still reach the stage occasionally when I wonder what the hell I am doing on my bike, getting cold or drenched or chasing a strava time and look back on the early days with fondness as I seem to remember I had little expectation. My favourite times cycling are going out with the wife and son, peddling nowhere fast, stopping for cake and coffee or a picnic (any peddling is an excuse for me for cake) and having no other motive than to enjoy and watch the scenery and talk. Having built up to do L'Etape and completing it this year again, I can tell you from experience, the last half was the most unpleasant time I have ever spent on a bike. I would love to say what an achievement, but what achievement was it? Finished, yes! bottom 3rd yes, did I enjoy, no! and I spent a fortune doing so. Get out, ride, enjoy, and take no notice of us idiots who try to prove thing to themselves!
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