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How to Enjoy Bike Riding


Nate

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I wholeheartedly agree with everything Nate says, except for the part about the bike computer.  When I was first starting to ride and even now, I use(d) the bike computer to help me track my mileage and progress.  It may only discourage some people, so it might be better for some to ignore the statistics, but for me, personally, the computer motivates me and actually makes riding more fun. But that's just me.

 

I would recommend you use the computer if it helps you stay motivated as it does me, or discard it if it discourages you.

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Personally, would never leave my cell phone behind, also always carry it in the saddle bag where it's least likely to be damaged in a crash, and it's the crash that leaves both me and the bike down and either in not in functioning order as to why I carry it.

 

Of course in the middle of a woods, cell phone reception isn't always the best, but it makes the wife happy that I have it still.

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take the computer off your bike

 

that's just wrestling a demon you don't even need to wrestle

 

I think we have to agree to disagree.  If you aren't tracking your data, you may just be getting slower.  

 

And yes, I can be quite serious doing intervals.  My fitness and strength are a testament to doing things this way.  It works.

 

There are days that I just meander and ride slow.  I try not to make it a habit though.

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yes, agree to disagree. What I am saying is that bike riding is not necessarily all intervals and seriousness

 

when I was racing, hell yes, I did intervals and tracked my ride data

 

but if someone is just trying to get started, it is easy to get the impression that that is what riding is all about, and it really isn't

 

I'm saying that you can enjoy riding for its own sake and the truth is that someone who is a beginner will get better and get stronger no matter what they do, as long as they get on a bike more often. That's why you need to find the love for cycling before you worry about training

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Nate, I agree that you just need to ride and love it. But the computer is a must. Especially for me, an acknowleged computer geek. I love the ride. I pay some attention to the numbers, but more attention to the horses, fields, etc. But when I get home I like to just geek out with the data from the Garmin.

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I have a Garmin, too. Its so old, it doesn't even have maps built into it, but I learned a lot about myself looking at the data

 

That was back when I was racing

 

2 years ago I was coming back from a problem with the ligaments in my foot. I know every scrap of road around here and I know how fast I usually am riding over what section and so forth. I took the computer off my bike because if I knew how slow I was really going back then, I'd be tempted to ride too hard for where I was in my rehab

 

but even back before I raced, I used to take the computer off from October until March 1

 

Sometimes not knowing how fast or how far is nice

 

Like I said earlier, most avid cyclists will have their own opinions regarding computers, cell phones, and the relative merits of doing intervals

 

But the love of cycling can be cultivated without any of those things....like when we were kids

 

you know what I really enjoy about no computer? I don't know what time it is. that means that if I am out in the middle of nowhere, there's no other place that I'm supposed to be and in today's world, that is worth the ride

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  • 2 years later...

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