Who’s into biking?

BR123BR123
in General

So, l've been into fitness for most of my life.
And, for those who are familiar, this lifestyle requires periods of bulking and cutting. The cutting phase sucks because you have to cut out most of the tastiest foods, do more cardio, go to bed hungry, workout with less strength, buy new (smaller) clothes, etc. I went from 215-ish to about 180, and I love it.

So, to make this cut, and new leaner look more sustainable and—more importantly—enjoyable, I got into biking. I started with a relatively cheap bike from Academy (similar to Dick’s Sporting Goods, for those who live in places that do not have Academy stores), but I pushed it to its limits on some super steep hills in Bastrop, TX. Anyway, I’m interested in seeing who else is into biking, and would be interested in biking together. I just bought another more advanced bike, but I’m still keeping my other one in case someone needs to borrow it. This is mostly for those who are in the Austin, TX or northern Colorado area. I even want to do some biking in the Northern California area: Lake Tahoe, Redding etc. Basically, places with good challenging hills, and places where I won’t feel like I’ll have to carry and pull the blicky on a hater.

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Comments

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    Yes, and I am competitive about it.

  • rxpectingrxpecting

    I love putting miles (probably 5k or so) on my cheap $250 sporting good store hybrid! It's what gets you out riding - a saddle that feels good and decent fit and enough suspension for the roads that have some roughness.

    Just some Gatorskin tires to prevent flats, speedplay pedals (huge upgrade), and maintain when needed. Oh, and a TRIBIT StormBox Micro bluetooth speaker that straps right to the stem right behind the handlebar so I can have music and good situational awareness but in a spot where it won't annoy others since it's close to my head.

    I'm in it to burn calories so I figure I'll just have to go faster and further if I get something pricier :-D Though a nice road bike is like being in a sports car the difference is amazing. And expensive mountain bikes can definitely make you look better on the trails. (I have to learn that "eat less" thing)

  • TxTomTxTom

    Yes, we have a fairly nice network of Hike & Bike trails that run along both sides of the river, in downtown Austin, that meanders off to other areas, too

    There are actually quite a few of these trails sprinkled around. We ride them frequently.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972


    My Salsa Cutthroat gravel bike on the Glacial Drumlin Trail in Southern Wisconsin. I’ve done many Centuries (real Centuries, not metric) on this bike. But for longer rides I use my Giant Defy road bike. My personal best is 168 miles in one day.

  • BluboySnugsBluboySnugs

    Neighborhood trail and my 84’ KHS 10spd = bliss 💜

  • BR123BR123

    @rxpecting who’s, those are some good upgrade ideas… I’m going to add those to my cheaper bike.

    Honestly, I’m kinda scared to use too many upgrades on the one I will be traveling with, because I’m always worried about theft if it stands out too much.

  • BR123BR123

    @BluboySnugs Right on!

    I can’t see myself riding in Florida. It’s always hot, humid, swampy, and the mosquitoes are too big. But, from the pic, that particular place actually looks nice.

  • BR123BR123

    @JohnR1972 168 miles in a day??? Was this planned? A competition? What did you eat, and is it safe to eat while doing that type of distance?

  • BR123BR123

    @TxTom Yea, Austin is covered in trails. It is about the only city in Texas that caters to bikers.

    I’m not into politics (never voted, never will). But, as someone who travels all over the U.S, I’ve noticed that the most liberal cities cater to outdoor activities. But, in conservative places, sidewalks cut off for miles at a time.. people won’t yield to bikers: they constantly honk and drive aggressively.. Just unnecessary and uncivilized behavior. That’s why I said I only want to bike in places where I won’t feel like I’ll have to carry and pull the blicky.

  • BR123BR123

    @TheFunCartel bruh.

  • disneysamuraidisneysamurai

    The last bike I owned I actually bought from K-Mart on discount back in the mid 90s. I used to ride it a lot but I moved a lot when I got to college age and i kept my bike in my parents garage until they demanded I take it with me so they can have more space. I eventually gave it away because I wasn’t riding it much and it was very difficult for me to store. I much prefer to walk everywhere even if it is slower

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug
    edited October 2025

    I’ve been a bicycle commuter most of my adult life. To me this has been about efficient transportation first and about exercise second.

    But am I the only one who finds it ironic that someone would call a bike ride of 160.934 km a “real” century ride?

    Imo, your isolationism detracts from your impressive wealth and your feats of strength. But as John Mellencamp put it… Ain’t that America?

    🇺🇸🐒

  • TxTomTxTom

    If the mille passus was good for ancient Rome, then it's good enough now.

    Nothing isolating about it.

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug
    edited October 2025

    The problem isn’t with the mile as a standard of measure, @TxTom . It’s the language indicating it’s the only “real” standard that’s dismissive of the rest of the world. Do you not see that as problematic or do you not care?

    Ironically, the mille passus of Ancient Rome would yield a 5,000 foot mile. So, a century ride by that standard would be just under 95 miles under the American Conventional System. Sorry for straying further from the topic of bicycling. But as a U.S. marine, I was trained that a proper stride was exactly 30” long, which duplicates the stride of those ancient Romans.

  • BR123BR123

    @MonkeyNeedsAHug I’m confused. Who said they were the standard?

  • TxTomTxTom

    No.

    Considering that I possess a sense of humor, I found the comment funny, not "dismissive" or "problematic."

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug
    edited October 2025

    @BR123

    About 7 comments above mine…

    “My Salsa Cutthroat gravel bike... I’ve done many Centuries (real Centuries, not metric) on this bike.

    @TxTom

    I get it now. Your comment is parody.

    By indicating that anybody whose sense of humor is different from yours has no real sense of humor at all, you’re echoing the assertion that a standard of measure that’s different from yours is no real standard of measure. That’s rather insightful. I commend you.

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug

    I used to ride both my kids to school on a midtail cargo bike, that had a bench seat over the back tire. It also had fat white tires and gearing that worked well whether I had additional passengers or not.

    Now that I’m older my bicycle choice resembles something you can imagine Dylan riding at the Newport Folk Festival.

  • BluboySnugsBluboySnugs

    @BR123 Lol Florida is not always the best place to cycle, you never really get used to the humidity but learn to tolerate it 🥵 I’ve done some short commutes to work some times but most of the year short rides in early morning or evenings are best
    My area and the WestOrangeTrail are definitely not the normal fla experience though

  • wilderdudewilderdude

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @BR123
    It was an organized ride from the Indiana / Illinois border to the Indiana / Ohio border. The organizers stress it is NOT a race but they give each rider their finish time and position after they cross the finish line.

    It varies year by year but there are typically 1,000 to 2,000 people who start the ride (some coming from a couple states away) and around half of the participants complete the ride.

    The organizers set up 4 rest stops along the route where they have portable toilets, water, Gatorade, ice, lots of bananas, cookies, PBJ sandwiches, etc. and bike repair stations. They also have volunteers in marked vehicles patrolling the route looking for anyone who needs help. In addition, the Indiana Department of Transportation sets up signs along the route caution drivers about cyclists on the road and local & state police help control traffic at busy intersections to make the ride safer for cyclists.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel
    edited October 2025

    A retired colleague of mine is an avid cyclist and always does the bike across Iowa every year and several others around the country, but easily the most grueling one he does every year is the race up Pike’s Peak. You gain over 5,000 ft in elevation during the 12 + mile race that includes over 150 turns. You do this while dealing with far less oxygen and possibly encountering rain and mud. Anyway, he completed it again this year….at the age of 82. Now he physically has a built in advantage—he is 5’8” and probably weighs 145-150 soak and wet. He does require less oxygen and his heart and vascular system has less work to do in distributing that oxygen.

  • TxTomTxTom

    It's common for endurance athletes to have a larger heart than average.

    Controversy aside, Lance Armstong was about 5'10", 165 lbs., and his heart was 30% larger than average. Thus, his blood was oxygenated much more quickly. Typically, he had a heartbeat rate much lower at rest, and much faster at full throttle than average.

    So, he really had something to... "crow" about! [ba dum tss]

    Well, at least for a while.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel
    edited October 2025

    Lance Armstong was about 5'10", 165 lbs., and his heart was 30% larger than average.

    Was? I guess his heart shrank since then.

    Sounds like he has AGS (Anti Grinch Syndrome)

  • BR123BR123
    edited October 2025

    But, wasn’t Lance on P.E.D’s? I thought that’s what contributed to his enlarged heart.

    I mean, I’m sure a lot of it was just his body adapting to the demands he constantly placed on it, plus possible genetic predispositions, but I’m curious to know how much those stats would change if he was completely natural.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    Lance learned early to know his ABC. Always Be Cheating.

  • wilderdudewilderdude

    Meh. I wouldn't say lance was cheating. Everybody in cycling was on gear. I remember reading that if you took all the PED users out during one of the years he won the TDF it would go to #27 lol.

  • BR123BR123

    @TheFunCartel HA!

  • BR123BR123

    Nate Diaz said it best, “everybody’s on steroids”.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    Everybody in cycling was on gear.

    ^That’s called a rationalization. Doing something against the rules to enhance your chances of winning is the very definition of cheating. Rationalizing why you cheated is always the go to when lying about it stopped working.

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