joelb wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:38 pm I will own an e-bike someday I am sure. The ones that you don't have to pedal are what bug me. Motorcycle in the bike lane.

I clearly don't understand these things then, I thought they could all be like that and pedaling was an option to preserve battery life?

(as opposed to something like the Copenhagen Wheel, which I think is only meant to be 'assistive'?)

I agree though: I'm ultimately fine with them (and e-scooters) using the bike lane or trail but going 30 when it's busy is a dick move.

penningtron wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2023 8:18 am

joelb wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:38 pm I will own an e-bike someday I am sure. The ones that you don't have to pedal are what bug me. Motorcycle in the bike lane.

I clearly don't understand these things then, I thought they could all be like that and pedaling was an option to preserve battery life?

There are different types. Some provide an electronic assist that makes pedaling extremely easy while allowing you to go around 15 mph. Others are basically motorcycles with a throttle and pedals you can use with or without pedaling and enable speeds past 20 mph.

I do love my new bike commute, because it builds in exercise into my day with the immediate and long term benefits one would expect. I’m fortunate that my route is like 6 miles on rail trails and only about 2 riding along with vehicles. I ride with a lot of e-bikes and I get the same slightly annoyed feeling when I’m sucking wind up a hill and one comes motoring past in an effortless whirr. Or the groups of pedestrians taking up 75% of the path. Or the aggro cyclists running red lights. But all that is manageable compared to being out in the war zone of opening doors and distracted work van drivers etc. comprising the “Boston proper” part of my ride.

twelvepoint wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2023 9:27 am I do love my new bike commute, because it builds in exercise into my day with the immediate and long term benefits one would expect. I’m fortunate that my route is like 6 miles on rail trails and only about 2 riding along with vehicles.

This is one of my favourite things about cycling too. You get in some really great cardio without having to "set aside" time for the gym (and the mental hassle that goes with it).
For years I cycled 45 minutes each way to work and I felt so great.

I dug out the old Miyata I built for a couple Labor Day weekend rides. God, the shifting is a pain in the ass compared to my Kona. Still, the old bikes are a lot of fun.

I think I may have figured out one of the big reasons I was hating commuting: My giant-ass bottomless pit of lost items Ortleib touring pannier.

Perhaps if I had a bag I could stash and easily find things like keys, beverages, wallet, etc... I might be 50% less irritated?

Because I make poor decisions and I am a middle aged man looking for challenges to validate my existence, I have signed up for this event:
https://rockcobbler.com/

I've always wanted to do it, but it never fit into the schedule of my life. This time, I'm making my life fit around their schedule.

It's wacky, it's hard, it's in Bakersfield in February. In the odd chance that you might want to do some kind of abusive cycling challenge, please let me know. We can split a hotel room.

This could almost be in the mental health thread, but here goes.

I did my first 200k brevet yesterday.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10087763545

What is a brevet, you ask? There is a semi-obscure form of organized but non-competitive cycling called randonneuring. It began in France over 100 years ago, and there's still one club in France that oversees all the global, official randonneuring organizations. There are rides of specific length, and the shortest "official" length is 200k. The rides are done at specific times, and there is a set of rules for riders. There are checkpoints along the way and you have to prove that you made it to these checkpoints. There are visibility and lighting requirements. There are both minimum and maximum ride times for your ride to count and be put in the official books.

Because of this, randonneuring seems to appeal to a very specific kind of person. most regular cyclists either want to race, they want exercise for a specific amount of time, or they want to go out and have fun. Randonneuring might be the trainspotting of the cycling world. Riders want to do these official, sanctioned rides, get their names in the books, get awards for doing a series of rides, and sometimes quality for the big global events. Yet no one NOT in this world knows or cares about this world. Anyone can get on a bike and ride a stupid distance at any time, but randonneuring is a world where riders want to be able to prove to other people in this world that they did some grueling events.

I'm drawn to this weird world. I often go out and ride my bike 20-30 miles to explore, hang with friends, and get some exercise. It's great. However sometimes, for some reason, I want my rides to count for something. I want the challenge of saying "I'm going to do X at Y time and it will be hard", and then I go do X at Y time and it is hard. Then it gets reported in the journals of the randonneuring world, for no one to see but other weirdos in this world.

Here's where I struggle. I get mad at myself for caring. Frankly, I've never really gotten along with other people in this specific subset of cycling. They seem tedious, aloof, pedantic, self-important, and/or maybe on the spectrum. People were polite, but no one seemed to want to be friends. Am I like that? I've been known to get into my esoteric interests and sometimes unintentionally block out humans or social opportunities. While these rides have fun elements and are quite gratifying, they are not really done for fun or even pleasure. It's billed as non-competitive, but I still get a competitive vibe. I looked at the results from yesterday's ride and I was the last finisher. While it's seen as non-competitive, it still kind of made me feel like shit. No one won, but I did the worst.

I did very much enjoy riding through the California landscape, committing to a big challenge, and then completing the challenge. I worry, though, that the things that I don't like, the things that rub me the wrong way, are strong reflections of the elements of my personality that I don't like.

So that's where I am; proud of myself for my longest ride yet, slightly bummed that I was the worst participant on the day, and bothered that I'm giving credence to this esoteric form of structured cycling.

Wow! nice job! That's my longest distance as well but mine didn't have over 6k of climbing!

jeff fox wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2023 10:38 am Wow! nice job! That's my longest distance as well but mine didn't have over 6k of climbing!

Thank you. Luckily the serious climbing was in the first half when I was fresh. The last 35 miles, which should have been a piece of cake on paper, were extremely taxing. I had no power left in my legs. If I was just spinning, it was more or less fine, but if the terrain or wind kicked up, it was like being slowed to a crawl. It's food and calories. I don't think I was able to take in and process enough calories to feed my output. It felt like my stomach was almost full, but my body was out of fuel.