How long do YOU take to get ready to ride?!

I'm still trying to get my system down, but it seems no matter what I do, it takes pretty darn near 30 minutes from the time I get up, to the time I ride away on my bike. I think I did it in 25 once.

So, here's my routine. I get up, go potty, of course (sorry! :o ), throw on the cycling clothes, put my hair in a pony tail, brush my teeth (sometimes I skip that since I do it again after eating and drinking sports drinks), put on sunblock, go downstairs, let the dogs out to go potty, start eating a banana and sip water while I get my sports drink(s) ready, put my Blistex on and put it in my jersey as well as the garage door opener and a few tisues (neatly folded!), and my cell phone, get my bike down out of the bike closet, pump up my tires, put Chamois Buttr' in my shorts (after most likely going potty again!), put on my shoes, my helmet and my sunglasses, put my bike computer on my bike and turn it on, roll the bike out, close the garage door and wait about 30 seconds for my GPS to kick in and then ..... AHHHHHHHHHH .... finally time to ride!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure many of you do way less than I do to prepare. Dh is a big advocate of pumping tires every time I ride. He used to not pump every time and found he got a lot more flat tires. I know I could get my drinks ready the night before, but it still has to be done and I'd rather just do it in the a.m.

Anyways, I'm wondering what some of your routines are and how long it takes you to ride away.

My Routine:

Get up, wander out and make coffee, sit and drink coffee while checking the weather, try to decide if I can beat the weather or should I just stay home and have more coffee, decide weather is "doable" and wander back to the bathroom to get ready, realize I forgot to eat, wander back to kitchen and grab a banana, stare longingly at coffee pot, finish getting ready, go to garage, pump up tires, wish for more coffee, GO!

Total time from bed to road = 1.5 hours. :D

Hmmm.

Ok.

Stay in bed for a bit and ponder what I'm going to do. Wander downstairs, check e-mail. Look around on the internet at what my friends are up to via blogs, etc., and then make breakfast and something with caffeine.

Eat and drink.

Go potty.

Wander around the house and play with the cats.

Check e-mail again.

Get involved reading something online that really doesn't matter except for the fact I'm procrastinating.

Change into cycling clothes and do the normal getting ready stuff. Load bike into car (usually drive to start point) along with cycling bag. Go to the post office on my way to ride because there might be packages there for me or something! (P.O. Box, of course.) Leave Post Office dejected.

Get to bike trail, put on cycling shoes and helmet, pump tires, and go.

Total time? Maybe 3-4 hours on a good day??!

Considering how much you do JIffer, I think 30 minutes is fast!!

1. potty
2. wash hands, put in contacts.
3. Get dresed, spend at least 5 extra minutes contemplating my SOCKS!! I have a lot of pairs, have to decide which ones match and how low they are.
4. Braid hair, new part of routine as my hair has grown. This takes me close to 10 minutes.
5. Put on sunscreen, will probably miss a spot and it still takes me close to 10 minutes.
4. Wander around, force my stubborn schnauzers outside (it is like herding cats). Make water bottles for DH and myself, contemplate my Sport Bean flavor of the day.
5. Kennel above brat dogs.
6. Go out to garage, DH has usually taken care of the tires.
7. Load tire levers, extra CO2, keys, cell phone. Put on headband, helmet. Clean sunglasses.
8. Spend a few minutes putting on shoes and checking tightness. I wear insoles and it is very key to avoiding a painful ride not to have my shoes too tight.

Ride time- 45 minutes to an hour. When we are in a hurry it has been cut to 30 minutes, but this is not the norm.

I'm right there with you Teigyr but I usually skip the mail portion.
Bills > Money = too depressing

Ha ha! I'm always giving my husband a hard time about how long it takes him to get out the door! Surprisingly, it takes him WAY longer than it takes me, and I can't figure out why.

I like to lay out my clothes the night before, but it still takes me a good 20 minutes to get out the door. My routine is very similar to yours, Jiffer.

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Originally Posted by Sheesh

\ I like to lay out my clothes the night before, but it still takes me a good 20 minutes to get out the door. My routine is very similar to yours, Jiffer.

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So there's hope yet for me! 20 minutes sounds like a nice goal! :) I don't typically lay out my clothes the night before because they're easily accessible, but I often think through what I'm wearing and make sure it's clean and that it's really where it goes.

2 hours if it's a get up and go utility ride (not that I moved any faster with a car...)

About 15 minutes for short fun rides. Grab water bottle, bike, helmet and go. I usually don't go more than about 5 miles from home, and I can walk that distance easily as long as I have water. Longer fun rides mean I need to pack a lunch, and sometimes other stuff so the time til I'm out the door goes up.

Well, tonight I got ready in record time (about 5 - 10 min) since I was running late for a club ride. I threw on my cycling clothes (luckily everything was clean!), filled my water bottles, swapped out the lenses in my glasses since it was overcast, hopped on my bike (I pumped the tires yesterday and figured it was good enough) and sped off. It has been a stifling hot day, and as I was zipping along I was surprised that it didn't feel as hot as I expected. Then I realized I had forgotten to put my helmet on! Aaargh! :eek: :o

So I lost all that saved time in having to turn around to get my helmet. At least I still made it to the club ride since they were a few minutes late starting.

I do the exact same things you do ,in the same order except ,I have 2 cats ,no dogs...I lay my clothes out the night before ,and I pump my tires the night before. I fill 2 bottles of water /fitness drink ,and have them in the freezer ,so they are cold for me. It takes me about 25-30 minutes.

Start to change at work...phone rings...blah, blah..try to be friendly but don;t you people know I have somewhere to be?, put out fire, I have to go...get in full lycra kit, damn, I forgot to put on HRM...drive to ride (if I leave 15 min. late, forget it, traffic will be too bad). Get near ride start, dressed...stop at WaWa, in full lycra, but there's a bike on top of my car, so it's not weird! Buy a boatload of gatorade. Get to ride start, pump tires, put on gloves and helmet, and oh yeah, HRM. I'm ready to go...........but the ride doesn't start for another 45 min. Yes, I'm one of those perpetually early people.

All I know is it'd take me a lot less time if I didn't have to pee about 5 times before a long ride.

Why is it that I do that??:confused:

I hate riding in the morning. I'm not thinking or moving well. So, it really depends for me on whether it is a morning ride (that I have to do for some reason), or a very late morning or afternoon ride.

Morning rides take me forever to get out the door for, with many missed items, retraces of footsteps, etc. Up to an hour. Even when I think everything is ready in advance.

Afternoon rides are quick to get to...15 minutes. Dress, fill bottles, pump tires, go. Firing on all cylinders.

Heh, my routine is a lot like Queen's (maybe a bit quicker, but not by much) which is why I get up so freakin' early for my before-work rides. :p

I'm glad you asked this question because I keep thinking, "There has to be a better way!"

Clearly, there's stuff you simply have to do and it takes time.

Of course sometimes I end up hunting for socks or kit or whatevers. I do need to get better organized.

This summer I've loved riding in my Keen sandals that I'm usually wearing most of the day, anyway. It's amazing how much faster the "getting ready" seems when I'm not putting on socks and cycling shoes. (It can't really make that much difference, but it feels like it is.)

I'll get everything ready the night before if it's an early morning ride. Camelback ready in fridge complete with anything I'm taking with me or packed next to sink with bladder out and ready to fill, bike set out, aired/lubed, gear laid out and waiting.
If it's a 4am slip out before the hubby goes to work ride I'm out of here in ten or less, but everything's been done the night before, I don't bother with teeth or sunscreen or food (have some with me, just in case), lighting is already set up on camelback/helmet and the dogs are still asleep. :)

Getting ready from scratch 1/2 hour is quick, I think.

Winter is more difficult. More to put on, have to determine how many layers you'll need, and then, pull them on.

I'm one who prepares in advance and has everything ready to go.

Half hour sounds fast to me for a morning ride! The only suggestions I could make is to pump your tires the night before, have your puter charged and on the bars but off the night before, and lay out your kit too.

I am impressed with how quickly you get out in the morning- It takes me at least 30 minutes to feed and play with the dogs before I can leave them - let alone what I have to do for myself and the cat. I am not really a morning person - so except for school yr when I commute - I usually bike later in the day.

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Originally Posted by oxysback

All I know is it'd take me a lot less time if I didn't have to pee about 5 times before a long ride.

Why is it that I do that??:confused:

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Good Grief this is ME! :mad: This makes me nuts - I also have to do that before bedtime.... I could get out sooo much quicker without this affliction. When I ride with hubby, I am constantly inquiring, "are you almost ready--I have to do my last bathroom run if you are..." It's not good if I've "buttered" up too early :o

End of rant;)

My routine varies greatly depending on the type of ride and where we are starting from.

My commute:
it takes me 10 minutes. I get up, pee, splash water on my face, put on my clothes (already stacked neatly in the bathroom so that I don't wake DH searching for stuff), put my hair in a pony tail, grab the waterbottles out of the fridge, put on my shoes and go. Everything is already set up on my commuter bike and waiting for me. I wake up somewhere about 3 miles down the road. :p If DH is also commuting, then it's about 15-20 minutes longer as I need to leave time to take care of the dogs. If he's not commuting, he does it when he gets up after I'm gone.

Long ride from home:
about 25 minutes or so. Here I do the above but I also apply chamois creme, pack snacks, and air up the tires, decide on sunglasses, apply sunscreen, etc.

Long ride from somewhere else:
about 20 minutes to get in the car and then about 15 minutes at the location. All the same as above, except that everything I need gets tossed in a huge messenger bag and thrown in the car (shoes, sunglasses, helmet, gloves, water bottles, snacks, etc). I spend a bit more time getting ready at the location than DH, but I also never forget anything with this 'big bag' tactic.

Lunch ride from work:
20 minutes to get ready. I have to change, apply sunscreen, get water, got out to my car, air the tires, get all my stuff tucked away (cell, id, computer, etc), get shoes, gloves, helmet and sunglasses on...and go. The worst is after the ride...I feel like it takes me so long to get back to work! All in all, a 1 hour lunch ride takes me about 2 hours between getting ready, riding, getting cleaned up, and eating at my desk.

I will say that reading everyone else's routines makes me feel much better. When we are getting ready to head out for a long ride, DH is notorious for getting all steamed at me for taking too long. He stresses me out and I end up forgetting stuff (like usually, to pee one more time)!

I'm with GLC1968, my prep time varies.

This week I rode twice in the early morning, sub-1-hour rides. I just threw my bike clothes on, didn't have to pump the tires (I pump them every third day unless I'm going to a club ride or to something with lots of climbing), filled one bottle with water, put my wallet (it's quite small) in my pockets (instead of the plastic version that I take on long rides), my cell phone, my keys and a gel in my pockets, pull the bike out of storage, put on the buff, shades, helmet, bike shoes, and off I am. Took me 15, maybe 20 minutes.

For some reason, knowing that I'm just going for an hour, close from the house, pulls me out faster. Whenever I go for a long ride, it's more prep time, for some reason.

Happily I just need to go potty once.

It's 7:30 am, so no sunscreen.

It's important that I make up my mind the night before about riding though, and run the routine through my head before falling asleep, and tell my partner I'm going to go riding in the morning. That creates a commitment and somehow it's faster that way. I don't do the other stuff I would normally do as soon as I get up (coffee, email...).

Obviously this would take me longer with kids or even pets.

ETA: No HRM in the summer. I just leave it. One less step, one less thing to consider, more fun, somehow...

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Originally Posted by Sheesh

Ha ha! I'm always giving my husband a hard time about how long it takes him to get out the door! Surprisingly, it takes him WAY longer than it takes me, and I can't figure out why.

I like to lay out my clothes the night before, but it still takes me a good 20 minutes to get out the door. My routine is very similar to yours, Jiffer.

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It always takes my BF way longer as well, even though I usually get dressed and pump up both of our tires. Lately, I have been able to convince him to let me leave as soon as I am ready as he is way faster than me and our ride always starts with a big hill because I live in a valley! He usually catches me pretty quick even if he leaves 10 minutes later!:eek:

This morning I got out of the house in 20 minutes and was on the road by 7:00 am. But I was motivated to get out there asap and beat the heat! Generally it takes me much longer than that...primarily because I don't think I'm even all the way awake for at least a half hour. I usually take a shower just to wake up a little. Then there's the breakfast issue. It's hard for me to eat when I first get up. This morning I choked down a big glass of soy milk and a Power Bar.

I don't know if my big rush this morning was the culprit or not, but I had a really crummy ride. I didn't want to be out there and I felt like a big slug. I just got back from vacation though, and I haven't been on the bike in 6 days. Maybe that was the trouble. I also should've left about an hour earlier because it was already too hot!!!

If I am riding after work I can get out in under 10 mins! I don't even go upstairs to my bedroom - I have all my cycling clothes downstairs the night before so I basically strip as soon as I walk in and put everything on, pee and walk out! I only have to time to go about 9 or 10 miles after work so I don't even bring water for those short rides. But it's a drag when I come back home and have to clean up my work clothes that I threw all over the living room floor!

In response to all your great replies .... :) ...

I'm with csr1210 and oxysback on the peeing every five minutes! And if not every five minutes, certainly right before heading out ... to do ANYTHING! Have to have the last minute pee time ... which is why I wait until then to put the Chamois Buttr on, but only do that for longer rides.

I forgot about the HRM when I listed my routine, which is new for me. I don't pump my tires the night before because Dh says you lose 30 lbs of air before the a.m. If I'm doing a short ride and the tires were pumped the day before, sometimes I skip it.

I can slide my Garmin bike computer onto my bike the night before, but that's quick. It's not a matter of waiting for it to charge, it's waiting for the GPS to kick in, which can't be done until I'm standing outside of the garage with the bike. Luckily, it's much faster than the Garmin watch I wore for running.

I could have my bike sitting out in the garage instead of hanging in the closet, but that would defeat the purpose of the closet, which is to protect the bike. There's not a lot of space around my car and there's no sense risking it getting knocked over.

Like some of you (which crack me up!) I could easily lounge around in the a.m. and take my time getting out the door (and have) on days that are ... #1: not smoldering hot outside the later it gets and ... #2: I don't have somewhere to be (usually my kid's a.m. horse lessons) Also, I am so NOT a morning person, I'm not going to get up at 5:00 or 6:00, which would allow myself more time to be easy going. I'd much rather sleep until the last possible minute and rush through my routine! ;)

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Originally Posted by Jiffer

I don't pump my tires the night before because Dh says you lose 30 lbs of air before the a.m. If I'm doing a short ride and the tires were pumped the day before, sometimes I skip it.

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I don't mean to undermine your DH's cycling authority, but I would suggest you do the experiment yourself with a gauge instead of trusting his word, especially if it impairs your capacity to be on the road quickly. High-pressure road tires loose about 3psi per day, which is a lot compared to low-pressure tires, but not a lot overall. You can quite safely ride your tires at about 90psi, or even less (although I don't like to be under that).

Despite my slothfulness in getting ready to ride, I AM capable of doing it more quickly :D

If I have plans to meet people in the morning to ride, I can be out of the door within 20 minutes. I load my bike and get everything ready the night before and just get dressed and go. I tend to do drive-through McDonalds breakfasts before long rides, I don't know why but it works.

So I can do it if someone is depending on me to be somewhere! It's great motivation to ride with people.

I really prefer to get everything ready the night before so i can worry about OTHER stuff (eating, checking email, bathroom) before the ride.
tomorrow's a big ride; so tonight i will get everything together...

I don't count normal morning/daily routines as part of "getting ready to ride" as I'd do them if I was riding that day or not. That cuts my getting to ride routine and time pretty significantly:

1. Fill water bottles & set out ride food
2. Pick out riding outfit best suited for the ride and weather
3. Get dressed
4. Stretch
5. Apply chamois cream if ride is >50 miles or I'm on the tandem
6. Stuff ride food in pockets
7. Put out the dog and lock the house
6. Check bike & leave

I can do it in about 20-25: minutes
1. Alarm goes. I look at think "why do I want to get up this early?" Then I remember that I have to work or that is going to be 97 degrees later on).
Get out of bed. listen to NPR. Go look at thermometer to decide clothing and take potty break.
Get dressed
get bike out and turn on lights, if needed
Head out door.
I usually don't lay clothes out. I'll usually change/charge the batteries on the light the night before.

Love this thread! :D On days when I bike commute I always feel like I'm futzing around forever in the mornings. I'm so not a morning person so I always try to do as much as possible the night before.

The night before:
1. Pump tires up at least every other day.
2. Rinse and fill waterbottle with fresh water.
3. Pack and panniers with school materials (only the minimum for the given day), clothes (don't forget the underwear), bike lock, extra jacket, etc.
4. Plug in headlight to charge overnight.
5. If necessary, change lenses on sunglasses to clear (for nighttime or rainy weather) or colored (bright sunlight).

The morning of:
1. Put on bike clothes that have been laid out the night before. Occasional wardrobe adjustments if the weather appears noticeably different from forecasted.
2. Brush teeth & hair. I used to braid my hair, which took ~10 minutes. In the interest of time, now I twist my hair up into a quick n' sloppy scrunchy bun, set low on my head to allow helmet clearance. This style takes me about 1.5 minutes to do, and the buff keeps any stray hairs poking out off of my neck.
3. Put on buff, helmet, sunglasses, gloves, bike shoes.
4. Load lunch into panniers, roll them closed, load on bike.
5. Grab a big mochi cake from the fridge to eat on the way. Gluten free! :)

When I've got everything all prepared, I can go from bed to door in 15 minutes. If I'm not prepared or I wake up to something like a flat tire, it can run up to 30-35 minutes while I run around scrambling. My biggest challenge seems to be switching modes between bike and car days. On those days I tend to not have all my bike stuff lined up or I'll forget my work keycard badge, etc.

The only real difference between my commuting routine and a long ride prep routine is focused on food and water. For long rides I need to pack my own food and I'll usually load it up into a hydration pack with a 2L or 3L bladder full of water. I'll also add a bottle of sunscreen, some extra bike tools, small packets of chamois butter, first aid kit, and extra inner tubes.

In the summer when it is warm and breezy, about 25 mins - jump out of bed, go to for a whiz, throw bike clothes on, guzzle some cereal down for fuel, pack my mobile phone, wallet and keys and maybe a muesli bar in my back pocket), top up water bottle, put on shoes and off I go - can't wait to get out on the road.

In winter - it's more like 2 hrs and 40 mins. Spend about 2 hours telling myself it won't be that bad getting out of my warm bed, then finally get out of bed, do most of the things set out above, except make some warm porridge (instead of cereal) put on inserts and then riding gloves (always seems to take forever) and then get out and regret being out there for about 15 mins till I warm up....

If you haven't gathered - it's winter here downunder ....brrrrr... no snow but cold enough!

Okay, I also don't count normal morning stuff as "getting ready to ride", mostly because I usually don't ride in the morning. Besides, if I ever do a "first thing" ride I have to eat a decent breakfast or I'll bonk.

I can get ready in about 15 minutes:
1. I prep the bottles while my husband checks the bikes/pumps the tires
2. Change
3. Put on sunscreen
4. Stuff my back pockets
5. Put on helmet, gloves, shoes, glasses
6. Go

3 & 4 go quickly because I keep all my stuff (except the shoes) in a bin. The shoes are kept in the same closet as the bin, so it's a grab and go situation.

The bin holds: Clean pairs of gloves, arm/leg warmers, sunglasses, normal back-pocket stuff, any gels not consumed on previous ride (I take 2-3 gels with me on every ride), little pouch with ID/cash/small first aid kit, and my helmet. It currently holds my repair stuff since I removed my saddle bag a while ago and haven't bothered to put it back on.

1. Let my dog out.
2. Have coffee and cereal. I'm with Jotjepose in that I have to have breakfast.
3. Catch up on weather, forums and messages. Drag my feet here a bit wishing
I'd got up earlier to beat the heat. Why do I have company to 1:00 every
night?
4. Air tires, fill bottles, sunscreen, put on clothes-shoes and helmet.
5. Bring dog back in.
6. About 1 1/2 hours after waking I take my bike outside and down my first hill I go. Wheeeee!