Do you like talking on the road or not?

[run it, ride it]

I love talking on the long, flat low-traffic parts. My excercise-induced asthma is such that the relaxation of talking to someone does wonders to control my breathing and relax me before a hill. That said, I often get worked into a wheeze-fit such that my only communications involve nodding and thumbs up when worried co-riders ask, "are you okay?!"

Mountain-biking is a different story--I'm usually concentrating too hard on the singletrack to chat. However, I do narrate my ride with little yips and curses as I go over the unexpected or tricky bits. I also like a few wild, "WOOOOO!"s down big hills, and more than once I've let out a bewildered "HOW AM I STILL ALIVE?!"s after a particularly interesting obstacle.

[10ch]

...I also like a few wild, "WOOOOO!"s down big hills...

I'm more of a WEEEEE girl, myself.

[mimitabby]

I'm more of a eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

girl myself on those steep hills.

[Thorn]

On the flats? Chatterbox or loner, depending on the mood. Downhill? Part of the eeeeeeeeeeeek gang. Uphill? No. Breath. Must. Breathe. Must. Fo. Cus. Do. Not. Talk. To. Me.

DH has long since learned to never, ever start a conversation when the hills are steep. Oops...I get a bit cranky when I'm trying to focus and breathe and someone wants me to acknowledge them....oops

[smilingcat]

slow social rides with beginners, we talk.

serious training rides. Who has time to talk? On a big or long hill climbs, pace line usually breaks down completely and every person for themselves. We "race" up the hill and regroup at the top. It pays to be one of the first at the top where we chat. If you are the last one then no rest for you as the group has gotten back together and we all take off. bummer, no chance to get your breath back. It's an incentive to stay ahead of your fellow riders. On a short steep climb, most of us make an effort to stay in big chain ring and power our way up. CAN'T TALK either.

I'm not crazy so I don't talk to myself on solo training rides. Have no musical ability so I don't sing either. Besides, I'm training.

maybe I'm tad anti-social in training

[RoadRaven]

I ride with a super nice guy that talks nearly non-stop. It helps to take your mind off of the pain if it's a tough ride.

This made me think of my partner... he does this, intentionally I think... just chats beside me as I mash my painful way up a nasty hill... it takes my mind off the discomfort and I can maintain my rythym!

[HappyAnika]

Thorn's comment reminds me of a couple of weeks ago: I was focused on finishing this long moderate hill, DH had already topped the hill and doubled back for me. He pulls up next to me and starts chatting and asking me questions. I just grunted at him and he finally left me alone. After a bit when we were stopped I apologized for the grunts and had to explain that some of us require extra oxygen when riding up hills. Did I mention we were stopped to change my tire because I had about 40 psi in it? I was wondering why the hill felt harder than usual.

I like chatting when I'm on a casual ride, but if I'm trying to get a work out in, no talking please. Exceptions, of course for route discussion, such as "Left here?"

[colby]

I pretty much agree with the consensus (or what kind of seems like maybe a consensus? ). If I'm by myself (which usually means training rides), sometimes I'll talk or encourage myself (I'm sure it sounds nuts), things like "we can do it" or "just one more" or "almost there" or "come on bike, let's take it!"

If I am riding with my husband, dad, or friends, I will talk some or most of the time. For me, it's a way to measure and make sure I'm not pushing anyone too hard. If they start talking in clipped, short syllables and I know I'm pushing, I'll try to keep it at a minimum. I usually stop talking up hills because I know that's going to be a push anyway. When my husband wears the heart monitor, I will listen for that, too. On roads, we ride single file, which makes talking a little harder. I'd rather be safe than chatty.

I don't really train or do hard rides with other people. I don't really have anyone to train with until I get my aforementioned bike friends moving a little faster or interested in rides longer than 10-15 miles. I'm working on them.

[teigyr]

When I used to ride a lot, I'd talk going up hills. I wouldn't necessarily require an answer, I tried to be sensitive that way. Ex-DH hated it and said it was rude because I wasn't out of breath and he was. To me it was good because I tried to ride a consistent pace uphill; not too fast and not too slow and it took my mind off of the fact I was tired.

When I did a 129 mile club ride way back when, I was basically on my own because there weren't many riders. A rider who did a lot of doubles (WAY out of my league!) started talking to me. We were out in the middle of nowhere and it was nice. He was complimentary about my riding too which is always great The ride was killing me and as we were going up a hill at mile 100, he pulled away. That whole hill (5-7 miles) I felt horrible and I knew I still had miles to go before the finish. I cried for a bit (as I was riding which required talent!), thought about stopping but I didn't know when I'd see a SAG wagon and stopping isn't really me, and questioned my sanity for riding. I felt sick, tired, and like I sucked because this guy was so much better. At the top of the hill, the guy was there waiting. I still remember this, he said "I'm sorry, I thought you were right behind me. You are a strong rider and I was fighting to make sure I was going fast enough." Lie or not, it made me feel SO much better. As he talked to me through the rest of the ride, I still felt sick and I couldn't answer quite as I wanted (one word answers) but it got me through that ride.

I guess there are all sorts of different answer here. I would love to talk more on the bike trail but it's difficult because of the wind and a lot of time it's single file. There are times I don't feel like talking, granted. But then again, there are times that talking has made all the difference in the world.

[makbike]

I'm not a talker simply because I'm extremely shy. My lack of talking has somehow resulted in me being labeled "intense" and "standoffish". The intense label is true, I can't deny it but the "standoffish" label is so far from the truth. I do listen for I enjoy hearing the tales of others.

[spokewench]

Just wondering what everyone's opinion was. I find that if I ride with someone that I can talk to (men don't get this) that I can go further, faster and have a lot more fun riding. I know there are a lot of very serious riders out there that don't like to "chat" on the road...what is your preference?

You betcha I like to talk most of the time. Cause I'm a mountain biker and I really think the road can be boring sometimes. It keeps me interested in the ride. However, if it is a real hammerfest, I'll be sucking wheel in the back and not talking very much!

[bikerHen]

Does it count as talking if I'm talking to myself? I ride solo most of the time and I'm the only one I have to talk with, not counting the occasional shout out to stupid cars. But then I work alone and talk to myself all day. And I always talk myself through working on the computer, sewing and just about everything. Maybe I spend too much time by myself? bikerHen

[teigyr]

I talk to livestalk! Or ducks, or geese, or whatever other animal is in my vicinity. Not running conversations because it's in passing but I say hello at least

[makbike]

Teigyr I talk to the animals too but then again I talk to my "thundering herd" each and every day.

[7rider]

Yeah...chat with the critters, too.
More like "Hey you squirrel - Get out of the road. Run, run, run."
And I thank the cows and horses for still being there, and not being displaced by McMansions!