What do you think...should I give this group ride a try?

[Jolt]

Hi Jolt!

I can sure relate to you. I was riding my big, heavy (30+ pound steel) mountain bike with the big knobby tires and platform pedals for the group rides I was going on. They were termed "EZ Rides" and were swept at about 12mph. I was always dead last, but the coordinator guy (a retired, overweight guy who rode a clunker bike kind of like mine) was really patient with me and never made fun of me. Well, the coordinator of these EZ Rides has since moved out of state and the EZ Rides are no longer. I called about joining in on some of the other rides that were described as "leisurely" and was told that unless I could do a minimum 14mph I was not welcome. I was told that by one leader that she would feel bad for the sweep person if he had to go as slow as me. Harumph! So, I've been taking a hiatus from group rides until I get a lightweight, skinny-tire road bike. I just heard of another local group that is starting some EZ Ride-like rides tomorrow, so I plan to go - 8am tomorrow! It'll be a good warm-up for some road bike test-riding later in the day.

I can tell you that riding this heavy, wide-tired bike has been a workout! I have to work SOOO much harder than the people on their lightweight, skinny-tired road bikes. It's really gotten me in good aerobic shape though. I haven't jogged in over a month and went out Wednesday evening and did 7 miles with some slight hills thrown in for fun (ha!) no problem. I can't wait to get a road bike - I think I'll be flying up hills with one!

Anyway, I encourage you to go out and at least try the group at least once. You never know, it may be so much fun you'll wonder why you put it off this long!

Well, your bike sounds a lot like mine (just replace "mountain bike" with "hybrid", and the tires are fairly wide but have a light tread rather than your knobbies). It is a good workout, that's for sure, especially since pretty much anywhere I go has its share of hills! It does seem like the "easy" label for a lot of group rides is a joke--the local club here certainly doesn't have much that I would consider reasonable. Sounds like a common problem. It's sort of the opposite of the issue I run into in my hiking club--a lot of the trips are TOO easy or (usually) the pace is significantly slower than I would like to go, with more stops than I would prefer to make. So I can relate to the people who get irritated with the slow person on a group ride, and I want to make sure I don't inflict that on anyone . It's just that it would be nice if there were some rides that weren't intimidating for us slower people and where the whole idea is to have an easier ride where people wouldn't be getting PO'd about the speed or lack thereof.

[indysteel]

Jolt, I understand your concerns, really I do. I rode my road bike virtually by myself for several months before going to a club ride because I didn't know what to expect. Admittedly, those rides involve lots of people riding at any pace from 12 to 25 mph so I had to know something about bike handling to ride safely. However, in retrospect, I totally overthought the whole thing and was much more anxious than I needed to be. I'd suggest the same thing to you. Go, ride, be careful, have fun. This doesn't sound like a hard core group of cyclists and they're probably used to having new riders on all sorts of bikes at all sorts of skills levels.

As far as how close people ride together in a group. It depends on the group and the type of ride. On a 12-mile , 14 mph ride, however, I would assume that you won't be riding inches from one another's wheels. You'll probably be in a loose bunch if the street conditions allow it. On busier roads, you'll likely ride single file. Just keep the distance that you feel you need to ride safely and comfortably. Just don't get too close to anyone's wheel. If you get to a hill, just ride your pace and keep to the right side of the road so that faster riders can pass you on your left.

[Jolt]

I think I've found a better group ride to start off with. The local chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, of which I am a member, has Tuesday night show-and-go rides that are specifically labeled as beginner rides that go at the pace of the slowest person (that likely being me). The distance is about the same as that shop ride. Sounds less likely to be a bad experience, and the one this week is in a town with which I am somewhat familiar. If the weather cooperates and I decide to do this one, I'll be sure to post a report!

[Geonz]

Great!! We'll look forward to hearing it ... it's an awful lot nicer if you're starting out when there's a *leader.*

[Jolt]

Great!! We'll look forward to hearing it ... it's an awful lot nicer if you're starting out when there's a *leader.*

I called and talked to the leader for Tuesday's ride, and she said nobody gets dropped, the speed is usually 10-12 mph and people aren't so close together that it's dangerous if somebody swerves. When I asked her if it was OK that I'll be riding a hybrid, she said she will be on one as well so that won't be any problem. The fact that I'm guaranteed not to be the only female also makes me feel better about this one. Now, let's just hope the weather is good on Tuesday night as the current forecast indicates and that I don't discover some unforeseen mechanical problem!

[Geonz]

As the weather goddess, I shall attempt to arrange the weather as forecast for you (tho' it's hard to do MA from here!). SOunds like a very good fit.

[Crankin]

Jolt, you will be perfect for the AMC "easy" ride. I am a leader for the Boston chapter, but I also ride/lead with the Worcester chapter at times. Some people come on the intermediate level rides I lead with hybrids, once in awhile on a mtb. I am always amazed at how some of them can drop me. The chair of the Boston bike committee rides a hybrid that must weigh 35 pounds, with a pannier on it, too. He rides about the same speed as me, so riding a hybrid definitely makes you strong.

Have fun tomorrow night. The weather will be perfect.

[Hammer]

One more thing--how close together do people usually ride on these group rides? That's another thing I'm a bit concerned about, especially if we're climbing hills that require me to get out of the saddle (this tends to result in some swerving). I definitely don't want to cause a pile-up if I swerve!

I don't know if this has been answered yet, I haven't gotten to the second page... People seem to know if you're not an experienced rider in groups. They can see if you can hold a line or not. What I would do is just ask, "Hey, I'm new at this... I don't want to cause any scuffles, how do you guys usually ride? Do you draft off each other? Give each other space?"

Though really, until you're comfortable with group riding... Make it your responsibility to leave room between you and the next rider. Don't overlap tires. Though once people get comfortable with you and you with them, drafting makes it MUCH easier to keep up with the big boys. Though yesterday I'm pretty sure that the boys I was riding with could've ridden a tad faster than they were when I was cruising with them. Half way through I stopped trying and just rode with my friend. I don't have enough in me to keep a 17mph pace for a whole ride, even with drafting.

GOOD LUCK!

[Jolt]

Jolt, you will be perfect for the AMC "easy" ride. I am a leader for the Boston chapter, but I also ride/lead with the Worcester chapter at times. Some people come on the intermediate level rides I lead with hybrids, once in awhile on a mtb. I am always amazed at how some of them can drop me. The chair of the Boston bike committee rides a hybrid that must weigh 35 pounds, with a pannier on it, too. He rides about the same speed as me, so riding a hybrid definitely makes you strong.

Have fun tomorrow night. The weather will be perfect.

Thank goodness for better weather--I don't know about you, but I was about to go stir-crazy with the four solid days of cold rain! Let's just say that there was something rotten in the state of Massachusetts this weekend, and it was the weather!