Speed

[bikerchick68]

Hammer... it's not an expensive hobby... it's CHEAP health insurance! LOL... hey, I can justify ANYthing I wanna buy...

[Hammer]

True... true... a coworker commented on the fact that it's a good hobby. My other hobbies include photography, video projects, music... It seems like all the good ones are spendy... or as spendy as you want to make them.

Hopefully as a result of buying bicycle stuff I won't have to spring for that quadruple bipass surgery in 20-40 years.

[KSH]

Well, it takes a few months to get really good... and fast. Or even some what fast.

I know my boyfriend has been riding for about 3 months... If I hit the big gear and get on it... I can drop him very easily.

BUT... he is getting faster... and it just takes time. I know that he will be faster than me very soon!

Unfortunately though, I think 16 MPH is my "pushing it" average. I just can't seem to break that average! And it's NOT EASY for me to keep that average.

Then again, I also know that I don't want to ride 4-7 times per week to get really fast. I like riding 3 days a week... and whatever speed that puts me at... then cool.

[singletrackmind]

It sounds like you are doing really excellent to me! If you keep hanging with faster people like you did, even for a short time, you will get faster (though you already have a respectable speed going). I was out riding with the trailer/road bike last night when a guy on a hybrid pulled up alongside. We got to talking and he said he's been able to average 18mph. You've already proven you can do that kind of speed, it's just a matter of time and challenging yourself before you average that, with small sprints upwards from there. I don't think hybrids are terribly slow, especially if you pay attention to air pressure. Sure, you have a little bit more resistance and you are more upright than a road bike so you have to work harder but even a mountain bike with knobbies can do a 20 avg over 20 miles on the road. Depending, of course, on the road!

[Hammer]

My town sits on top of a bluff, and a bit of it is below the bluff. So, on days that I can only do 10 or so miles I try to go down and up the bluff like 4 times or so. I can make it up... but I'm super slow at that... some days I'm favoring the granny gears lots and only top out at 7-9 mph. There's 5 ways up the bluff, one I haven't touched yet because it's steeper than I want to tackle. Maybe sometime if I'm super fresh and it's my first attempt.

Anyway, yesterday my legs were kinda tired and it took some effort to crank my way up the easier route. I didn't even feel like standing. Though, standing seems weird to my leg muscles. I try to stand and pedal on flats and VERY briefly up hills to work my legs differently.

I was going to get up and go bike riding today... but I need to mow my yard (sometimes it's difficult to get the mower started after a work out)... AND there's a bit of a thunderstorm rolling through this morning = rain and lightning and no mowing or biking, for now.

Thanks for the input!