|
Post by HarmonEyes on Jun 28, 2007 0:02:09 GMT -5
A few years ago there was a 3 month long bus strike so I was biking to and from work everyday. Hated riding in the rush-hour traffic downtown, but cycling through the neighbourhoods was lovely. Ditto on the padded shorts. Wear BRIGHT colours Watch for drivers/passengers getting out of their cars without warning And get some kind of bell/horn or just holler
|
|
|
Post by timfarney on Jun 28, 2007 6:57:56 GMT -5
Made it home in 45 minutes. Very pleasant! I will get a gel seat, though. You don't have to get a gel seat. You can get a gel slip cover that goes over your existing seat. I bought one a couple of weeks ago when a slight pull in my leg caused me to move from the treadmill to one of the spinner bikes. Nobody else at my gym uses one. I'm probably thought of by the hardcore bikers in training as the old weenie with the gel seat, but I don't care. By the way, this transition from treadmill to bike gives me new-found respect for all of you bikers out there. I wear a heart monitor when I do cardio, so I know exactly what's going on, and what's going on is that the bike is a butt-kickingly good workout. Couldn't ride it to work, though. 30 minutes and my clothes are soaked through. And that's in an air-conditiioned room. Tim
|
|
|
Post by Marshall on Jun 28, 2007 7:09:02 GMT -5
Rode my bike into work today too. (I ride my bicycle a lot. But 25 miles on the expressway ain'tgonna happen.)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2007 11:16:36 GMT -5
Tim,
Trainers are a sweat-o-rama. I finish most of my winter trainer workouts with a puddle the diameter of a soccer ball under the bike. When you're out in the wind and the sunshine sweat actually evaporates and cools, so you don't produce as much.
Cheers,
Paul
|
|
|
Post by billhammond on Jun 28, 2007 14:16:50 GMT -5
This just in .......... (note, Anton!)
More people in Minneapolis ride their bikes to work than in any other U.S. city except Portland Ore., according to figures released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Figures show that on average, more than 4,700 people or 2.4 percent of people 16 and older who work in Minneapolis pedal to work each day, way above the national average of .4 percent, the census bureau said.
The bureau compared the number of people who bike to work in the 50 U.S. cities with the largest number of employees to develop their ranking.
"We believe that the 4,700 figure is pretty reliable based on counts that we have done in the Public Works Department," said Don Pflaum, bike coordinator and transportation planner for the City of Minneapolis.
The city's network of trails and designated bike lanes on city streets have helped make the city bike friendly, contributing to the high number of people who bike to work or take advantage of recreational opportunities, he said.
Pflaum said that department counts show that in addition to those who ride to work, there are more than 10,000 people in the city who each day ride their bikes to run errands or for recreational purposes.
On a recent Saturday, Pflaum said the department counted 3,500 riders on the Midtown Greenway, a bike path along a former railroad line one block north of Lake Street in south Minneapolis.
"That rivals a collector street," Pflaum said. "That is more traffic than you see on 90 percent of the city streets."
On a normal day 900 to 1,900 people use the 6-mile trail that runs from near the Mississippi River to just west of Lake Calhoun, Pflaum said.
Bikers who use that trail will soon have an easier way to cross Hiawatha Avenue and the light rail tracks at 28th St. A new pedestrian and bridge for bikers is under construction and set to open later this year, Pflaum said.
The construction of the new bridge comes at a time when more people and a greater diversity of people are hitting the trails and streets with their bikes, including more women and older riders.
"The stereotypes from 10 years ago are not the stereotypes of today," Pflaum said. "Now folks of all ages, sizes and color, people from all demographics are using the facilities."
Riders might even have more options for pedaling their two-wheelers in the future. Earlier this month, the Transit for Livable Communities awarded a $7.3 million grant to Minneapolis and other communities in the Twin Cities to increase the number of miles of bikeways in the city.
|
|
|
Post by John B on Jun 28, 2007 14:33:12 GMT -5
How many year-round equivalents does Minneapolis have? I'm guessing those 4,700 people drop to zero for half of the year.
|
|
|
Post by timfarney on Jun 28, 2007 14:41:39 GMT -5
Tim, Trainers are a sweat-o-rama. I finish most of my winter trainer workouts with a puddle the diameter of a soccer ball under the bike. When you're out in the wind and the sunshine sweat actually evaporates and cools, so you don't produce as much. Cheers, Paul I hear that. I'm seriously considering moving the towel under the bike. It is seriously great cardio, though. Especially for old guys who can't break into a full run without over-stressing joints. I need a 3 - 4% incline on the treadmill to get the same results as a pretty easy ride on the bike. I really like the spinner. I'd put one in the house if they weren't so damn expensive. Tim
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2007 17:30:51 GMT -5
If you already have a bike, just get a mag trainer for it. Pretty cheap, and they work well. Get the thingy that raises the front wheel up too. Examples - www.rei.com/product/692404 (the one I have) www.rei.com/product/665468 (wheel raiser) Total is well under $200.
|
|
|
Post by timfarney on Jun 28, 2007 18:43:11 GMT -5
If you already have a bike, just get a mag trainer for it. Pretty cheap, and they work well. Get the thingy that raises the front wheel up too. Examples - www.rei.com/product/692404 (the one I have) www.rei.com/product/665468 (wheel raiser) Total is well under $200. I haven't owned a bike in quite a few years. Besides, a big part of the appeal of the spinner is the footprint. It would really open up the space in the room where the freakin' monster treadmill now resides. Of course so would a bike on mag trainer. Worth considering. A good used bike and a mag trainer would cost less than a spinner, and I'd have a bike. Are they really as smooth and stable as the spinners? Tim
|
|
|
Post by jdd on Jun 28, 2007 19:00:22 GMT -5
I have this thing... ...that I've never ridden much, that I've considered using one of those gizmos on.
|
|
|
Post by timfarney on Jun 28, 2007 19:57:45 GMT -5
wow. That looks...dangerous.
Tim
|
|
|
Post by guitone on Jun 28, 2007 20:22:14 GMT -5
Tim, those spinning bikes are very different than anything on the road, it is a much more intense workout. For instance, I cannot do them because they would kill my knees...if you are not riding on the road but can handle spinning it is a much better workout, but be careful with your joints.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2007 8:49:30 GMT -5
The feel is a bit different on a spinner than a bike/trainer setup, but I like the bike/trainer setup more for a couple of reasons. One is that it's cheaper, since I already have some bikes, and secondly it trains your muscles better to ride, which is what I'm after. As for the spinners being a better workout, by the measurables that I use (heart rate, recovery time) I can get just as good a workout from either. I don't think that would be true if I rode a Rivendale type bike though, their geometry is not designed with pure suffering in mind . JDD, for comparison, I run an 11-23 on the back, and a 32, 42, 52 on the front. I can't remember my crank length though. Paul
|
|
|
Post by timfarney on Jun 29, 2007 15:03:32 GMT -5
Tim, those spinning bikes are very different than anything on the road, it is a much more intense workout. For instance, I cannot do them because they would kill my knees...if you are not riding on the road but can handle spinning it is a much better workout, but be careful with your joints. I don't really think I'm challenging my joints much, Joel. Or at least not as much as I was on the treadmill. But then again, I'm not trying to climb hill against the wind either. I just want to get my old body up to 130 - 140 bps and hold it there for awhile. The objective is simple: Keep the blood moving through the fat with some decent efficiency. I don't wanna be Lance Armstrong, I just want my first heart attack to kill me. At 80. Tim
|
|