[RyanCanfield]

im not really a begineer, ive been riding all alone for about a year or so i guess and i usually go on about anywhere from 12 miles to 15 miles on trail each day, up and down trails by the way. pretty hard. and i was wondfering how long people usually ride for in miles of length. hope i get an answer . thanks!

 

[bmateo]

im not really a begineer, ive been riding all alone for about a year or so i guess and i usually go on about anywhere from 12 miles to 15 miles on trail each day, up and down trails by the way. pretty hard. and i was wondfering how long people usually ride for in miles of length. hope i get an answer . thanks!

There is no answer

A ride is whatever it is.... the number of miles is subjective. 15 miles on really steep, technical singletrack can take me the better part of an afternoon, and can be a pretty serious ride, or 15 miles of graded fireroad can be a stroll in the park.

Another thing I noticed, it is almost impossible to rate yourself against others in a general sense. I consider a 15-20 mile ride on singletrack to be a solid ride, 30+ miles is a really big ride for me. On the flip side, I ride with guys that are dead after 6-8 miles, and I also ride with (my best buddy) guys who compete in the shanendoah 100, which is a 100-mile mountainbike ride on a mix of fireroad and singletrack, but is ALL in the mountains.

If you want some more perspective on this, go to the NC forums (and I'm sure many other states) and look for some posts from a guy named mountaingoatepics (or something like that) and read about the assoult on Mount Mitchell.

Anyway, for me the key is this: If you are doing 12-15 mile rides and enjoying them, than that is great. If you want to do more, then set a goal to do so. Something like: In 2004 I'll do two 20+ rides and maybe one 25+ ride, or whatever you want.

Another way to look at it is how long you were on your bike. With a cheap bike computer you can see your actual riding time. Look at trying to get 2 hours of riding time within 2.5 hours of real time, or whatever....

Hope this helps.

 

[Belisarius]

I usually can only get in about four miles on my weekday rides. Riding time is about 20-25 minutes, but between driving to and from the trails, loading the bike, checking the bike, gearing up, etc, it takes about an hour. Between everything else going on, I can't really cut out any more time for myself than that. And I'm getting up at 5:30 as is.

On the weekends, I'll stretch it to eight.

 

[bulC]

obvious tips

I usually can only get in about four miles on my weekday rides. Riding time is about 20-25 minutes, but between driving to and from the trails, loading the bike, checking the bike, gearing up, etc, it takes about an hour. Between everything else going on, I can't really cut out any more time for myself than that. And I'm getting up at 5:30 as is.

On the weekends, I'll stretch it to eight.

It's the wise rider who prepares his bike for the next ride immediately after the previous one. That's when slight mechanical imperfections are fresh in mind. If the brake squeals, deal with it right then. Etc. And the best time to wipe down and re-lube the chain is the day before the next ride, as that gives the solvent carrier time to evaporate. Lubing just before pedaling doesn't, and the solvent becomes a magnet for grit.
If you gotta drive, load the bike the night before, after preparing it mechanically.
If you're within say 10 miles of the trailhead, ride to the damn thing. Ten miles is a great warmup and you'll be loose and firing on all cylinders so you're good to go when you hit the fun stuff. Getting out of a comfy car and immediately hitting singletrack is rough, because it takes the body half the ride to get into the groove of pedaling. And at the end of the ride, your legs will be happier the next day if you can spin comfortably for a half hour or so, rather than just stopping cold after a bunch of anaerobic tough singletrack climbing. In the time it takes you to get everything loaded in the vehicle, drive to the trailhead, then unload the bike, put on the helmet, etc., you could have just rolled out the door and gotten there via your own power. You'll be getting in more saddle time, more mileage, for very little additional time.

 

[bmateo]

adding to BulC

Agree with the comments by BulC. For me, I don't live within reasonable riding distance to a trail, so this is what I do:

Like he said, I get the bike ready and load it the night before. I also pack my cloths, camelback, etc. and I put it in the truck (camelback stays inside if it is a really hot or freezing cold night). I take my bike to work and hit trails on the way home. While all but one of the local trails are more than 30 minutes drive from my house, many of them are only a 5 minute diversion on the way home. So instead of getting home at 5:30, I get home at 7:30 or 8:00 and if I plan things out (much like Bul said) then I can get in a 2 hour ride, and still be home in time to tuck my daugther into bed.

I do the mowing and other stuff on other nights, so it does not get in the way of my road ride.

I wish I could be better about cleaning and maintaining my bike after each ride. That is more about procrastination than lack of time.

In the winter time, lights will not only extend your riding time, but they make it WAY more fun too.....

 

[Belisarius]

I guess I was misread

I don't do bike maintenance in the mornings before I ride. Though I do do a quick once over to make sure everything looks alright.

The night before a ride, I lay out my clothes for the ride, get the bike prepared, tires aired up properly, etc. I don't load it, because I don't want it sitting out in the open all night on a hitch rack. Ours is a safe neighborhood, but still.

In the morning, the alarm goes off at 5:30. I try to get up for it, but I usually get in one snooze button, so I'm up at 5:40. I get dressed, fill the water bottle, and fix myself something to eat so I'm not out there on an empty stomach. Usually a slice of whole wheat bread w/ some peanut butter. By the time I load the bike and get out the door, bread in hand, its usually about 6 AM. I wish I could move faster, but its tough to get going so early. And I have to be quiet so I don't wake the dogs (and thus the wife) up.

The drive to the trail's about 5.5 miles. I park, throw on my helmet and gloves, stretch, grab the bike, do some parking lot laps to get my legs loose, and then set off. Do about four miles, give or take, and then pull back to the parking lot at about 6:45. Load the bike, cool down, and head home. I reach my driveway around 7.

Basically, that hour and a half is all the time I have. I could bike to the trail, sure, but even doing an average 14 MPH it would take me 45 mins. round trip. Assuming I don't get out of the house until 6 AM, that would leave me a mere 15 minutes to hit the trails. And I'd rather spend more time on the trails than the road.

I can't stay out much later than 7, since I have to get ready for work, feed the dogs and myself, and see to it that they get some exercise. Especially in the summer, when my wife gets to sleep in and isn't awake to help out with them.

If it were an option, I'd go in the evening, but I have other commitments then. And besides, the trails get terribly congested in the hours after work.

 

[RyanCanfield]

thanks you all for help!

 

[roland w.]

time in more important then distance

I ride six days a week, either after work or mid morning for usually 1.5 to 2 hours at least. I think the time spent on the bike is more important then the total distance covered. Most of the tracks I ride are fairly steep and I can either spend the 2 hours doing mostly long, grinding climbs followed by short but exciting downhills or steep and hard uphills followed by long relaxing downhills. The distance travelled does not always reflect the work done.;-)

I have the luxury of living 50 meters from a park through which I can gain access to a huge forest with miles and miles of great tracks. From my front door to the first real trail is a ten minute easy ride. The only downside is that there are a lot of horse riders in the woods which means having to stop and let them pass every now and then. I am a serious poacher of horse or hiker paths but I do try to be curteous to otherd who are also out enjoying the forest.

 

[Jettj45]

Yes

I ride everyday as soon as I get home from work. Generally I like to ride until A) I'm out of water B) I crash and am other wise incapible of riding or C) just really tired. Ride however you want, i just think its fun to push my self... generallly off cliffs but thats a different subject.

 

[Psyko]

pedal till ya puke

 

[DaFireMedic]

pedal till ya puke

He he he....The problem is then you have to consume carbs to replace the lost glycogens, but I like the thought.

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to race, then it varies depending on the phase, anywhere from 30 minutes to 5+ hours, which I could never do just for training.

For fun and general fitness, 30 minutes on up, as long as you are having fun. I just pick a fun ride and do it till I'm tired and hungry, usually 1-2 hours. The key is to enjoy yourself.

 

[mogrim]

Time's a better way to measure it - an hour is a short ride, 3+ long. Distance is not much use - a roadie outing may well be 100km+, where the same riders off road would do 50.

 

[U V]

i did eleven miles on sunday, and it took me and few friends/family all afternoon. we had all afternoon and the evening aswell, all the runs where covered to everyones satisfaction so we went home. a lovely afternoon's riding, but, by no way a long ride realy