[Closed] How do i enjoy road biking

Pick your routes carefully - if all you're doing is riding on flat, straight roads it will always be dull.

do hills, really steep ones. also try to go out in a group/a mate to beat and pick really scenic routes, even drive somewhere to ride a better route

a lot of the appeal for being a roaddie is the competition aspect and getting to see nice places.

Maybe get a [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/that-cannondale-slate ]Cannondale Slate[/url] ??

smash yourself uphills, if you have the capacity to think its boring you aren't going hard enough.

go flat out back down. 50+ starts to get interesting

club? Strava? Structured training rides?

I honestly don't get this. I have always found the challenge of making my legs and lungs work harder than they naturally want to, to be slightly invigorating.

Have you tried a type of 'mindfulness'? Get in the moment and enjoy it!

I use the smallest roads possible when I go out on the road. it makes it more interesting and you see loads of stuff you wouldn't by just zipping up and down main roads.

The only way I enjoy it is to stay off A roads and B roads

Smash it down some proppa country lanes with loads of corners and variable surfaces. Like MTBing but with tractors to overtake

This

jam bo - Member
smash yourself uphills, if you have the capacity to think its boring you aren't going hard enough.

go flat out back down. 50+ starts to get interesting

ton - Member
I use the smallest roads possible when I go out on the road. it makes it more interesting and you see loads of stuff you wouldn't by just zipping up and down main roads.

Find some very quiet country lanes, lanes that are only 1 car width wide and create a route, a route that has hills in it.

Then Smash it hard with small recovery sessions in between.

Then, then make segments out of it.

If you don't like doing it but are willing to put the effort in for your Enduro endeavors then you'd best make the best of what you have, and how to enhance it.

Ride in a group, get some descending in, hitting 50-60mph on a road bike isn't boring, get some real distance in, the satisfaction from riding 100 mile or to a distant destination is err satisfying. I've always thought that comparisons with mountain biking are generally pretty poor, just because they are both done with a bike doesn't mean you get the same out of them.

Biking boring??

Does not compute 😕

If you treat road biking like mountain biking or mountain biking like road biking then you aren't going to get the best out of either.

I agree with the OP

^ Me too. My solution was to not road ride

yes, road biking is boring - I only enjoy the coffee shops and the stupid clothes people wear.

Don't ride on main roads.
Try and have a destination in mind (cafe,castle,pub,sea side,cafe again).
Ride in a group.
Take time to look around.
(this is much easier if you live somewhere picturesque!)

[i]I agree with the OP[/i]

Me too. I can't get excited about distances traveled or what my average speed is. And cars are annoying and dangerous. Road climbs are tedious whereas offroad climbs are a challenge.

I asked myself the same question about skiing and i didnt get much further than being dragged up a hill to slide down, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat..... and get properly trousered for the privelige..... hopeless waste of time, money and effort.

Langlauf, thats worse IMHO. Its like scalextric for skiers. Dull to the power of 3

I stopped both of these... If your having to ask others how to enjoy road biking, there is no intrinsic motivation... just stop it and find something else that gives teh training you need but the engagement it should be.

Or are you developing Rule 5 skills ?

For racing Enduro I'd say you need some good DH skills and a good capacity for short sprints.

A road bike won't help you for that first one but a road bike can be great for the latter.

I'd be forgetting about doing anything long distance and flat on your road bike and just stick to something with some descent incline or working on short busts of maximum effort.

For racing Enduro I'd say you need some good DH skills and a good capacity for short sprints.

A road bike won't help you for that first one but a road bike can be great for the latter.

I'd be forgetting about doing anything long distance and flat on your road bike and just stick to something with some descent incline or working on short busts of maximum effort.

I'd disagree with that. My (very limited - just two in fact) enduro experience has been that you're pedalling for 2-3hrs with a few short breaks in between short bursts of high energy.

So yes for interval training for the downhill bits, but don't neglect the distance rides for stamina training for the ride back up!

OP - exactly what riding are you doing right now - duration, distance, road types, any training routines or just riding? This will help give you specific pointers

Hi I do road biking for training for enduro and i hate it. Its really boring!Is there anyway to make it a little more interesting? I can do mtb all day every day but i hate even a 30mi road ride!

If your goal is to be better at Enduro, and assuming that this involves short bursts of intense exertion, then why are you doing 30 mile road rides? Not sure how building a big aerobic engine will help you when smashing down big hills in your pyjamas 🙂 Specificity is key

Point the bike up hill or put it on a turbo and do tabata training

• 5 minutes of warm-up
• 8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
• 2 minutes cool-down

Minimal time on the road bike and a fitness benefit that will directly transfer to Enduro*. It makes you want to puke but it's 10 minutes of training with 2.5 minutes effort.

*My understanding of Enduro is limited so I could be talking absolute twaddle.

If your goal is to be better at Enduro, and assuming that this involves short bursts of intense exertion, then why are you doing 30 mile road rides?

because you have to ride between stages. if you are knackered when you get the the stage start, no amount of explosive power is going to help you.

I ride from 20-50 miles. small country lanes and just riding atm.
thanks for the ideas guys

i live in northwales, mtb and road is good, hills, views and cake

If your goal is to be better at Enduro, and assuming that this involves short bursts of intense exertion, then why are you doing 30 mile road rides?

because you have to ride between stages. if you are knackered when you get the the stage start, no amount of explosive power is going to help you.

Is the ride between the stages timed?

If Tabata increases your VO2 max then it stands to reason your body is utilising oxygen more efficiently which equates to less fatigue at lower intensities.

Ooh, hang on! I've just realised, I go for a lunchtime ride on my road bike (off now in fact) and love it. It's a hilly little 15 mile circuit and is much better than gobbing off on STW for an hour.
So, er, maybe enjoy it as an alternative to doing something even more boring?! 😀

Is the ride between the stages timed?

no but you have a designated start time on most.

I can assure you that getting to the top of a stage 30s before it, is not good preparation...

I can assure you that getting to the top of a stage 30s before it, is not good preparation...

Aside from the nice views, peace & quiet, headspace and improved fitness, I find Strava helps me enjoy road biking... it is good to see how you are improving over the same segments, and good to see how you compare to friends who also ride the same routes.

As an aside can you make yourself enjoy someting?

[quote=gypsumfantastic ]As an aside can you make yourself enjoy someting?
You can change the parameters to make it enjoyable - e.g. avoid main roads and choose scenic rides.

I just find it enjoyable to get into a big gear and cruise along as fast as possible.
Smash the hills to get the legs hurting then see how fast you can go on the downs.

I do enjoy road riding, but sometimes start getting bored when fatigue sets in, so I try to plan in points of interest towards the end of a ride, to give me something to look forward to. This could be a tough climb, fun descent or maybe a nice village, lake or wood to give me something to look at.
I also keep a look out for inviting bridleways to possibly explore in future. I've been mixing it up a bit on my GT Grade, but my latest rides have been just tarmac.
Just riding for fun / general fitness improvement at the moment, got no events on the horizon.
Strava can help motivate me to push on a bit when I'm flagging and might otherwise have headed for home, but I use it for clocking up miles, rather than attacking segments.

Ive yet to find a cat 1 or 2 climb in my area, so have to make do with cat 3 and 4 climbs. Love em. Great scenery, and a great workout. Upping my climbing fitness on road translates to some epic fitness when hitting the trails.

So find some big hills!

[i]Hi I do road biking for training for enduro and i hate it. Its really boring!Is there anyway to make it a little more interesting? [/i]

I don't get this either. It's just cycling. If all you do is ride along a roads then yes it will be as dull as riding only tow paths on a mountain bike.

Can't you just road ride for the purpose you intend it for, to get fit, do you really need to be 'entertained'?

gypsumfantastic - Member

As an aside can you make yourself enjoy someting?

I enjoy eating Olives after a number of years of not enjoying them. Perhaps there is hope with road riding

I also found road riding spirit-crushingly tedious. I persevered with it for a while thinking something might finally click. It didn't Still hated the mindless boredom of it all. Then I found the 3-step solution to my hatred

1. Sell road bike
2. Buy another mountain bike
3. Ride off road, and leave the road biking to the freaks and weirdos*

* Any grown man who thinks its acceptable to leave the house clad only in lycra, unless being paid for it, is a freak and a weirdo.

One of the joys of road riding is hammering up steep climbs and the decent speed a fit rider travels at. If you're fat and unfit then I guess it might not be much fun.

then this is negated by proper planning.

yep. getting fitter so you can ride the transitions faster and with less effort. I hear road biking is good for this...

yep, I also find road biking boring (in fact more than just boring, entirely tedious), but not as boring as running, so I use it as a running substitute to keep fit when all I have is an hour or two.

😆 Binners

Roadies [i]are[/i] weird. There, I said it.

OP, sell the road bike and buy a (rigid, perhaps) street/dirt jump SS to ride around and about on instead? MOAR fun and skillz to be had that way and still a good workout 😀

Ride hard and fast.....get some mates out with you too.....can't beat the banter!!.......Sunday mornings are the new Saturday nights.....( well they are for me)
Strava helps ....esp if your mates are on it...!!

club

+1

Riding alone is just dull.

Riding for 20 miles is dull.

70+ miles on a Sunday morning at a decent pace with friends is what espresso and cake were made for.

I actually prefer riding over the winter, setting off in the twilight, seeing the sun come up, the frost and then dew slowly evoporate, all makes up for the occasional squeeky bum moment on ice.

The downside is it takes time to get fit. You can rock upto a <20mile mountainbike evening ride and even with a modicum of fitness survive it. Road biking takes a bit longer, a 10% improvement in FTP (i.e. average speed) in 10 weeks is considered good! And that's with training, just going out once a week for a bumble isn't going to get you anywhere. So to get from the "beginners" 15/16/17mph group to the fast 25+ group doesn't happen overnight.

Id say that i was pretty fit. ive raced XC this year and done alright its just getting out of the door tbh now ive thought about it! thanks for the suggetions ! 🙂

Have you tried a turbo? A few sessions on one and road riding will seem a lot less dull 🙂

I'm similar to the OP.

I think of the road bike as a tool, rather than something to be enjoyed. It allows me an easy way to get more miles into my legs & get out regularly on a bike
There are the occasional glimmers of enjoyment, I will admit & the whole shebang is greatly enhanced by going out with a couple of mates, rather than riding on my own.

I suspect that my location has something to do with it. Living on the edge of the Fens, in probably the flattest part of the country certainly doesn't help & the strong winds & straight roads can be very de-motivating.
I have managed to find more twisty, quieter roads & more varied routes that have helped make it more interesting.

I suspect that my location has something to do with it. Living on the edge of the Fens, in probably the flattest part of the country certainly doesn't help & the strong winds & straight roads can be very de-motivating.

As a kid growing up cycling out to Burbage on my road bike on a nice day was awesome, with birds to see and sheep to see and hear, and rabbits running across the fields as I cycled down country lanes, and pheasants flying across my path with the trees rustling in the warm summer breeze, and then the cool feeling of satisfaction once I got to Burbage to be rewarded by amazing views, all with the enjoyment of extra speed which comes from riding a bike with narrower wheels & tyres.

How could any of that be boring or weird (for the people making generalisations)? 🙂

If you don't have the Peak and narrow country lanes on your doorstep, I can see why A & B roads would start to become dull though.

I enjoy it more than mtb
But i do go slow and steady
I get to see lots of lovely places i might not otherwise see. In fact my mtb is for the school run only now

I'm not sure anyone can ever 'make' themselves like anything.

I love road riding on days when I can't be arsed with all the faff of MTBing. Particularly if the weather's crap, or it's cold, or I just want the convenience of leaving straight from my door to go.... somewhere.

It's a completely different head-space to MTBing. There is no real regular thrill of excitement - that addictive sensation of speed we get with the flow of a downhill trail - even when travelling at the typically sub-road bike speeds we actually do off-road.

The road biking headspace I find is one of meditation, quiet concentration, the feel of the landscape and its great expanse. Inwardly, the mind focuses on breathing, stamina, feeding and drinking, keeping the machine oiled to fulfill your body to its destination.

I'm guessing you are either able to find that space, or not.

Oh, and ditch the Lycra. It's not a requirement... 🙂

I think of the road bike as a tool, rather than something to be enjoyed.

Good thing about roads is that there are many more of them, and they go to most places. So there are some lovely spots to be found that might well be pretty near your house, but you don't know about them cos you never have to drive down those lanes 🙂

Choose your roads carefully and explore. Also - 30 mile rides are only good for fast training efforts. To enjoy a road ride it has to be long and go new places.

Langlauf, thats worse IMHO. Its like scalextric for skiers. Dull to the power of 3

Heretic! Winter can't come soon enough so I can get skiing again. It can be hard or easy, off tracks in the backcountry or on maintained tracks, classic or skate, solo rides or in a big event so it's never boring.

Road biking I enjoy for occasional training ride but not much more. Bought a road bike 14 years ago and typically ride it mostly in April and May when the trails are wet. I think it is a CAAD4 frame, current ones seem to go eleven at least. 🙂

Sell the road bike and get a CX bike, mix up the the road with bits of off-road, even the most gentle bit of MTB trail is a whole new experience on a cross bike.

I love road riding.
Kit on, iPod on, and just head out there.
All good.
If you don't like something, then don't do it.
Simples.

no_eyed_deer has it right, it (road biking) is different from mountain biking and you need to approach it with a different mindset.

Mountain biking is much more than just blasting down technical man made trails.

Buy a book on hedges and learn about all the interesting things in them. Because you see A LOT of hedges. And learn to enjoy a stiff neck.

And learn to enjoy a stiff neck.

Or learn to set your bike up properly 🙂

I suspect that my location has something to do with it. Living on the edge of the Fens, in probably the flattest part of the country certainly doesn't help & the strong winds & straight roads can be very de-motivating.

I did the Circuit of the Fens sportive, it was the single most mind numbing experience of my life. I pretty much stopped road riding for a year. It was the wind noise that done it in the end, like an advanced method of torture.

Also forgot to add, find some hills and ride em on the full sus mtb with chunky off road tyres. Even more fitness gains and added potter off the side shoot offroad action if desired.

Opens up a lot of new doorstep riding options too loving the roads. Can get into the heart of the peaks, without using car which is always a bonus.

Road riding didn't click with me straight away, but I really enjoy it now (and still love my mountain bike).

My riding normally goes to both extremes, either short flat out 20miles ish or steadier 60-100 milers. I avoid crap busy roads and stick to quiet back roads, the enjoyment level is night and day different if you are riding the wrong route, same as mountain biking in natural riding spots.

I would find someone else or a group to ride with that knows the roads well, someone faster will be a bonus as it should force you to get quicker. Learn to love the climbs and treat it as a challenge, use Strava to keep a track of your times and aim to beat your PB each time you hit the same climb.

I know plenty of people who ride the more extreme end of mountain biking and really enjoy road riding too, it's not for everyone but it's okay to enjoy both! 😀

Riding a new route gets me out the door. Linking up where poss with a Sustrans makes navigation easier.

Definitely find some very steep local hills and totally beast yourself on them.

You certainly won't find it "boring", and it will do wonders for your physical conditioning.

This is my local, which hits a maximum gradient of 18%

[img] [/img]

If I am feeling like I need a proper workout before breakfast I will ride it 10 times in a row; at the top you turn left, come back down a very fast hill with speed bumps (fun!) and then turn left at the bottom and back into the climb.

Ever increasing intensity on each ascent, by the end your legs are "sore" to say the least!

Last weeks road ride started at 730pm. An hour or so later all the bike lights were on. Rattling down small country roads, hearing the crunch of gravel and dodging moths and bats was superb.

Stay off the main roads, the small country roads are awesome

I didn't really get it till I went over Honister with a couple of mates. Nice quite evening and you could cut every corner on the way down. Fantastic feeling of speed and freedom.

I've never struggled, I've always loved the challenge of endurance on the road bike, how far, how fast can I go. I also find it great thinking time, as I don't find the need to be thinking about what I'm doing all the time like I do on the MTB.

Make sure you time yourself, if you don't already, strava. Create segments, and push yourself to beat your times. Choose 30/50/100 mile routes and work on bettering your time for each.

If you can happily ride all day on the moutain bike then why not just do that. The point of road riding for training is so you can ride all day, as that's mainly quite tough on the body to do all day every day.

I find the best way to enjoy it is to find a friend or two who will also ride with you. It's more sociable than mountain biking as you can chat while riding easier.

Brilliant road ride last night, riding back to the hotel from work - 22 miles. Just as I hit the open flat roads I stopped to check the map and two fast guys zipped past. They had a 30s lead and I turned myself inside out to catch them, just for the hell of it. Bombing along the flat with a target to chase was great fun 🙂

Paid for it this morning though!

* Any grown man who thinks its acceptable to leave the house clad only in lycra, unless being paid for it, is a freak and a weirdo.

Aye, 'cos mtb gear looks so normal... let's face it, the only reason you don't like road cycling is because your belly hits the top tube, when you try and get on the drops.

I'm with OP, I commute 20 miles home and I hate it. I'm not unfit, but it is through Lincolnshire so flat as a pancake. I find it so frustrating and ponderous, it takes so long to get anywhere. I can't wait to get home.

The thing I hate the most is that even a 10mph headwind feels like riding through treacle. Also, the wind noise really gets on my nerves after 5 miles or so, I feel like I'm being tortured with white noise.

Any ideas? I get home grumpy and unfulfilled, whereas I'd like to be buzzing my tits off.

You on a road bike andeh?

[quote=andeh ]I'm with OP, I commute 20 miles home and I hate it. I'm not unfit, but it is through Lincolnshire so flat as a pancake. I find it so frustrating and ponderous, it takes so long to get anywhere. I can't wait to get home.
The thing I hate the most is that even a 10mph headwind feels like riding through treacle. Also, the wind noise really gets on my nerves after 5 miles or so, I feel like I'm being tortured with white noise.
Any ideas? I get home grumpy and unfulfilled, whereas I'd like to be buzzing my tits off.

http://www.cat-ears.com/

Yeah, road bike, albeit a cheapo Decathlon jobbie.

I've seen those cat ears before, though wrote them off as silly, do they actually work?

On quiet single lanes I have my earphones in, which helps, but don't feel comfortable with them both in on larger roads.

Also, any tips for venting the frustration caused by dodgy drivers?

Also, any tips for venting the frustration caused by dodgy drivers?

Got an alternative route?

I gave up on the 18 mile route last night and went for another 4 miles on the basis that it'd be much quiter and more enjoyable. And it was too. The rat run roads that angry impatient commuters use are way worse than the normal country roads, but it's not always obvious which roads are which from the map.

cheers_drive - Member

I also also live on the Fens (Ely), I really enjoy longer rides to South Cambs and Suffolk which have hills, beds and hedgerows, trouble is its 20 miles riding each way just to get to them. Strava makes it more interesting
For rides in the Fen the only way to make it interesting is to go full beans all of the time, as soon as the speed drops it's dull and boring.
Previously I lived in Bristol and didn't appreciate how good the local riding was (road and mountain).

I tend to head mainly west from my location & it's not too far to find some half decent lanes. The more I ride, the more I am finding. Only problem is that the onset of winter means they end up constantly covered in a film of mud & slurry.
I've got a couple of mates in Oakham & the riding round there is actually pretty decent. But, like you it's 20 miles just to get out that way and I don't really have time to be frequently clocking up 60 mile rides - normally it's somewhere between 20 & 35.

YoKaiser - Member

I did the Circuit of the Fens sportive, it was the single most mind numbing experience of my life. I pretty much stopped road riding for a year. It was the wind noise that done it in the end, like an advanced method of torture.

Yeah, I considered doing that ride last year, saw the route & thought no way.
A few of my old routes took me east & out onto the fens, but I have now ditched all of those.
I remember one particular ride being the turning point when I had a dead straight road to ride along for 9 miles back to civilisation with a brutal headwind & dying legs. I ended up having an argument & swearing match at the wind (it won).
It was after that ride that I took a more careful look at the map & reconsidered my options! 🙂

There are times when road riding can be lovely, quiet summer evenings, pub destination in mind, or in the company of a few mates, but there are also times when it can be an awful awful slog, I get much colder on a road bike (sat still) than off road, headwinds can be soul destroying, and idiots in cars....enough threads on here aren't there?

I wouldn't be without one, but it's third on the list: MTB > Running > Road bike.

I'm already riding an alternative route, which is about 80% country lanes. Unfortunately the last 5 miles or so is on a busy, windy, narrow B-road and is, virtually, unavoidable. It's the B1398 into Lincoln, through Burton, for those who know it.

busy, windy, narrow B-road

Oh yeah those are the worst 🙁 where you coming in from?

It runs along the top of a ridge, so gets some fierce winds.

Coming from top end of Gainsborough, out through Kexby-Sturton then back lanes to Scampton. The middle section can be enjoyable with the right wind, sometimes I'll see 2 or 3 cars the whole way.

And those A roads are no good? Sometimes they are wide enough to leave bags of space for cyclists despite being busy. A4 Newbury - Theale being an example. Ok so it's not classic cycling, but it's less scary than the narrow tight roads.