[Closed] Miles or smiles?

I concur.

Road Bike = Miles
Mountain Bike = Smiles

But oddly, I'm beginning to enjoy both equally 😕

Edit

". Never anything else.

Not even "how much climbing?"

Sorry I forgot. You live in the south 🙂

You really don't want to ask a serious turboer then! It'll be questions about duration, Normalized Power, Training Stress Score, Intensity Factors.

A friend and I had a similar discussion the other day. We have a few friends that say things like I did a 50 miler ( mtb). But when we go out with them on one of our routes they are knackered after 15. We found out after following one of them that their rides are very different to ours. Mainly flat or fire roads avoiding any fun ups and downs. The stuff we try and fill our whole ride with.
Andy

Miles aren't relevant in mountain biking, you can do 50 easy miles or 20 horrible miles and be equally tired. Altitudes are more interesting but still give false impressions. And time is meaningless because we spend 70% of our time eating haribos, faffing with imaginary mechanicals, and waiting for our mates to finish fixing a puncture before discovering we also have a puncture, and talking absolute inane bollocks about nothing

In much the same way as descents can be measured in grins rather than distance or height or time, I reckon climbs need to be measured in grimaces.

Bregante, we have hills here. Paved with gold, obviously. 😉

You've sort of missed the whole point of road cycling CFH. A 5-mile road ride is basically a waste of time as you've just warmed up and a big climb to start a ride is bloody miserable.

A bit of fun can be had on a 5-mile MTB ride if you get it right.

Atlaz, am well aware of the point, I just question the questioning. The road question is never about enjoyment or quality, just about quantity.

I keep a record of how many miles I ride (3,014 so far this year, thank you for asking) but I know from my lack of weight loss and lack of speed/fitness that while I may have quantity, there isn't much quality. And I don't really care.

But I do know that tonight I went for an easy 11 mile local loop on the mountain bike with a couple of mates, which we ride either on it's own or part of a longer loop, most weeks. And we had a great time. And may or may not have earned the pint of Jaipur at the end....

Both on either bike, if you're not smiling what's the point? The longer you ride the longer you're smiling for

[quote=CaptainFlashheart ]Atlaz, am well aware of the point, I just question the questioning. The road question is never about enjoyment or quality, just about quantity.
Wrong.

Maybe you're just riding in the wrong places.

Scotroutes, when I ride road around here, I really enjoy it. I plan out a nice route around good scenery, nice roads etc. Again, quality, not just quantity.

Since giving up running due to a knee injury I have put on a lot of weight.
And It has put me off my mtb, I don't know why, I just feel a bit too tubby at the moment.
So have been riding my my hack/hybrid more and more on the roads instead.

It may have something to do with the heavier I have got the more seriously I have injured my self on crashing.

Miles = smiles, but sometimes not until after

yeah and they never say 'hello'.

Realised this morning that it's all about the smiles.

Went to bed last night planning to do 30 miles on the road bike before work but woke with a massive case of cba. Instead got out the fatty and did a very gentle 9 miles, took in the views and took it easy.

Polite request for the Cap'n to head over to this thread:

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/trails-near-old-sarum

Thanks. 🙂

you're speaking to all the wrong roadies, all the ones i know ask where you went and comment on the nice lanes

unless you were just broadly generalising to make some sort of internet point

It does keep reinforcing the miserable roadie stereotype. There is some pleasure in achieving distance but it's much better to get the smiles from fun trails.

I always ask roadies where they've cycled rather than how far as a 50 miler round the Mendips is more challenging and scenic (IMO) than 50 miles on the Somerset Levels. By asking where they've cycled you have some idea of the distance they've ridden as well as the nature of the terrain and the scenery.

JoB - Member

you're speaking to all the wrong roadies, all the ones i know ask where you went and comment on the nice lanes

unless you were just broadly generalising to make some sort of internet point

yup, what you said

Touring, keep fit regulars, commuting, trekking, bimbleing, traling, blasting, even shopping/cargo runs thru bridleways and alleys - all smiles, all miles. I'm at happiest mixing up as many types of riding as possible, especially exploring new places ie a trekking/touring specced hybrid mtn bike that's happy on and off road. And who hasn't leftt early or arrived home late having taken detours on a commute? Sometimes looong detours, 😀

nb overheard two roadies conversing behind me in pub garden, presumably post-ride. One (more experienced) alpha male, one beta. The alpha was talking loudly about times and sections, beta was trying to sound interested but occasionally tried talking about somewhere he'd been, actually physically describing somewhere. The alpha would ignore him everso fluidly and continue his own numbers jibberjabber, unconcerned. Was amusing but you prob had to be there. 'Hey, quit yo' stravajabber one second and look at the world around you for a while!' (Someone may have thought. Allegedly)