@terryrose I fully agree! I have a hybrid bike and I actually love it, I regularly do 20 miles at a time if not more and I think it’s plenty comfortable. I probably range around the same speed as you too, so I’m not going too fast, but I plan on taking it on longer trails.
We use a Thule bike rack that we love. Definitely looking for mountain bikes next!
@iamsavedbygracethrufaith ditto! I also have a hybrid bike and love it. I am also a casual rider who maybe once a week does 20-30 miles so I couldn't justify a more expensive bike. Also, buying a bike right now sub $1,000 is nearly impossible.
@tessal Padded shorts are essential! I made the mistake of going for the first ride on my new-to-me road bike last year without a pair. I'm fairly "gifted" in the booty department but it doesn't matter, whew that ride killed. Now I know better.
My bike is a simple road bike and I love it. I keep thinking about getting a cross bike though because the road limits my ability to do the gravel trails that are around my area. I have a mtn bike, but I don't love it.
Two weekends ago I went on a 36 mile ride. Learned a lot, like I need way more fuel and water than I think I do for long bike rides. I was dead at the end, and not because I wasn't fit enough but I just ran out of steam. My plan is to get in 50 miles before the end of summer.
This comment is more a ramble than anything else lol.
@twinmama I've been pushing the distance on my weekend rides as well! We've done just over 40, but I really want to be able to do a metric century later in the summer. I've found that if I'm going above 30, I need a gel. What do you do for electrolytes? I've using nuun which is fine, but I don't love the taste.
@alanaspapa I prefer tailwind for electrolytes instead of nuun. The flavor is much more mild and that's perfect when you're dead lol. Sometimes I'll do gatorade endurance as well if I want a fuller flavor. Like you, I'm not a fan of the way nuun tastes.
@twinmama Second tailwind. I'm off carbs at the mo for diet reasons so I'm on Nuun but two bottles of tailwind and a couple gels will do me an imperial century.
@alanaspapa My husband and I have done a few organized 50-milers (pre-Covid). We take hydration capsules before and during the ride and accompany with water and whatever the race organizer provides for sports drinks.
When we're riding on our own, we usually carry two water bottles - one with pure water, one with a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade or BodyArmor.
@twinmama Counterpoint on shorts: I hate padded shorts! They chafe in all the wrong places! Context: I don’t care about going fast, but I’ve done many bike tours where I ride 50-125 km per day for a couple of weeks.
(Your perspective that the padded shorts are essential is definitely the majority viewpoint! But I wanted to add my two cents for any new cyclist that is feeling the same and wonders why they’re the only one...)
So I found this thread in a search, which is why I'm commenting very late, but have you ever tried body glide or chamois butter? Also, no all chamois are created equal - a Club Ride one nearly gave me a blister a few years ago - never again!
@yundong0329 I can do up to around 20k in non padded shorts but a lot of it is rider position (this is where my OP rider bias came in) - I have a very aggressive drop which puts the pelvic tilt in a way where if I relax my core AT ALL I vanish into the pain cave. There's a lot of personal tolerance/anatomy and also a lot of riding position that goes into it.
I am very jealous though because the padded shorts/bibs that fit me well are Hella Expensive.
@yundong0329 Amen. I have a Brooks saddle (which was an investment) and never wear padded shorts. For context I did a local 24 hour endurance ride and did over 200 miles and was not sore. Well... not because of my saddle, anyway.
@dawn16 So glad I decided to add in a little beginner intro! When I first started out I found all these forum posts that were packed with experienced riders and I had so many stupid questions that just felt dumb to ask. Cycling is such a satisfying sport/leisure pastime and more people should be encouraged to try it!
@tessal I don't have any confidence that the plastic pedals that came with my bike will last through the century training I'm doing so definitely need to get my pedal and shoe situation figured out soonish. Does anyone have experience with these pedals? I want to take the plunge into clipless but don't want to wear cycling shoes on my (very short) rides to work or around town so like the idea of having flats on one side. I'd probably pair them with a shoe like this or this. Looking at bikepacking this summer too hence the trail shoe type shoes I'm looking at.
RE bikepacking... I jerry-rigged a chalk bag to be a feed bag, I also have this crosssbody/hip bag and am going to make it a handlebar bag with some velcro loops. I just got a big agnes flycreek UL2 on the local buy and sell. All that plus a dry bag strapped to my seat and i'm all set up to go bikepacking without dropping $400 on the bags I really want but cannot afford this year.
@manihanery How short is your commute? I commute less than 5kms into work and tbh I just wear my heeled work boots on my clipless pedals. If you’re looking at bikepacking you’d probs go for spd and they’re totally fine to use with flat shoes for a short commute into work. In terms of bikepacking appropriate shoes, I’ve been digging the specialized recons I got a while back (although the new model has boa rather than laces and I prefer the lace look).
I’ll check out those shoes. I’m a little limited to what’s in stock around me because I don’t want to buy shoes online and much like bikes, cycling shoes are pretty picked over too
