Sam Rides 1000: The Numbers

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:52:57-0700

I've now finished my 1,000 mile challenge, and like any self-respecting geek, I ran a few numbers about my ride. I've posted them here, as well as some thoughts about the experience.

Stats

Start Date: 15 May 2009
Days: 100 Calendar Days
Time: 66.5 riding hours
Final Mileage: 1,003 miles
Miles from Commuting: 830
Miles in organized rides: 79 (Tour de Donut, ULCER 60 mile option)
Number of tire rotations: 792,300
Flats: 0* (After a small celebration at the park, I got a flat on the way home....)
Weight lost: ~10lbs.
Average length of ride: 10 miles
Average Moving Speed: 15 mph
Riding Hours: 66.5
Miles I didn't drive in my car: ~400
Time I didn't spend in my car: 16 hours

Random Facts

Many of my commuting miles were spent on the Jordan River Pathway in Utah County.
I did not listen to music (or anything else) at all.
My legs are now in the best shape they have ever been.
Because there is always a breeze, temperature didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

Thoughts

When I started this challenge, I felt like 1,000 miles was a huge goal. After having completed it, I still feel like it was a huge goal, but in a different way then expected. Pedaling 1,000 miles was not really that difficult. More difficult was my willingness to sacrifice the time it took to ride each day. I cheated to make it work. By trading 10 minutes of drive time for ~45min of riding, I got 45 min of riding in while only sacrificing 35 minutes of time. Added up cumulatively, 16 hours not spent in a car is quite a lot of time recovered and put to better use exercising.

Part of the reason I enjoyed this challenge so much is the route I take to work. I only travel through one major intersection, and most of my riding is on low traffic country roads or paved pathways. My route allows for many variations I can take for various distances. Having a variety of routes breaks things up, and I didn't get too bored of any one route.

With my route and the fact that I was on a bike, I rarely dealt with traffic. After driving more this last week, I have begun to remember how bad commuting traffic can be while driving home. On a bike, I experience almost none of it.

I accomplished my goal in just over three months. Utah has plenty of weather not conducive to cycling, so part of the year it is very painful to ride. Even so, I feel like almost anyone willing to make a consistent effort can accomplish this same goal. I'll write about my gear in another post, but my bike is a simple mountain bike, and I spent very little on gear, especially when you consider comparable gym fees. How much time did you spend exercising in a gym this year? 66 hours? How much did you spend on membership fees? Yeah, my gear was pretty cheap.

So, will I do it again next year? Definitely. I do hope to be on a road bike though...

Sam Rides 1000: Mountain Bike Commuting Tires

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:32:00-0700

Early on in my 1,000 mile quest, one of my tires needed to be replaced. I had heard someplace that you could be tires designed for pavement for a mountain bike, and I started poking around. My good friends at Infinite Cycles recommended that I buy some Continental Traffic Tires. I have been completely happy with these tires. After installing the tires, I was immediately impressed with the lower rolling resistance, when compared to the knobby bike tires I was used to. The road felt smooth, my downhill speeds increased, and the tires feel very stable cornering. It leads to a much more pleasant experience. They perform well on wet streets as well. After more then a month of commuting on these tires, we took a vacation to Colorado for some singletrack sans kids. With a very few exceptions, these tires performed as well as my previous knobbys! It did slip more then expected as I rode over smooth branches and rocks, but I was very happy with my experience. The reviews that I've read indicate that these tires last for years, and I'm looking forward to enjoying them on my commute! If you are among those of us that commute on a mountain bike, do yourself a favor and buy a pair of these tires. The riding experience is much more enjoyable, and you'll find yourself riding more!

SamSpeak - Bikes

Sam Rides 1000: The Numbers

Stats

Random Facts

Thoughts

Sam Rides 1000: Mountain Bike Commuting Tires