Bicycling Ettiquette and a TMI question
 

First, the ettiquette question.

About an hour ago my neighbor, who goes on a more or less daily bike ride, stopped by and reminded me that I suggested we ride together as a form of "exercise moral support."

She mentioned that a mutual friend would be joining us. Great, give me five minutes.

We decide to do the 5 mile ride with a hill rather than the 10 miler on the flats. We head off and I see that my neighbor is slowly and laboriously sawing away at her pedals, her entire body swaying with each pedal as if she were needing to bring her weight to bear in order to turn the cranks. I note that she is in a fairly low gear, about the same gear as me. I'm spinning easily at about 80-90 rpm, she is spinning about half that. I ask if she's finding it hard to pedal (thinking maybe she needs to downshift to get her rpms up) "Nope," she replies.

I'm in third gear (42 x 24) and I am just leaving them in the dust. I never get out of third gear the whole ride except for the hill climb when I drop into first (42 x 28). I've been home for about 20 minutes and they still aren't back yet.

I wasn't intentionally leaving them in the dust, I just couldn't ride that slowly and I don't want to spend an hour riding five miles. Our mutual friend can fly on her bike, I've seen her blazing through town. I am guessing she stayed with my neighbor throughout the ride

Was I being a dick? Should I have crawled at their pace?

Another thing, I wasn't staying in third as some sort of gesture, I was in third because I am so out of shape I can't really spin any higher.


Here's the TMI part:












I have not been riding in my biking shorts for two reasons; one, they don't really fit any longer, and two, I am really too fat to be going around in lycra. (essentially the same as #1)

So I've been riding in my street shorts with boxers underneath. The problem is that my nuts seem to be getting in the way and are all over the place. I don't remember them being such a problem. I don't think they've gotten bigger so I'm wonderign if this may be a combination of the boxers allowing them too much freedom to stray and me being 40 pounds heavier than when I used to ride leaving them less room in which to stray.

compression shorts under regular shorts will keep your boys where they belong.

thanks

I just got in from a huge bike ride too. Similar problem. The slow friend, not the nuts. Fortunately we rode to her work and then I was able to ride home by myself. In half the time. Going the big hill way. Go me. I bet my legs shake when i stand up (about a 12 mile round trip, I think). And I broke the speed limit at one point :D

Re the etiquette point ... I wouldn't say you were being a dick, but given that she wanted to bike together for 'moral support', it might have been an idea to stick with her for this first ride and then discuss her abilities/expectations once home.

Maybe you can tactfully suggest that she do some riding closer to home before tackling longer rides/hills. Let the mutual friend be her buddy until she's riding at a pace that all three of you can maintain.

maybe ride in circles around them?

I think she wanted to fondle your pendulous balls.

Dumbass.

You're getting old...and so is your coin purse.

Compression shorts under mtn bike baggies.

Would have to know everybody's goals and needs to answer the other.

regarding the etiquette... yes, you shoulda stayed. They invited you. Or you at least shoulda said "hey, I'm really sorry, but I mistimed this ride and I need to get back because of #realistic bullshit timed appointment#"

If they have any nouse, they won't invite you again, so you probably have no future worries. If they do, you say "so these are my current biking workouts -which do you want to do?" -and present a mileage and hillage and TIME figure for each.

Here's the conclusion.

An hour and a half after I returned home from my 30 minute ride I hear a knocking on my door. It's our mutual friend, she says to me, "Do you want to go on a real bike ride now?"

R. U. shitting me? You just got back now? 2 hours later? five miles? I walk that distance in an hour. WTF???

Well, they stopped for a rest (A rest on a five mile ride??) and they chatted.

I guess.

ISO new riding pals.

Chatted , more like sex in the bushes !!!!! ;)

Sorry I missed that, but then again it probably would have been over quickly. :eek:

Why did you suggest to your neighbor that you ride together for moral support in the first place?