Yeah. I live in Tokyo and rode 90km yesterday. Its brutal stopping every 100m for traffic lights or just getting stuck in traffic when people in cars move over to block so you have to sit in traffic with them.
When I buy a house a key consideration is going to be cycling. But in Japan its tough, even what they call bike paths here have metal barricades blocking entry and speed bumps on them to stop people cycling.
Tokyo too. Starting from Setagaya, I have to ride about 50-60km to reach the bottom of yabitsu, and too many cars and traffic signs along the way always cost me about 3 hours!
I recently left Shimokitazawa. I loved the hills to the west, but they just took too long to get to. Now I'm in Narita and quiet roads are just 5 minutes away.
Also the wissahickon.
Valley forge, and the perkiomen are also accessible from the SRT on longer rides.
I hope one day the Delaware river trail connects to the canal trail in Bristol and we will have another 100+ mile trail accessible right from the city.
Add the CHT (Cynwyd Heritage Trail) , Pencoyd trail, Cross County Trail, Perkiomen Trail, and the Audubon Loop Trail. Philly is loaded! Can't wait for the new Schuylkill Banks section to open
Chester Valley Trail https://www.chesco.org/4643/Chester-Valley-Trail
They just recently added a connection for SRT and CVT. Gotta manage some traffic but not so bad.
Interesting, will have to check this out. I’ve been doing some 20-40 mile rides .
About to have my dads old 80s road bike tuned up and then hoping to try and do a 100 mile ride at the start of June so will def need some longer distance routes . I just started getting into cycling around here and have been loving it. I live in Narberth so it’s not too hard to connect to SRT from the Cynwyd trail and manayunk bridge
To be fair, you are dealing with about 10 miles of pedestrian and cyclist congestion on the schuylkill river trail April - October, and that’s the main connector to get to any other trail.
When it’s cold and the river trail is empty, it’s chefs kiss. Right now it’s awful unless you go real early or real late, it takes me like an hour to slog through all of the congestion and doesn’t really clear up until you get out of the city.
This is where having a car opens up a lot more possibilities. 30 miles in every direction traffic sounds like a nightmare. Is that an exaggeration? No rail trails or protected bike paths?
I lived one year in a city and hated the entire year. Tried cycling out of the city and the first hour was just getting out to the area I wanted to ride. Or I had to drive 30 minutes to get to good riding. Moved out to the suburbs and now I can walk out my front door and start my ride on country roads. It’s infinitely better.
You can't safely train on rail trails and protected bike paths. Those are for pedestrians and casual bike commuters going 10mph. Blowing past them at road cycling speeds is dangerous
I do safely train it just might not be as efficient to slow down. The trails are also pretty empty at times. I can go 5+ miles without a pass. I'm not talking about trails with a bunch of kids walking around. I could see that being problematic.
If you live in any kind of major city with high population density there isn't ever going to be a time of day with 5+ miles between path users. Unless it's like 3 in the morning.
Not sure if St. Louis qualifies as a major city, but there are definitely a few paths with five miles between path users in the center of the metro, the ones that go through either empty/industrial areas or poorer areas.
singapore here.
i have to go to industrial area at night on weekdays, n cycle in loop of 1.5km .
living in rental unit, i dont even have space for indoor trainer.
have to make do whatever possible.
/weekend i will have to cycle further to a 17km loop for my tri bike trainings
This is why I moved out of town. So much happier!
I'm going to guess that the lack of power on the trainer is down to lack of motivation. Structured workouts are boring, but have you tried crits on zwift? I can't tell you how many times I've nearly puked after just 20 minutes.
Lack of power on a smart trainer likely comes from a few environmental causes. 1: The smart trainer doesn’t move with you like a bike would on the road. Some more expensive trainers have features to mimic this fluidity, but they can only do so much. 2: Lack of cooling is going to limit your output, where on the road you have the air you are moving through to cool you down and to aid in the evaporation of sweat.
I have a different problem.
Living South of Austin, TX; my issue are huge trucks that feels like they're trying to kill you by purposely driving close to you, even over the shoulder lane or if you go a bit more rural, tons of farm dogs that are loose and chase you down trying to murder you.
Get a 22 revolver with snake shot for the dogs. The 1st shot intentionally misses.
We had a pay ride where logging trucks were horrible. The ride changed locations.
Oh, I actually meant those huge Ford F350s/Dodge RAMs with bull nuts, roll coal pipes and flags all over.
The actual work trucks that are used for work or transport haven't done that yet.
I got buzzed by an older white 4x4 Ford with bull balls hanging and big orange TN logo centered in his tailgate. We ride that road frequently and haven't seen him since.
He's one reason I'm looking for cameras. The entire other side of the road was clear.
One friend used to say "the louder the truck, the bigger the asshole ".
Switch your setting to 4k/30fps or 1080/30fps. Lower frame rate saves battery. Alternatively, you can directly power it with a power bank. With some cables, an extra phone mount, zip ties and a small power bank, you can power front and back for at least 8 hours
I live in downtown Atlanta. I’ve learned to get out the door by 6am on both weekdays and weekends. Also you might have to find back roads through neighborhoods or main roads with bike lanes. Not always easy though :/
Also group rides are helpful!
Midtown Atlanta here. Yep, on the weekends in the summer, I'm on the bike at 7am. The days I work remotely, 5am. This city has gotten so congested over the past few years.
I feel you. All my short weekday training rides are at home on a smart trainer so that I don't have to deal with cars, traffic, and stop lights. I only ride outside anymore for longer weekend rides that make it worthwhile. Honestly though I've come to love riding on the trainer - it's also a time I can get through podcasts/audiobooks, I can do it in any weather, and can safely and easily get high quality training in.
I have a similar issue in my area too. Even though I'm in the "suburbs", it's very densely populated (in a grid layout) and I have to stop often at intersections. I do most of my 'training'/workouts on the turbo (indoors) and when I'm outdoors, I'll go for more leisurely rides.
There are rail-trails in my area, but they are crowded and it's with crushed limestone - not so good for my road tires.
Great question! A lot of the lights I noticed are not timed. And I encounter a lot of stop signs since I try to take alternative routes with lower vehicle traffic.
That's fair. Maybe the lights are timed too fast? Once I started pacing 20, I could catch almost every light in the city, but I understand that's not for everyone
Not sure. I think many of the lights are “weight” based? Like once a vehicle is there the light will turn? Unfortunately, I’m a bit lighter than a car to trigger. Luckily I don’t have to wait too long.
Yea sorry. I think I end up avoiding the Main Street as much as possible hence why I stop often. Many of the main streets go north south in my area and I usually go east west while avoiding the main roads that go east west.
Not as bad as your situation but here i often use the public transport to get me out of the mess to start with a chilled mind set in the sub urbs or even further. It just takes the meditative aspect away from cycling for me when i first have to cross the inner city and all those junctions and avoid cars etc
It’s just 20mins with public and am out of the worst here in Hamburg.
I don't know... I live in the third biggest city in Canada, though it's not that big compared to other cities globally. Riding a bike is pretty good here. I prefer riding in urban and suburban areas to rural areas. Things are more predictable in a city, and there's cycling infrastructure.
Isn't it funny how a lot of the fun goes out of riding when you're on a stationary bike at home instead of ripping across roads? I live in Hanoi and I ride through the countryside, with a lot of little hills and a lot of long, wide open paths with relatively little traffic, and it's such a great motivator. I got a home trainer too because the pollution is so bad, but after a few weeks I was just itching to get back out on the road.
I put it in front of my big TV and watch shows/movies I normally wouldn't sit down and watch, but it still feel like such a chore to even go 2 hours. When I'm out on the real bike, I'm clocking 4, 5, 6 hours easily :P It just doesn't get old!
I'm in the same boat and no car so I can't drive me and my bike some where. I use a bike to get to work but for fun I just have to go early morning. Going north and south is better than easy and west for what ever reason
Similar issue, although it doesn't take as long to get into the countryside from where I am, I still need to ride an hour/25km+ before reaching new territory. Makes growing my VeloViewer square harder and harder.
I live in a small Indiana city. Going outside of the city and riding on country roads is dangerous because people in this area simply do not pay attention. I just ride circles around the city.
This is a beautiful thing about Montreal. Beautiful cycling infrastructure. The canal is very close to the "river way". We have 750km plus in the Montreal area. It grows each year. It is beautiful to see such a bike friendly city.
https://www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/activities/lachine-canal-national-historic-site-canada
https://caroulemontreal.com/en/tools/montreal-bike-routes
https://www.bikemap.net/en/l/6077243/
https://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/circuit-gilles-villeneuve-montreal/
I'm in NYC and know all too well about this. I had an indoor trainer for my bike for years, but this past year was the first time I really got into Zwift. Being able to do an hour long, 3400 foot, climb up Alpe du Zwift, or keep up with a high wattage pace group for however long I want, has made me sooo much stronger.
I did a grand fondo just yesterday and took off 30 minutes from my time year or year. (4:50 versus 5:20). I actually finished it feeling like I could have gone longer and harder! I strong recommend getting a trainer like the Wahoo Kickr
Meh, I've been in the city for 12 years. I got used to the stop and go. When I'm road riding, it takes me about 20 minutes to get to a less congested area outside of the city. Then I have to stop and go once I get back in the city near my home.
I live in the suburbs and it sucks having to take the car everywhere. When I'm in the "big city", I love how I *have* to walk more since driving would take a while, parking at a garage can be pricey, parking on the street isn't easy to find during peak hours. In other words, I find I'm more active when I'm in the big city since I'm walking around to get to places whereas in the suburbs, I just tend to drive more since I also have to travel farther to get to the stores.
Yeah. I live in Tokyo and rode 90km yesterday. Its brutal stopping every 100m for traffic lights or just getting stuck in traffic when people in cars move over to block so you have to sit in traffic with them. When I buy a house a key consideration is going to be cycling. But in Japan its tough, even what they call bike paths here have metal barricades blocking entry and speed bumps on them to stop people cycling.
Tokyo too. Starting from Setagaya, I have to ride about 50-60km to reach the bottom of yabitsu, and too many cars and traffic signs along the way always cost me about 3 hours!
I recently left Shimokitazawa. I loved the hills to the west, but they just took too long to get to. Now I'm in Narita and quiet roads are just 5 minutes away.
Shonan area here. Super flat road from Fujisawa to Odawara and then beautiful hills! Just the commuting is hell.
Traffic calming on a BIKE PATH? That's literally hell
Philly has a sick network of trails so I do not have this issue thankfully
Hello fellow Philadelphian. I agree. Bike paths, bike lanes and empty suburbs a couple miles outside of the city. I love it here
God bless the SRT and CVT. Feel fortunate having access to both of these.
Also the wissahickon. Valley forge, and the perkiomen are also accessible from the SRT on longer rides. I hope one day the Delaware river trail connects to the canal trail in Bristol and we will have another 100+ mile trail accessible right from the city.
Add the CHT (Cynwyd Heritage Trail) , Pencoyd trail, Cross County Trail, Perkiomen Trail, and the Audubon Loop Trail. Philly is loaded! Can't wait for the new Schuylkill Banks section to open
What is the CVT ? Is that the Cynwyd trail?
Chester Valley Trail https://www.chesco.org/4643/Chester-Valley-Trail They just recently added a connection for SRT and CVT. Gotta manage some traffic but not so bad.
Interesting, will have to check this out. I’ve been doing some 20-40 mile rides . About to have my dads old 80s road bike tuned up and then hoping to try and do a 100 mile ride at the start of June so will def need some longer distance routes . I just started getting into cycling around here and have been loving it. I live in Narberth so it’s not too hard to connect to SRT from the Cynwyd trail and manayunk bridge
To be fair, you are dealing with about 10 miles of pedestrian and cyclist congestion on the schuylkill river trail April - October, and that’s the main connector to get to any other trail. When it’s cold and the river trail is empty, it’s chefs kiss. Right now it’s awful unless you go real early or real late, it takes me like an hour to slog through all of the congestion and doesn’t really clear up until you get out of the city.
This is where having a car opens up a lot more possibilities. 30 miles in every direction traffic sounds like a nightmare. Is that an exaggeration? No rail trails or protected bike paths?
People sometimes complain about cycling in the suburbs but for me it's great. I'm 5 minutes from endless trails and empty country roads.
I lived one year in a city and hated the entire year. Tried cycling out of the city and the first hour was just getting out to the area I wanted to ride. Or I had to drive 30 minutes to get to good riding. Moved out to the suburbs and now I can walk out my front door and start my ride on country roads. It’s infinitely better.
If traffic is dense in a 30 mile radius driving is going to be miserable, public transit is likely the answer.
You can't safely train on rail trails and protected bike paths. Those are for pedestrians and casual bike commuters going 10mph. Blowing past them at road cycling speeds is dangerous
I do safely train it just might not be as efficient to slow down. The trails are also pretty empty at times. I can go 5+ miles without a pass. I'm not talking about trails with a bunch of kids walking around. I could see that being problematic.
If you live in any kind of major city with high population density there isn't ever going to be a time of day with 5+ miles between path users. Unless it's like 3 in the morning.
Or if it's raining!
Not sure if St. Louis qualifies as a major city, but there are definitely a few paths with five miles between path users in the center of the metro, the ones that go through either empty/industrial areas or poorer areas.
Right, but it may be a way to bypass the traffic and get you to more rideable areas.
Tucson has a 60 mile loop around the city and people train on it regularly. Pros even go there in the winter to be able to keep training.
Having a car in a big city sucks and is usually unnecessary. It also adds to making cycling unenjoyable for others.
That's the reality in Tokyo. Maybe more than 30 miles. The city is massive.
singapore here. i have to go to industrial area at night on weekdays, n cycle in loop of 1.5km . living in rental unit, i dont even have space for indoor trainer. have to make do whatever possible. /weekend i will have to cycle further to a 17km loop for my tri bike trainings
This is why I moved out of town. So much happier! I'm going to guess that the lack of power on the trainer is down to lack of motivation. Structured workouts are boring, but have you tried crits on zwift? I can't tell you how many times I've nearly puked after just 20 minutes.
Lack of power on a smart trainer likely comes from a few environmental causes. 1: The smart trainer doesn’t move with you like a bike would on the road. Some more expensive trainers have features to mimic this fluidity, but they can only do so much. 2: Lack of cooling is going to limit your output, where on the road you have the air you are moving through to cool you down and to aid in the evaporation of sweat.
Ah, fuck cars! Spoils the fun of riding a bike!
I have a different problem. Living South of Austin, TX; my issue are huge trucks that feels like they're trying to kill you by purposely driving close to you, even over the shoulder lane or if you go a bit more rural, tons of farm dogs that are loose and chase you down trying to murder you.
Get a 22 revolver with snake shot for the dogs. The 1st shot intentionally misses. We had a pay ride where logging trucks were horrible. The ride changed locations.
Oh, I actually meant those huge Ford F350s/Dodge RAMs with bull nuts, roll coal pipes and flags all over. The actual work trucks that are used for work or transport haven't done that yet.
I got buzzed by an older white 4x4 Ford with bull balls hanging and big orange TN logo centered in his tailgate. We ride that road frequently and haven't seen him since. He's one reason I'm looking for cameras. The entire other side of the road was clear. One friend used to say "the louder the truck, the bigger the asshole ".
Cycliq. Much better battery life than a GoPro
Get a go pro for your front and rear. You won't regret it
How do you deal with the short battery life of the GoPro? Or do you only have it switched on for the hour when you're in most danger?
Switch your setting to 4k/30fps or 1080/30fps. Lower frame rate saves battery. Alternatively, you can directly power it with a power bank. With some cables, an extra phone mount, zip ties and a small power bank, you can power front and back for at least 8 hours
I live in downtown Atlanta. I’ve learned to get out the door by 6am on both weekdays and weekends. Also you might have to find back roads through neighborhoods or main roads with bike lanes. Not always easy though :/ Also group rides are helpful!
Midtown Atlanta here. Yep, on the weekends in the summer, I'm on the bike at 7am. The days I work remotely, 5am. This city has gotten so congested over the past few years.
Bought a house near a 30 mile multi use path for this reason.
I feel you. All my short weekday training rides are at home on a smart trainer so that I don't have to deal with cars, traffic, and stop lights. I only ride outside anymore for longer weekend rides that make it worthwhile. Honestly though I've come to love riding on the trainer - it's also a time I can get through podcasts/audiobooks, I can do it in any weather, and can safely and easily get high quality training in.
I have a similar issue in my area too. Even though I'm in the "suburbs", it's very densely populated (in a grid layout) and I have to stop often at intersections. I do most of my 'training'/workouts on the turbo (indoors) and when I'm outdoors, I'll go for more leisurely rides. There are rail-trails in my area, but they are crowded and it's with crushed limestone - not so good for my road tires.
Do you try to go on the main roads where the lights might be timed better? That's my go to for riding in philly
Great question! A lot of the lights I noticed are not timed. And I encounter a lot of stop signs since I try to take alternative routes with lower vehicle traffic.
That's fair. Maybe the lights are timed too fast? Once I started pacing 20, I could catch almost every light in the city, but I understand that's not for everyone
Not sure. I think many of the lights are “weight” based? Like once a vehicle is there the light will turn? Unfortunately, I’m a bit lighter than a car to trigger. Luckily I don’t have to wait too long.
That's odd. Usually if it's a main street, that street will get priority and the intersecting ones have the pressure plate
Yea sorry. I think I end up avoiding the Main Street as much as possible hence why I stop often. Many of the main streets go north south in my area and I usually go east west while avoiding the main roads that go east west.
Ah well. I wish you luck in finding better routes
I moved away from Copenhagen for this reason.
Not as bad as your situation but here i often use the public transport to get me out of the mess to start with a chilled mind set in the sub urbs or even further. It just takes the meditative aspect away from cycling for me when i first have to cross the inner city and all those junctions and avoid cars etc It’s just 20mins with public and am out of the worst here in Hamburg.
Can you take public transit to a low dense area and bike from there?
My primary road training was on fixed gear for this reason. Always pedaling despite the stops.
I don't know... I live in the third biggest city in Canada, though it's not that big compared to other cities globally. Riding a bike is pretty good here. I prefer riding in urban and suburban areas to rural areas. Things are more predictable in a city, and there's cycling infrastructure.
Isn't it funny how a lot of the fun goes out of riding when you're on a stationary bike at home instead of ripping across roads? I live in Hanoi and I ride through the countryside, with a lot of little hills and a lot of long, wide open paths with relatively little traffic, and it's such a great motivator. I got a home trainer too because the pollution is so bad, but after a few weeks I was just itching to get back out on the road.
I train for races and all that but I can't bring myself to use a trainer. Even with zwift, it's sooooo boring
I put it in front of my big TV and watch shows/movies I normally wouldn't sit down and watch, but it still feel like such a chore to even go 2 hours. When I'm out on the real bike, I'm clocking 4, 5, 6 hours easily :P It just doesn't get old!
Exactly
I use my trainer in the winter, but I much rather ride on the road. My trainer is SO boring.
I'm in the same boat and no car so I can't drive me and my bike some where. I use a bike to get to work but for fun I just have to go early morning. Going north and south is better than easy and west for what ever reason
Similar issue, although it doesn't take as long to get into the countryside from where I am, I still need to ride an hour/25km+ before reaching new territory. Makes growing my VeloViewer square harder and harder.
Join us! Smart Trainers are a blast. Such a great option to have. Never windy or rainy...and no crashes or cars.
I live in a small Indiana city. Going outside of the city and riding on country roads is dangerous because people in this area simply do not pay attention. I just ride circles around the city.
This is a beautiful thing about Montreal. Beautiful cycling infrastructure. The canal is very close to the "river way". We have 750km plus in the Montreal area. It grows each year. It is beautiful to see such a bike friendly city. https://www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/activities/lachine-canal-national-historic-site-canada https://caroulemontreal.com/en/tools/montreal-bike-routes https://www.bikemap.net/en/l/6077243/ https://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/circuit-gilles-villeneuve-montreal/
Just learn to ride like Terry B. Dude moves through the streets of NYC like it's the suburbs. https://youtu.be/gnheTcWRemU?si=vR12NvQEupDwAjj4
I'm in NYC and know all too well about this. I had an indoor trainer for my bike for years, but this past year was the first time I really got into Zwift. Being able to do an hour long, 3400 foot, climb up Alpe du Zwift, or keep up with a high wattage pace group for however long I want, has made me sooo much stronger. I did a grand fondo just yesterday and took off 30 minutes from my time year or year. (4:50 versus 5:20). I actually finished it feeling like I could have gone longer and harder! I strong recommend getting a trainer like the Wahoo Kickr
Meh, I've been in the city for 12 years. I got used to the stop and go. When I'm road riding, it takes me about 20 minutes to get to a less congested area outside of the city. Then I have to stop and go once I get back in the city near my home.
This sounds like a nightmare, time to move. Living in big city centers is for lazy people not for people who would like to exercise 😭
I live in the suburbs and it sucks having to take the car everywhere. When I'm in the "big city", I love how I *have* to walk more since driving would take a while, parking at a garage can be pricey, parking on the street isn't easy to find during peak hours. In other words, I find I'm more active when I'm in the big city since I'm walking around to get to places whereas in the suburbs, I just tend to drive more since I also have to travel farther to get to the stores.
Sounds logical to me thanks for explaining!
People just say any nonsense huh
nothing lazy about staying alive in these streets!
Lol that's true.. I think it just isn't for me then.. I just need some nature around to work out no concrete jungle 🥲
Well, continental context matters.