What qualifies as a LONG ride?

I would consider 2 miles would be far to long for me(that is on a 20"
trials unicycle). I get saddle soreness very quickly and find that
riding is can be difficult. I tend to fall off whilst riding even
though I have been riding for over a year! :eek:

My definition is very different to yours.

Mike

[EDIT]
Age: 17
Years riding: just over 1
Opinion: Stated above
Tiny: Just out of my drive
Short: 0.25 miles
Medium: 1-2 miles
Long: 4-6 miles
Ultra: 6+ miles

I might even say all of those were too long...:o

--
swarbrim

Add me at: mike41ishere <att> hotmail <dott> com

'i like things big' - Amand'a'
(

)

'Crankflips are like woman, hard to understand' Peter/Probailer2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
swarbrim's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/11005
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

A long ride is any ride that is significantly further than you've ridden
before, and where the distance is part of the achievement.

Anything more "defined" than that smacks of elitism. I have done a
couple of 50+ mile rides, butnever more than 60 miles. They each took
most of a day and required all the determination I could muster. A few
years ago, a 10 mile ride was a major achievement for me. And before
that, once round the lake without a UPD was a major thing.

You know if you've done a long ride: your legs hurt, and you feel
you've done something special.

If you compare yourself to someone else, then you will make one of the
two of you feel inadequate. At lease two of the regulars in this forum
have done 100 miles (160 km) in 10 hours. Aspenmike rides further to
collect his morning mail than I have ever ridden in my life - and, just
for a laugh, he does it over high passes in the Colorado mountains.

But I refuse to accept that I have never done a long ride. Most people
in the world never even try to ride a unicycle. Most who try fail, and
most who succeed never get beyond a few yards. Most of those who
succeed never get beyond a couple of miles, and most of those who do
never get beyond ten miles. We are all in the elite - but riding a
one wheeled bike is no achievement at all to anyone else but the rider
and a few friends.

If I were to attempt to define a "long ride" in numbers, I would do it
in hours of saddle time - because it matters what terrain you're on,
and what size wheel and cranks you have.

--
Mikefule

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that most people don't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mikefule's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/879
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

swarbrim said:

I would consider 2 miles would be far to long for me(that is on a 20"
trials unicycle). I get saddle soreness very quickly and find that
riding is can be difficult. I tend to fall off whilst riding even
though I have been riding for over a year! :eek:

My definition is very different to yours.

Mike

[EDIT]
Age: 17
Years riding: just over 1
Opinion: Stated above
Tiny: Just out of my drive
Short: 0.25 miles
Medium: 1-2 miles
Long: 4-6 miles
Ultra: 6+ miles

I might even say all of those were too long...:o

You just perfectly described me. Thanks.

--
monkeyman

~Alex Brown
------------------------------------------------------------------------
monkeyman's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/11455
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I have a question sort of related to long rides. Do the long distance
riders do the ride in one "sitting" or do they stop periodically to
rest. I can only ride about 20 to 30 minutes before I have to stop for
a minute to rest my "seat" and let the blood circulate again.

To me, a long ride is about 3 continuous miles on my 29er with no
stopping. I don't see how people do the 20+ mile rides. I don't want to
deal with the seat pain that they must endure.

I have been riding for almost 4 years.

--
Wheel Rider

A man can fail many times but he isn't a failure until he begins to
blame someone else. - Waite Phillips
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheel Rider's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10656
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

Not entirely suprisingly (at least to me), I kind of agree with
Mikefule. But since my parameters changed last week after riding 21 and
23 miles, I'm going to put mine. (With the realisation that before last
week 20 miles would definately have been an ultra ride).

Age - 41
Years riding - 2
Tiny - The usual distance that I'll go on days of Extreme Weather/when
it's dark - 2-4 miles.
Short - The usual run I do if the weather is OK - 6 miles
Medium - Either 8 miles (up hill/off road) or 10-12 miles along the
prom. Done as often as possible when I have the time.
Long - 15-25 - just possible and have done.
Ultra - anything over 25 miles. Something to aim for.

--
cathwood

Cathy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
cathwood's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/9425
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I'd have to say that it's difficult to define a long ride in terms of
mileage alone. Things like your fitness level, wheel size, previous
rides, terrain and weather all help to mix things up a bit. Instead,
I'd probably define a long ride as 'a ride that you set aside a fair
proportion of the day for where the purpose was just the ride itslef
and the distance at least half of your personal best'

That way, rides like the 8 miles each way to work and back that I don't
consider signifcant now would have fallen in to the Long Ride category
a couple of years ago when say 6 miles was a challenge.

For me at the moment, anything over 30 miles would be considered a Long
Ride, but under that, I'm probably just trying to get somewhere.

STM

--
semach.the.monkey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
semach.the.monkey's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/12078
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

... As if a long walk, or a long bike rides are absolutes for the rest
of the population. It is more realistically a measurement in relation
to your own fitness, experience, and of course, equipment. If your
biggest unicycle is a 24", a long ride should have a different meaning
than someone who owns two Cokers, or a Coker and a 45", like me.

I guess a simple definition, for me, would be that a "long" ride is one
that hurts, either in the crotch or legs. But some days are better than
others in that regard. 🙂

The longest rides I've done recently are the San Francisco Coker tours,
at around 42 miles, and the Marathon at Unicon last summer, at 36
miles. I also did about half of the ride around Lake Tahoe in June, at
around 35 hilly miles with lots of road camber. Years back, when I
lived in New York, I did the 5-Boro Bike Tour several times, at 36
miles. Those were always fun, but always painful in the second half.

The longest rides I've done were the March of Dimes Superrides I did in
the early 80s, at 75 kilometers. The first time I did that was on a
Schwinn Giraffe with a big sprocket up top. Ouch, hard to freemount,
and much harder to ride than a Schlumpf in high gear!

But I will ride farther in the future, as I intend to participate in
the Ride The Lobster race, if I can qualify.

--
johnfoss

John Foss
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

"pretty much every trail that we've done on the California or Moab Muni
weekends is an XC trail." -- Kris Holm, on XC from a North Shore point
of view
------------------------------------------------------------------------
johnfoss's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/832
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I'm with Mikefule on the whole a long ride being better than what you
have done before.

The most I have done is 80 km or 50 miles, I could easily do more if I
ate a dinner but so far thats my longest ride done with only a coffee
and a couple timbits in me.

This summer when it warms up more I plan on doing a 160 km trip to my
cottage. I still don't know if I want to do it in a day or two as it
gets pretty hilly and rough near the end (you need four wheel drive to
get through some of the hills without getting stuck).

So without further ado:
Age: 18
Years riding: 1.5
Opinion: Stated above
Tiny: under 10 km
Short: 10-20 km
Medium: 20-40 km
Long: 40-80 km
Ultra: 80km plus

--
ntappin

'how to build a strong comfy saddle from junk.'
(http://tinyurl.com/hxcb3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ntappin's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10800
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

Wheel Rider said:

I have a question sort of related to long rides. Do the long distance
riders do the ride in one "sitting" or do they stop periodically to
rest.

When I was at my peak a few years ago, I regularly (more than once a
week) did an hour (12 - 13 miles) without a dismount. A couple of
times I did 2 hours with out a dismount - around 22 miles.

For long distance rides, rather than to prove a point, a dismount every
20 minutes or half an hour is probably wise. You learn to pace
yourself.

--
Mikefule

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that most people don't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mikefule's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/879
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I tend to take one big break for about a half hour or so to stop at a
restaurant or the like for a meal about half way through, other than
that its non stop riding.

--
ntappin

'how to build a strong comfy saddle from junk.'
(http://tinyurl.com/hxcb3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ntappin's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10800
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

Me on 24":

tiny: To end of road
medium: 1-2 km
long 5-8 km- the fearthest i've ever gone😉
ultra: 9 km +

--
thejdw

torkerdx said:

another bit of advice:
shut up and ride🙂

some people get the concept, some don't

------------------------------------------------------------------------
thejdw's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/13230
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

Age: 52
Years riding: ~3 since I started again.
Opinion: Over 10 miles is long, more than 20miles is great for those
who want to do it.
My personal range:
Tiny: Under 1 mile
Short: 5 mile
Medium: 7 mile
Long: 10 mile
Ultra: 20+ mile I have never done more than 12 miles.

--
Chrashing

Regards,
Ken ... a recreational unicyclist... Please wear a helmet!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chrashing's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7501
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

David_Stone said:

...What makes a LONG ride? ..

I've never done more than low 20's in mileage, always on the stock
Radial 360. I can maintain 10mph with casual effort over this
distance. I'd like to get a block of time and crack 30 miles. The
time seems to be the determining factor. The '2hr MTN bike race'
(http://home.nycap.rr.com/rduhan/xmas_eve_2006/) I just did left me
MUCH more tired than any 20 mile road ride I've ever done. I think 30
miles would be no sweat (well, some sweat).

Improvements since my last 20 miler:
- 'handlebars'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53697)
- 'new KH seat with the groove'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=952), (much more
comfortable for my taint and doesn't cause peeing to hurt).
- 'a pair of 125s from UDC'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=793) (haven't
installed these yet - soon I hope)

Age: 44
Years riding: 2.5
Tiny: 2
Short: 5-10
Medium: 10-20
Long: 30+
Ultra: I need two back-to-back 70km rides to qualify for the Lobster'08
race. I also would like to do a metric and imperial century.

--
steveyo

steveyo

...like having your own personal rollercoaster...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
steveyo's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7228
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I never consider distance as a measure of how long a ride is because it
is so variable.

Age: 28
Years riding 6
Short: less than 1hr
Medium: 1-4hrs
Long: 4+ hours.
Ultra: 8+ hours

--
GizmoDuck

'The SINZ Unitour 2007' (http://www.sinzuni.org)...Give in to your SINZ,
join us down under!
'The Laos Unicycle Tour 2006' (http://www.laosunitour.org)....An
Adventure of Epic Proportions
The Monguni Tour 2008....catchy slogan pending
The Unifice 2009....Fire & Ice, One-Wheel Sacrifice
The SISININZ Unitour 2010....How to get a sore butt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GizmoDuck's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/794
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

GizmoDuck said:

I never consider distance as a measure of how long a ride is because it
is so variable.

Age: 28
Years riding 6
Short: less than 1hr
Medium: 1-4hrs
Long: 4+ hours.
Ultra: 8+ hours

This is a good measure for variable amounts of climbing on road rides,
but hour-for-hour Muni is MUCH more tiring than road riding, no?

--
steveyo

steveyo

...like having your own personal rollercoaster...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
steveyo's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7228
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

Age: 17
Years riding: 4, Seriously for the last 7-8 months.
Short: 25 miles
Medium: 50 miles
Long: 100 miles
Ultra: 100+ miles.

I plan to do a ultra ride, and long rides. So far, all my rides go from
a few miles, to 50-60 miles for a day of riding. On my trials I can
ride easily 10 - 15 miles with no soreness. Once I have gone around 20
on it, it gets to be painstakingly boring.

On my coker, I can go forever without getting sore or tired. I just use
an old, fat KH seat. No modifications to it, and just the regular
handle on it. I hop on it and just go for miles and turn around once
it gets dark. Longest was right above 50 miles.

--
Jerrick

~*~!I ride for Christ, Fun, Challenges, and a lot
more!~*~
'!Gallery!' (http://tinyurl.com/gf2g9)
'!MRIS!' (http://tinyurl.com/jjjnz)
'Easy Tire Removal Guide.' (http://tinyurl.com/rd9ru)
My sponsor '~!SIXSIXONE!~' (http://sixsixone.com/) New Uni =
Blue Sex!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerrick's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/11632
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

GizmoDuck said:

I never consider distance as a measure of how long a ride is because it
is so variable.

Age: 28
Years riding 6
Short: less than 1hr
Medium: 1-4hrs
Long: 4+ hours.
Ultra: 8+ hours

You make a good point, Ken. However, no one, realistically, would ride
a 20" uni for 8 hrs! Generally most of us thinking about long rides are
on a 29" uni or larger, geared or otherwise.

I noticed that many "new" riders find that rides of just a few miles
are tiring. Of course, a lot of their difficulty is related to
technique (I can't ride an ultimate wheel longer than a few hundred
yards without getting exhausted bc my technique sucks) as well as to
muscular conditioning.

You ride a lot faster than almost anyone, Ken, so it's a good point
that distance is not the best comparison measure. I ride pretty fast,
too, so I could revise my list as follows:
Short: less than an hour
Medium: 1-3 hrs
Long: 3-7 hrs
Ultra: 7-12 (my longest rides took 12 hrs, with about 3 hrs in breaks)

But yeah, the whole idea of quantifying rides is pretty silly.

--
David_Stone

Dictator for Life,
NYUC

Check out my blog (or else):
http://newyorkunicycle.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
David_Stone's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3834
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

David_Stone said:

You make a good point, Ken. However, no one, realistically, would ride a
20" uni for 8 hrs!

I have!!! Sometimes longer, my rides can consist of riding my trials
from my house, to everybody else's house to pick them up, ride the few
miles downtown, and ride there for hours, then riding back and hitting
spots all along the way. =p

--
Jerrick

~*~!I ride for Christ, Fun, Challenges, and a lot
more!~*~
'!Gallery!' (http://tinyurl.com/gf2g9)
'!MRIS!' (http://tinyurl.com/jjjnz)
'Easy Tire Removal Guide.' (http://tinyurl.com/rd9ru)
My sponsor '~!SIXSIXONE!~' (http://sixsixone.com/) New Uni =
Blue Sex!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerrick's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/11632
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106

I have never really done a long ride on a unicycle. My longest being
22km on a 20", though I have done a lot longer on a 24", I have just
never figured out the length. If I was using a 29" or a coker I would
say:

Age:16
Years riding: 1
Tiny: 0 - 5km
Small: 5 - 15km
Medium: 15 - 40km
Large: 40 - 80km
Ultra: 80+

--
tomtrevor

01010100 01101111 01101101 00100000 01010100 01110010 01100101
01110110 01101111 01110010
'KEEPIN' IT WHEEL' (www.mediahug.com/bikes)

Quoted message said:

<>WHEEL WALK ON WATER<><

BLUEGREENORANGEBLACKPURPLEREDWHITEYELLOW
Juggling: If you wanna keep 3 things of the ground put them on a
shelf.
'g' (http://www.google.com.au/)'o' (http://www.google.com.br/)'o'
(http://www.google.co.uk/)'g' (http://www.google.com.ni/)'l'
(http://www.google.to/)'i' (http://www.google.ch/)'n'
(http://www.google.com.mt/)'g' (http://www.google.com.na/)'s'
(http://www.google.rw/)'!'
(http://www.google.com.do/)'t'
(http://mediahug.com/bikes/?page_id=26)'o'
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliced_bread)'m'
(http://www.funnyjunk.com/)''s'
(http://www.freelineskates.com/) 'R'
(http://www.tlb.org/Park-all.lowbw.mpg)'a'
(http://www.burntfaceman.com/)'n'
(http://www.adcott.net/binary/)'d'
(http://tinyurl.com/c1as)'o'
(http://www.cheese.com)'m'
(http://www.coverpop.com/whitney/index.php?var=v0)
'L'
(http://www.mediahug.com/bikes/)'i'
(http://www.virtualgravy.com/)'n'
(http://www.mediahug.com/almax/)'k'
(http://www.cheaphumor.com/)'a'
(http://www.bakedbeans.com)'g'
(http://www.joecartoon.com/)e's'
(http://www.break.com/)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
tomtrevor's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/12118
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/56106