Including a time-trial where it averaged 19.5mph, I have run up a thousand miles on this bike since the end of May, I did not keep records before that time. I also put miles on three other bikes, but rode the Huffy as much as all the rest combined easily. Weather permitting I will rack up some more, but the snow and freezing temperatures will be back in six or eight weeks and will switch to the mag-trainer. After a quick 20-miles on the hoods between rain-storms today the bike looked so good I went and got my camera and snapped this photo of it;
1000 miles on Huffy road bike this year so far....
- Thread starter comebackkid
- Start date
Beanz.
The TT was about twelve miles. It was on July 9th of this year. It has been run annually locally for many years. The last time I tried it was in 1997, but after having a heart-attack/surgery last year I started riding this bike to get back in shape and wanted to try it again. Of course I am much slower than I was back in the day, but I am making steady progress and might be getting a bit quicker each month. If I can stay out of the hospital I hope next year I can get over 20mph on it.
25 years ago there were a half-dozen or more cycle races short to long within an hours drive, but most all of them died off over the years, especially during the shutdown due to covid. A drawback to living in a smaller population center where there are not as many people to support different activities and hobbies as they are in large cities and metropolitan areas. There are a few triathlon style events, but I am not that big on running or swimming, and being in my sixth decade now I don't see myself getting back into running or swimming competitively or for any long distances.
Went for a brisk 2-hour ride yesterday and it felt good as I was not able to ride for three days after pulling a muscle in my back. Still a bit sore but the ride did not affect it at all. The Huffy felt great.
Since I original started this thread on August 10th, I have put another 466 miles on this particular bike according to my notes. Weather here on the Great Lakes is colder now with lots of precipitation lately, but last year I was able to keep going until December, we will see how Mother Nature treats us this year.
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Ended up with 1600+ miles on this bike over the last seven months of this year. Maybe a few hundred more than that in the first five months of the year, I did not keep records for that period so don't know exactly. Put another thousand miles on other oddball bikes over the last half of the year, had a lot of fun doing it of course.
That is great! Just noticed the cable lock at your seatpost. Are you often leaving your bike during rides so you need to lock it up?
Yes, where I live some places have racks made of welded tubing bolted to the ground made specifically for locking bicycles to so they can not be stolen as easily. I always carry a lock on the bicycle or in a bag I carry on my back.
I also have a cable lock and a chain lock. I have the cable lock on my bike most times. But if I'm going for groceries and other stuff where I'll be leaving the bike longer, I bring the heavy chain lock. The chain is probably 2 kg (over 4 lbs) I fear it might tear open the bag I put it on! I never put it on the aluminum frame fearing for deep scratching.
If you pulled a back muscle, probably from lifting something heavy, you maybe straining your back muscles already even before you pulled it. It's entirely possible to escape notice as more competitive riders are relatively numb to minor pains. You may feel perfectly fine but the back is in worse shape than you feel.
I suspect it may have something to do with your extreme riding position on your bike. It's probably time to raise the handlebar a bit but I think you may even need a bigger frame if your current frame size is too small for you.
Any time I ever had an ache or pain, riding a bike always makes me feel better, especially if I ride regularly. I ended up with over 1600 miles on this bike in the last seven months of 2022, probably hundreds more on it previous to when I started keeping records on May 29th. And all my other bikes including my mountain-bike are set up with the same seat-bar drop. Being tall I am surely more susceptible to back problems than shorter humans, but the only time I ever have trouble is if I screw up and lift with my lower back instead of my knees, as anyone would.
I have similar experience. One time I hurt my lower back pushing a heavy object on the floor.
But when I'm riding my bike, the pain goes away! Just like your experience. Eventually I found a correlation with my riding posture and the chance of hurting my back when doing heavy lifting, etc. With more upright riding posture, eventually, I avoided hurting my back completely in heavy lifting even if I lifted incorrectly (with my back, not with my legs).
Hey there! It's awesome that your back pain goes away when you ride your bike. Riding with an upright posture is great for preventing back injuries, both on the bike and during heavy lifting. Keep it up! 
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