Riding with your Wife

Dunners Dan said:

Tips for Riding with your Wife

Please feel free to comment on my blog or here. If you enjoyed this posting and some of the others, please consider following me through RSS, Google Connect and also through Twitter: Bikedan for the live-updates

Here is the link: Daniel Carruthers: Riding with your Wife

thanks for the plug. What was there to enjoy about this post

Great post and info. Have some rep... 😎

I have been lucky that my current lady friend and one previous girlfriend were very much into cycling. I am also fortunate that, although they are fairly fast, I am just a bit faster, so I never have to catch up. But I love to ride behind them for the show, dreaming about how much fun we are going to have cleaning up after the ride.😉😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

Good article, Dan. I enjoyed reading it!

I don't agree with pushing the wife up the hill. If she needs a push, she shouldn't be on the ride. I guess that attitude is why I am still single!

ChrisENC said:

thanks for the plug. What was there to enjoy about this post

Cheers mate. Yeah, the post is of interest to people who have partners who ride a little or not at all. Hopefully provide some tips/motivation to help them get rolling with their partners and enjoy the outdoors.

My wife read this, "Pushing your partner/wife up the hill if she is tiring" and asked, "Does he mean physically push them?"

I didn't know how to answer as I have done both. Encouraged her mentally and I tried to push her physically but she told me to stop that so I don't.

So I'm asking you. Do you mean literally or figuratively?😕

Dunners Dan said:

Tips for Riding with your Wife

This is a good topic as alot of riders either have wives or have a girl-friend and while some maybe lucky to have girls that are faster than them, however the vast majority have girls that are slow and easily get discouraged from riding. My most recent blog posting is about providing some top tips about riding with your significant other for maximum enjoyment.

Please feel free to comment on my blog or here. If you enjoyed this posting and some of the others, please consider following me through RSS, Google Connect and also through Twitter: Bikedan for the live-updates

Here is the link: Daniel Carruthers: Riding with your Wife

I tried riding with my Wife once. yup once only. It was a cold day, She insisted on wearing every item of clothing that would fit over every other item of clothing, despite me advising differently. I wore my normal winter cycling gear.
Well I did not think cycling could be this slow, 14 miles and over 2 hours later we arrived at the Coffee shop, I was frozen solid. My Wife actually goes down hill slower than going up on account of having the brakes on in case double figure speeds are reached, which were to be avoided at all costs apparently. To think She talked me into spending over £400. on a tow bar with cycle carrier so we can take our bikes on days out.

Kevin.

How about an article about riding with guys who don't ride at all 😉

My bf is getting a bike from his uncle that's set-up for road, and I'm bringing him out on a couple rides, but I know I'm the stronger and faster rider since he'll have to get used to a bike again, and I've been riding for ten years.

If I were the weaker rider and my bf/whomever started to give me a push, I'd turn around and knock him out...

kdelong said:

But I love to ride behind them for the show

Do you mean the "show" that the two of you are putting on for anyone who might be observing you -- "oh, look, isn't that sweet, they're riding together" -- or perhaps "oh, look, isn't that sweet, she's in front of him, she must be beating him in that race that I know all road cyclists are having every time they ride" ?

Or do you mean the "show" that you're personally getting from that
privileged vantage point -- "gawd day-um that is one fine booty, I cannot wait to get her outta dat Spandex soze I can tap dat azz!"

?

Bob Ross said:

Do you mean the "show" that the two of you are putting on for anyone who might be observing you -- "oh, look, isn't that sweet, they're riding together" -- or perhaps "oh, look, isn't that sweet, she's in front of him, she must be beating him in that race that I know all road cyclists are having every time they ride" ?

Or do you mean the "show" that you're personally getting from that
privileged vantage point -- "gawd day-um that is one fine booty, I cannot wait to get her outta dat Spandex soze I can tap dat azz!"

?

The latter!:eek:😉

reddDesign said:

If I were the weaker rider and my bf/whomever started to give me a push, I'd turn around and knock him out...

I've gotten a push on a big hill from a *teammate* on a particularly bad day. It's rough on the ego, but the fact of the matter is that if you are that effing slow/tired/whatever that someone else can push themselves and you up a hill.... you either need the help or should just be left behind. It's nothing against the person trying to help.

The ultimate solution for riding with a weaker significant other is a tandem. My wife was amazed and thrilled at how fast a bike could go, I got a workout, and we got to share a positive cycling experience together.

frenchyge said:

The ultimate solution for riding with a weaker significant other is a tandem. My wife was amazed and thrilled at how fast a bike could go, I got a workout, and we got to share a positive cycling experience together.

I have always thought that riding a tandem would be a blast. 😎

My wife and I have been riding separately for several years. Even upgraded her bicycle from a hybrid to a lighter road bike with drop down handle bars. With this change she has actually improved her speed and endurance.

Anyways to the Tandem, we went to a LBS and rented one for a couple of hours and both of us did not enjoy it. It takes quite bit of "being in sync" time. We were able to have together time... ALL the time which is one of the downfalls. Riding single if I have an urge to accelerate, I can do it. Sure you can do that on the tandem also but the feeling isn't the same.

Also to purchase a decent tandem your shelling out a lot of peso's!:eek:

digiguy said:

Also to purchase a decent tandem your shelling out a lot of peso's!:eek:

Yup, that's the main reason we don't have one. :eek:

reddDesign said:

How about an article about riding with guys who don't ride at all 😉

as a fellow serious female rider - here here on that one! 😉

reddDesign said:

If I were the weaker rider and my bf/whomever started to give me a push, I'd turn around and knock him out...

lol - agreed! i don't need no stinking help....(and if i do i'll ask when nobdy is around)

frenchyge said:

I've gotten a push on a big hill from a *teammate* on a particularly bad day. It's rough on the ego, but the fact of the matter is that if you are that effing slow/tired/whatever that someone else can push themselves and you up a hill.... you either need the help or should just be left behind. It's nothing against the person trying to help.

see this is where it is diff. IMO. with an organized ride & teammates, you have a goal and want to get the work, training, and paceline rotation in. if you are on such a bad day then hey, they know where you are coming from - they have all had bad days too- and a push isnt such a big deal.

i've gotten a push on an uphill on a group ride (after contesting the sprint & dropping my chain) and it didnt bother me. it was nice that someone helped me out until i can get it back onto the ring. i guess in part b'cause it was an organized ride, it was training, hence no biggie. plus these were not co-ed rides, so i saw them as peers.

but i gotta think if you are riding with a spouse or SO that it is most definitely not a training ride. and more so, these aint teammates. instead it is someone else who probably has some amount of pride in being able to do their own thing or make it up the hill themselves. the perception of men helping women that way, when we dont want or feel we need it even if you think we do, can be something we can be sensitive about. 😉😉

just another opinion :-)

frenchyge said:

The ultimate solution for riding with a weaker significant other is a tandem. My wife was amazed and thrilled at how fast a bike could go, I got a workout, and we got to share a positive cycling experience together.

brilliant & well played! talk about the best way to share the ride but yet do your own ride. wish i had one

I've got no issues riding with my wife - definitely a recovery day and I know that going in so going slow is no problem. I'm on my mtn bike w/ our daughter in a bucket seat (attached via my seatpost, seatstays, and rear dropouts) and she's on her hybrid.

I know it's not a "workout", so riding with her on recovery days actually is of great benefit to me b'cuz by myself, or with another guy, I'm much more apt to go harder than I should on what is supposed to be a recovery day.

Never would do the tandem thing - looks too much like a husband and wife dressing the same😄, IMO...

DancenMacabre said:

see this is where it is diff. IMO. with an organized ride & teammates, you have a goal and want to get the work, training, and paceline rotation in. if you are on such a bad day then hey, they know where you are coming from - they have all had bad days too- and a push isnt such a big deal.

Everyone's going to have their opinion on this, and I'm not trying to change anyone's. On a team ride I'd ride myself into hamburger before I required a push on a hill and everyone else knows it and feels the same way, so..... it's definitely not about training or pacelines at that point -- it's pity for my plight and support for my suffering. Also, they understand that my preference would be to not hold up the other riders anymore than I'm already doing. I think someone who's been on both the giving and receiving end of a sympathetic helping hand can understand it a little better, but I acknowledge that, unfortunately, a non-riding SO probably won't see it that same way.

DancenMacabre said:

plus these were not co-ed rides, so i saw them as peers.

That's how I'd like to be viewed by my wife as well. 😉 As a teammate even... 😄

DancenMacabre said:

but i gotta think if you are riding with a spouse or SO that it is most definitely not a training ride. and more so, these aint teammates. instead it is someone else who probably has some amount of pride in being able to do their own thing or make it up the hill themselves. the perception of men helping women that way, when we dont want or feel we need it even if you think we do, can be something we can be sensitive about. 😉😉

Agreed. I didn't read the blog so I don't know the context that it was first mentioned, but to be clear I am not in any way advocating a pre-emptive "you'll never make it up this big scary hill" push. My experience is that weaker riders tend to get sensitive that they are "holding up" the stronger riders, and may become self-concious and discouraged as a result even when they're doing a pretty good job for their experience level or when the pace is intentionally slowed below the workout level. I would only offer a helping hand when it is obvious that the other rider was physically wasted and struggling, and even then I agree it's a risk. If you need to push them home that was probably a poor choice of distance or route, and they're probably not going back out with you anyway.

tonyzackery said:

Never would do the tandem thing - looks too much like a husband and wife dressing the same😄, IMO...

Ahhh..... so that's something you strictly reserve for your guy friends? 😄

Not that there's anything wrong with dressing alike (although this is my daughter and it was chilly at the time of the photo). Fun being had by all: 😎