I go to the gym on a regular basis and do a fair bit of running. I feel like I'm fit enough to do this. It would be a one-off ride from Wembley to Slough and back so it would be a fair bit of road which could be a problem.
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5Is this a one-off or a commute? How much does it matter if you're exhausted? It's doable for any fit adult on any bike that's in working order and fits them. In fact I suggest planning a slightly longer route if necessary to avoid traffic (in the UK, cyclestreets is good). But you will be tired (if your running is distance then less so) – Chris H Jul 02 '17 at 14:02
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I'm only 17 lol, its also a one off. – Ryan Thompson Jul 02 '17 at 14:13
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Heh, I was just about to post an answer assuming it was a commute. :-) *deletes* – David Richerby Jul 02 '17 at 14:15
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How long do you have between now and the ride? Is it an event with a fixed date, or do you get to pick when it happens? – compton Jul 02 '17 at 14:33
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Its just something I want to do for fun, you know, a goal I would like to achieve this summer, might do it this week for example. – Ryan Thompson Jul 02 '17 at 14:38
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1Young muscles recover quicker. You shouldn't ache to much or for too long. – Chris H Jul 02 '17 at 14:44
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2You don't indicate how hilly the road is. If it's reasonably flat then a healthy 17-year-old on a halfway decent bike should be able to handle it. Be sure to air up your tires, and prefer a bike without suspension (or with the suspension locked out) to a suspension bike. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 02 '17 at 15:03
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1Once did 100km after more than 6 months off a bike and lack of general exercise bought on by injury induced 'excess of late night socializing' that went on long after the injury excuse wore off. Probably would not do it again (The late night socializing). But 17 miles should be fine for a young fit person. – mattnz Jul 02 '17 at 20:25
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The TFL map for non-folding bikes on the tube might help you if you're in a bind: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bicycles-on-public-transport.pdf – mkingston Jul 03 '17 at 13:40
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You give no indication what sort of schedule your thinking of: if this is an all day outing where you can fit in long breaks it should be really easy, given moderate fitness. Only a tight schedule or too much busy road might make it less fun. – PJTraill Jul 05 '17 at 09:13
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As a one-off, that should be completely doable. Your fitness from running and the gym should be plenty enough, especially as the route is pretty flat. Bear in mind that it will be tiring, since cycling uses different muscles to running, and the saddle may get a bit uncomfortable if you're not used to it. Make sure you have plenty of water and something like a cereal bar or a banana to eat half-way would be good, too. (You want something that will release energy over time, rather than a big sugar hit.)
Riding in traffic can be mentally tiring when you're not used to it so definitely consider a route using quieter roads and cycle paths, even if that adds a few miles. The thing you want to avoid most is narrow roads with lots of traffic: if cars can overtake you easily, everybody's much happier.
And there's lots of public transport available so, if you get to Slough and can't bear the thought of cycling home again, you can always get on a train, though don't try to do that at rush-hour.
David Richerby
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I believe you can carry a non folding bike on some London commuter trains, but check with the train company. Tube and bus, no. – Chris H Jul 02 '17 at 14:41
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Also do you know any good cycling apps that give you the best route to get to a certain location? At the moment in gonna be counting on Google maps – Ryan Thompson Jul 02 '17 at 14:43
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The reason I like cycle streets is it gives you fast, balanced, and quiet routes. Google is good for staff and drop routing. Strava has a manual route builder online and you can extract a map to use with their app or others (gpx files are good). I really don't think much of running Google navigation on the phone as I ride. – Chris H Jul 02 '17 at 14:44
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Ok thanks I will red check cycle streets out, already tried strava and I didn't suit my needs well – Ryan Thompson Jul 02 '17 at 14:46
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I'm pretty sure you can take a bike on the mainline trains from Paddington to Slough, though don't even try at rush-hour. (Though Paddington itself is seven miles in the wrong direction from Wembley, so you'd probably want to cycle to Ealing or somewhere like that.) – David Richerby Jul 02 '17 at 14:47
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@RyanThompson - Google Maps (with the bike option) is generally decent. No map software will be aware your particular preferences and quirks. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 02 '17 at 15:05
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1A banana is fine, or some oats that slowly digest so he has a source of energy for an extended period of time. A chocolate bar though is not a good recommendation... – user1997744 Jul 02 '17 at 20:37
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@RyanThompson https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/1616/19705 is about London Busses, and https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/40924/19705 is about UK Trains. Also, https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/1615/19705 has more details. – Criggie Jul 03 '17 at 01:52
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@ChrisH Is cycle streets UK only? Any suggestions for someone on this side of the pond? – Michael McGriff Jul 03 '17 at 15:09
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I'll second the bit about riding on quieter roads. 10 minutes in heavy enough traffic can tire me out worse than a half hour on an empty road, and I'm used to riding with traffic. – Ray Jul 03 '17 at 21:57
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@user1997744 Good point -- I changed chocolate bar to cereal bar. – David Richerby Jul 04 '17 at 18:10
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Man, just do it! There isn't much that can go wrong. If you feel tired, turn around midway. Take a mobile phone with you in case something happens, look up the weather forecast, take something to eat and drink with you (or some money to buy some). If you end up at a different location than initially planned, so be it; my personal experience is that too much planning destroys much of the fun of riding. I often start thinking about going for an hour ride and end up doing 100km. Or vice versa.
As an inexperienced rider you may do 10 mph (16km/h), thus 3 and a half hours of riding time for 34 miles (54km). So just make sure you don't start in the evening.
Have fun!
ImportanceOfBeingErnest
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Nope - go for it. Here are two suggested routes from Strava, which were generated at https://www.strava.com/routes/new and then clicking a start and end point, and changing some options.
This first one is based on "most popular with cyclists" and runs for 30 km with total elevation change of 204 metres.
Another choice is "minimise elevation change" which saves you 5km and 50 metres of vertical ascent, but is a less popular path with cyclists. I see part of it appears to be down the A40 motorway, but there appears to be a cycle path there.
Finally if you'd rather make your own way, here's the "heatmap" for the area. You can access this at http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#13/-0.44289/51.51782/blue/bike
Criggie
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3The A40 isn't a motorway, it's an A road :) which are generally not as big as motorways. It's illegal to cycle on motorways, whose names begin with M. – Tom Fenech Jul 03 '17 at 10:37
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1@TomFenech cool thanks for that. There is a yellow-dashed lane on the south side of the road, so it should be a good ride. Many people think strava is a recording tool, and to some extent it is, but as a route planning tool it can be quite good too. – Criggie Jul 03 '17 at 11:25
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1I live in Uxbridge, and I would definitely not want to cycle on that part of the A40. It's very busy, and is a 3-lane dual carriageway. From Northolt I would go towards Yeading and then through Hillingdon – James Monger Jul 03 '17 at 14:04
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@JamesMonger Is there a separated bike path there? Map seems to imply there is, but it may be a dedicated footpath instead. Local knowledge is the best source of routing information, and strava's heatmap shows that its not an unpopular route for riding. – Criggie Jul 04 '17 at 00:17
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@Criggie There is a footpath along some parts of it but legally you must ride on the road and I know that the police can at times be quite hot on it - and I wouldn't want to ride on that road! (although realistically you'll likely be fine on the pavement) – James Monger Jul 04 '17 at 08:35
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Our LBS has a Saturday morning ride for which we often get beginners. Many are no longer young and not particularly fit. They can do 17 miles of flat ride before lunch. I wouldn't worry about the amount of exercise if you have a nice break in the middle. Discomfort after that much riding is more of a worry. Allow enough time, about two hours each way with rest stops. You will probably ride faster than that, but don't push too hard. The main thing is to have fun so you keep riding.
Ross Millikan
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I typically tell people that any normal healthy novice can get on a bicycle and do 10 miles per hour without difficulty, so if you can walk for two hours stop for lunch and walk back, then you can do this with less work. Pack water, a cellphone and lunch money. If things go wrong you can put the bike in the boot of a cab.
David Richerby
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hildred
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If you were a little older I'd say work up to it over a month or so, doing progressively longer rides to give your body time to adjust and tell you how it's doing, but at 17 you can recover from almost anything. Have a great time.
I can't tell how much you've ridden already, but maybe (if you're not tubeless) practice changing a flat in the field to make sure you have everything with you that you need. Ride a mile from the house then pretend you have a flat, then change or patch the tube right there by the side of the road.
compton
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6Don't patch on the side of the road if you can help it. Just bring a spare tube and patch when you get home. – RoboKaren Jul 02 '17 at 20:28
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@RoboKaren: That is what I do – except that in practice I seldom get round to the patching:( – PJTraill Jul 05 '17 at 09:06
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It's do-able. We have some guests, a couple in their 20s or 30s, who both know how to cycle but aren't accustomed to it. They were able to go somewhere and back, 25 km each way.
Caveat:
- It took them several hours; partly because they stopped when they got there. But also because they cycle relatively slowly.
- They borrowed my bikes which are "hybrids" of reasonable quality (several hundred euros with good tires)
- They went along a semi-paved river tow-path which is closed to vehicle traffic, so no worries about that.
When they went again some weeks later, they found it easier. It seems to me too that any route is easier the second time you do it.
ChrisW
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We did distances like that several times a year when I was 12 years old. So just drive off, without any special preparation, I am sure you will find something to drink and eat near to your route as soon as you want some...
Jaleks
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2Welcome to the site! Since the asker will be cycling in an urban area, they certainly will be able to buy food and drink on the way. It would still be a good idea to bring a bottle of water, though, so they can stay hydrated, rather than waiting until they get thirsty. – David Richerby Jul 03 '17 at 13:49
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I drove that as a daily commute for a year. Was slightly hard the first week, after that easy enough. If you keep a normal relaxed pace you should be able to do the entire distance 2x27 in about three to four hours
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3Drove or rode? "Drive" is normally used for four-wheeled motor vehicles, not bicycles. And I'm not sure this really adds anything to the large number of existing answers: it's already been pointed out that it'll be something of an effort and that it'll take 3-4 hours. – David Richerby Jul 04 '17 at 10:16
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17 kms is not a lot i think. Drink a lot of water if you are hydrated, and make comfortable. I ride 70 kms (up, down) twice a month, and i domt find it hard. It depend upon your cadence and speed.
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2This doesn't really add anything to the large number of existing answers. Also, not that the asker is talking about riding 34 miles (17 miles each way), which is about 55km. – David Richerby Jul 04 '17 at 10:18