I just did a search and didn't find any threads dedicated to cycling. I suppose as a weight loss tool it's less effective per minute than jogging/running or aerobics. Also the cost and learning curve might prevent some people from getting into it. I've been working at it steadily for a few months now and I'm really happy with my results. It has cost me nearly 1k in a solid road bike and various equipment but I break a longest ride record every week now. This week was 40 miles in under 3 hours, and I'm hoping to get 45 miles next weekend. I have read of "century" rides and would love to do that someday, but I don't see myself getting there this year (I'm not intersted in doing an 8 hour century LOL).

I love the open road and the distances I'm able to cover now. It's just too bad that we have five months of winter here!

I know I a totally spooked by winter coming up. Yes, I too love biking. My two children and I done twenty miles every Tuesday while they were out for summer break. This will be my first Tuesday without them. Makes me a little sad but I also know that I can go farther and be more focused on what I'm doing.

I'm an urban cyclist. I usually only get around 30 miles a week (errands + commuting to work), but I love it. I live in a mountainous area and I have a single speed so it's quite a work out!

Lots of biking here. I've gone is 42 miles in one shot I think... but that was last summer. My training plan hasn't called for any bikes over an hour and a half so I have been doing a lot of riding on the trainer indoors which isn't so fun. I'm going to take a ride this week down to the forest preserve and see how far my body feels like taking me right now.

I love my bike! I bought it last year when a bike manufacturer was moving and clearing out a lot of bikes for cheap. For only $600 bucks I got a nice Javelin racing bike (w/ campy veloche parts)

I need to work up to doing a century too by next summer.

Wow 40 miles is 64.3k, I work in kilometers that's really good mileage... My longest ride this year has been 25k/15.5miles...I go out a couple of times/day sometimes... I love biking in the summer ...

im looking for a road bike so i can start cycling soon, im very impressed with you ladies doing 40 miles at a time all i can say is WOW!! i hope to get there one day! however the more i look and read about bikes the more confused i get. Ive been to 3 local bike shops and got lots of great info but each one recommended something different. i want an entry level road bike but do i get fuji, cannondale, trek, jamis, specialized etc.. any advice would be appreciated.

You have to try the bike, I tried several before I settled for the one I have which is, darn I can't even remember the name of it at the moment ... I paid 1200$ for it but you don't neet to pay that much, my first bike was 350$ and I loved it and had it for 4 years but I had chosen a mountain bike and never did any cross country trails. This time I went with a fast city hybrid they call it...

Just found this site Hybrid & Comfort BikeShopperit may be helpful to you when shopping for a bike.

I found my bike it's a Gary Fisher Monoma here are some reviews on it... But I guess the price went down in the last couple of years, that and I paid in Canadian $, it's always more expensive here in Canada

I'm not really not super knowledgeable just enough to get by... What are you going to use the bike for? If it's just around town and to get in shape you don't need anything fancy and can probably get something under $500 But bikes get expensive QUICK. If your planning on doing any races/triathlons you'll want to be more selective about components and do some research before hand. I've found most "Good" race bikes tend to start at about $1000 and up.

I don't want to throw too much info at you but there are 2 main brands of "parts" or components on a bike Shimano and Campagnolo and which you get isn't as important as what grouping or quality in that group.

thanks for the info ideal and ilene.. im looking to start out distance riding, hoping to get to where you ladies are at about 40 miles. I know i will have to get in shape to get that far. Then maybe group rides etc.. i wanted to find something in the $600 to $800 range but everything decent seems to be 900 and up im hoping the cycling will help with some weight loss and toning up too

You might be able to find an entry level Trek or something similar for around that range... especially if you buy last years model or this years after they get the new bikes for next year in. It won't be super fancy component wise, but will be a good starter.

A good fit is really important though if you want to bike several hours in a row you need to be comfortable so make sure where ever you get the bike that they properly fit you to the bike. It's more involved then just standing over the bar for clearance.

I used to get numb hands on my old dirt bike on rides over 20 miles and had to wear gel gloves and they only sorta helped. With my new road bike (Javelin Fara) No problems what so ever!

Let us know what you end up getting!

Mine is a Trek 1.2, which was this year's base model. I had to add some stuff (like a new saddle and clipless pedals) but I'm very happy with it so far, no flats :-) It is a pain to inflate the tires after every ride though!

I've been trying to understand the power to weight ratio, and how losing weight will increase my speed. I know it makes the biggest difference going up hills but it's not clear to me how it will help on flats. Common sense tells me the less I weigh the easier it will be to move and the faster I can go.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only cyclist here

It's approx. 8 - 10 km to my work, so I can see how some people to over 60 a week. I love biking, but I'm not really knowledgeable about it. I just strap on my helmet and go. I'm lucky that Montreal is such a bike friendly city!

OMG you're from Montreal! I love that city, I go fairly regularly, 4-5x/year or so*we're only an hour away... and you're absolutely right it is very bike friendly...I was telling DH a few weeks ago that we should take our bikes to old Montreal and bike around there, or just rent some bikes for a day...