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Is Cycling the New Golf?

07.07.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 18 Comments

I’ll bet you’ve heard that line before. It’s become almost a cliche. But at its heart, the expression tells us something about the changing tastes of adults in recreation.

Industry figures sum up the story: The National Bicycle Dealers Association says bike sales (20″ wheels and larger) were up 15 percent in 2010 over 2009. A total of six billion dollars worth of bikes were sold last year. Service and repair work is reported to be up, too.

Golf, however, is declining. For the past three years, according to the National Golf Foundation, the number of golfers has dropped. It’s down to about 26.1 million. The recession, of course, was a large factor in that decline, and so was the generally poorer weather during the summer of 2010 compared to the previous summer. But those don’t account for all of golf’s loss.

The Bike Noob might be a typical golfer-turned-cyclist. Senior golfers — those of age 60 and up — are about 45 percent of all golfers. But that group is not growing, partly because they die off, and partly because they stop playing regularly.

The Bike Noob fades a drive back into the middle of the fairway during a Hawaiian vacation. (You can see the ball above my left hand.)

Golf has traditionally been considered a business relationship builder. I remember my father telling me years ago to take up golf, because business deals are done on the golf course. My dad was part of a golf league in the large company where he worked. But just last month, I visited the headquarters of a company renowned for its employee health and wellness program. It has a cycling group of over 100 people. No golf league.

Now, however, cycling clubs might offer the chance to grow business relationships. On a weekend ride, club members can churn out the miles, then discuss their biking and their business over coffee, or lunch, or whatever, afterwards. I’ve seen it happen among members of my own club — many of whom work in the same general field.

And as adults age, another popular recreational activity — running — might be losing its attraction because of the way it contributes to knee problems. Cycling is a good alternative, because while it can cause trouble with the knees, more often it eases chronic knee trouble. That’s why I switched from running to riding.

So it might not be much of a surprise to learn that the high growth area within cycling last year was among road bikers.

The golf industry, meanwhile, is concerned that the number of kids between 6 and 17 who take up golf has been falling — by about 24 percent during the last decade. Optimistic predictions about golf’s growth peg it at only one percent between now and 2020.

On the cycling side, high gas prices are causing more adults to look into bike commuting as a way to hold down their costs. Commuters are still a tiny percentage in most cities, but their numbers are growing.

Since 2008, my golfing has taken a precipitous nosedive. I played one round of golf last year. Just one. None so far this year. But I’m on my bike three or four days a week. I’m meeting new people and finding I have a lot in common with them. Neither my wife nor I miss golf at all, although we’ll happily play a round if the opportunity arises.

For us, cycling is indeed the new golf.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // golf

Chasing Pavements

07.05.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Here’s a guest post from a reader on the other side of the globe, 17-year-old David Low of Singapore. (To remind our American readers, “pavement” is the U.K. English word for “sidewalk.”)

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements? — Adele

I’m not sure how many budding teenage cyclists read Bike Noob, but as a 17 year-old kid, I thought I’d like to share my thoughts on cycling with other cyclists of my age.

I live in Singapore, a small city-state that is only 710 square kilometers large (268 sq. miles — roughly 3.5 times the size of Washington D.C). With an equatorial climate, the weather here is perfect for cycling all year round. However, the small island that my country resides on means that space is at a premium. To have dedicated bike paths that other countries can have is a luxury that we simply can’t afford.

Many beginners who are afraid to cycle on the roads start out on the pavements, and I think that’s fine. However, I feel that cyclists should try and keep off the pavements as much as they can because:

  1. Cycling on pavements is an anti-social (not to mention illegal in my country) behaviour in my opinion. People don’t expect to see a bike hurtling past them from behind, and many a time they are startled. Sometimes, they may also accidently move into the path of an oncoming bike. After a few bad experiences like this, people start to see cyclists as a menace, and we don’t want that!
  2.  It is dangerous to do so. Cycling on the pavements is always dangerous, as pavements are not designed for cyclists. Blind corners, hidden objects, potholes, and the list goes on.

It may be only two reasons, but I think that they are very important, and we can’t overlook them. Of course, sometimes the pavement can be safer for all the budding cyclists out there, but I always wondered where and how did everyone learn how to bike? Did you guys take the pavements? I’m sure the Bike Noob readers can chip in!

It’s here though that I would like to share my personal story on how I literally flew off the pavement to learn how to cycle on the road, and why I don’t recommend cycling on pavements.

In December 2007 (I was 14), as a complete newbie, I did not have the confidence to cycle on the road, and kept to the pavements like a good boy. I was cruising along at about 20 km/h on my mountain bike when I was startled to see a large gap (almost half the pavement was cut out, and it was now flush with the road level with a shiny new manhole cover where it used to be) in the pavement that didn’t use to be there. Before I could react, my front tire dropped into the gap and I came to a complete stop. While my front shock suspender largely cushioned the impact of the fall, the collision still sent me flying over the handlebars onto the road, right smack in the middle of a bus- priority lane.  You could imagine how horrified I was at the realization of where I ended up on.

Fortunately, luck was on my side, and the traffic light behind me had turned red. The few cars that were headed my way managed to avoid hitting me.

That incident got me off the pavement and onto the roads and made me a staunch advocator of keeping cyclists off the pavement. Although that close brush with death still haunts me, I am proud to announce that I am a confident cyclist today, rocking a Felt Z-80 road bike!

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Categories // guest post, Safety Tags // guest post, sidewalk

The King of the 25-Milers

07.03.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

My riding so far this year hasn’t been anywhere near the level of last year, when I racked up over 4,000 miles. That hasn’t particularly bothered me, since I’ve been riding regularly and have been enjoying myself on the bike. But I did a ride today that put things in perspective.

I met some B-level friends out in Dripping Springs for a ride in the country. Debra, who is a fellow club member, lives out that way so she doesn’t come into town a lot for rides (last weekend was a welcome exception). Joining us were Debra’s husband Russ, her friend Barbara, and Beth Ann, a newcomer to our rides.

We decided to head out on a favorite route, mindful that Beth Ann wasn’t used to riding with us. She kept up without much trouble, but when we reached a four-way intersection about 10 miles into the ride, she opted to turn around and head back to the start. Russ rode with her.

Barbara is training for some long rides at the end of the summer, and wants to get as many miles behind her as possible. I was only too glad to join. Looking back over my ride log, it appears the bulk of my rides are shorter than 27 miles. I’ve ridden more than 30 miles only 10 times since the beginning of the year. Like I say, I’m not riding at the level I was last year.

The three of us had a lot of fun riding over the irregular hills. At one point, I led a three-person paceline for over a mile, as we flew through a level-to-slightly downhill section. Another spot had us roaring down a big hill at about 34 mph into a ranch that straddled the road.

We stopped for a break and opted to take another road that would lead us farther away from the park where we started our ride. By this time, it had gotten hot. I had no snap in my legs for the uphill sections. Debra lagged back with me, while Barbara– the “Energizer Bunny” — kept a steady pace and was soon well ahead of us.

We were past the 30-mile mark by now, and I was having trouble on the uphills — none of which was especially challenging. I found myself in really low gears much of the time. The energy bar and water I had taken in at our last stop didn’t seem to have much effect. I watched Barbara and Debra as they pulled steadily farther ahead of me.

But then, I hit a nice downhill section. Gravity is my friend, since I’m a bulky guy compared to those two. I flew past them and kept up my momentum — a good strategy in rolling hills. Soon both were out of sight to my rear. I kept up my brisk pace, and felt as though the food and drink were starting to kick in. When I reached a twisty section with a poor road surface, I pulled under the shade of a tree to wait for them.

We rested and chatted a bit more, then headed out. All the energy I had displayed in the past several minutes must have stayed under that tree. I couldn’t get going. I rode well enough to keep them in my sights, and even stood to pedal on hills, but I didn’t make up any lost ground.

The last mile or two into the park is slightly uphill, and I crept along the road thinking only of the cool of my air-conditioned car when I got there. I think I was going a whopping 7 mph. I saw Debra make a turn into the park, and I could see Barbara who already had her bike on her car’s rack. I was about as blown out at the end of the ride as I have been since the LBJ 100 last March.

I don’t think this ride qualifies as a bonk. I had kept myself fueled with a Clif Bar and frequent (for a change) swigs of the water bottles. But at 41 miles, this was the longest ride I had done in months — and about 10 miles farther than I’m used to.

My typical weekend rides have been in the mid-20 mile range. I’m usually fresh when I’m done with those. Twenty-five miles is easy for me. But I might be in a rut with rides of that distance. I’ve got to start riding farther, and getting used to being in the saddle longer. I might be the King of the 25-Milers, but it’s a dubious honor.

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Categories // Heat, Rides Tags // mileage

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