Smoking Pot and Cycling

Bill Baka wrote:

and then a relatively mellow 15 mile pedal on the flats to get back home
and that was the end of that buzz. I was a lot more contemplative and
attentive on the ride back home, and, like, "Wow, did that really just
happen?".

I'd challenge the "attentive" - at least in terms that could be
interpreted as "more careful / less likely to be involved in an
accident".

You may have FELT "more attentive", but that extra attention was
probably focused on things like the fact that you could "hear" Jimi
Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' in the road buzz coming up from the road
though your hands. ;-)

In short - there's nothing about smoking pot that's going to make you
a better / safer driver or rider (unless you're stoned enough to not
be able to make it to the road). ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

max wrote:
In article . com,
wrote:

It's a lot of fun to smoke and ride. But my impression is that, while
it makes you more enthusiastic about riding, makes you want to ride
more often and makes you want to take longer rides, it cuts down on
your wind so that perhaps you don't make as much progress toward your
fitness goals as you would make if you didn't get stoned. But would
you still want to ride as long and as often if you didn't fire a blunt
before the ride? Maybe not. So maybe it's an even trade-off. Anybody
else have any thoughts on this?

it can have a tendency to lead people into deep internal conversations that
distract them from paying attention to wtf they're going. On MUPs this usu.
manifests as hippies veering into oncoming bikes.

followed by a panicked "hey, man!"
.max

Sounds about right.

When I lived out west, all the neo-hippies I knew thought it was
perfectly fine to get so stoned that that Jesus indeed was your
co-pilot--as you could see him sitting there next to you.

Have a single beer and decide to drive the 4 miles back to your place?
Ohhh, they'd be all over you.

This same group had an exemplary member who criticised my 45mpg
Japanese car, and said I should get a bus as they're better for the
environment.

I told him he was mistaken, and if anything, the old VWs represented
the fuhrer's dream of a people's car for a fascist state, not flowers
and tempeh, but he insisted. I walked away and shook my head.

As to smoking and riding? Not the best idea, but if you're just a
little lit and want to ride your beach cruiser to the store for grape
soda and slim jims, I won't tell anybody.

"Like, dude, it's hard enough to get motivated already. Toke-ism would
only
make it (much) worse. "

I disagree. I am much more motivated to ride after I hit the ****.
Although I'm also pretty motivated to ride when I don't toke up first,
too. I think pot accentuates whatever mood you were in already. If
you were feeling unmotivated before burning a doob, you will feel even
less motivated afterward. But if you were motivated before, you will
be much more motivated afterward. I have to admit, though, my lungs
feel a lot better after I lay off for awhile.

wrote:
. I have to admit, though, my lungs
feel a lot better after I lay off for awhile.

One word: vaporizer. Google it.

Then theres always baked goods.

Giggle.

"max" wrote in message
ink.net...
In article . com,
wrote:

It's a lot of fun to smoke and ride. But my impression is that, while
it makes you more enthusiastic about riding, makes you want to ride
more often and makes you want to take longer rides, it cuts down on
your wind so that perhaps you don't make as much progress toward your
fitness goals as you would make if you didn't get stoned. But would
you still want to ride as long and as often if you didn't fire a blunt
before the ride? Maybe not. So maybe it's an even trade-off. Anybody
else have any thoughts on this?

it can have a tendency to lead people into deep internal conversations
that
distract them from paying attention to wtf they're going. On MUPs this
usu.
manifests as hippies veering into oncoming bikes.

followed by a panicked "hey, man!"
.max

I actually saw an old hippie on the Withlacoochee Trail. He was riding a
cruiser with a boom box attached to the handlebars, while smoking a joint
and listening to the Grateful Dead. I thought I was having bonk-related
hallucinations, but he was real.

On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 16:33:31 GMT, "Sorni" wrote:

wrote:
It's a lot of fun to smoke and ride. But my impression is that, while
it makes you more enthusiastic about riding, makes you want to ride
more often and makes you want to take longer rides, it cuts down on
your wind so that perhaps you don't make as much progress toward your
fitness goals as you would make if you didn't get stoned. But would
you still want to ride as long and as often if you didn't fire a blunt
before the ride? Maybe not. So maybe it's an even trade-off.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

Like, dude, it's hard enough to get motivated already. Toke-ism would only
make it (much) worse.

Back in another life, the rule I learned to mitigate the amotivational syndrome
was to start whatever it is you wanted/needed to do, light up, then continue
with your agenda. 'Cause if I lit before loading the bike in the car, forget it,
we're on a MST3K marathon - without the robots, just whateverthehell's on tv
that afternoon.

Ron

wrote:
Mark Hickey wrote:

In short - there's nothing about smoking pot that's going to make you
a better / safer driver or rider (unless you're stoned enough to not
be able to make it to the road). ;-)

I beg to differ. The only "legitimate" test I ever saw--conducted by
Car & Driver magazine in the (?) 80's, and titled "Doping and Driving"
found improved reflexes and driving skills on their skidpad, accident
avoidance, and other testing metrics.


Since that would directly contradict *every* other piece of evidence
available- even NORML doesn't say a doobie will improve your reflexes
or driving skills- I'm compelled to ask... just how stoned were you
when you read that article?

Regards,
Bob Hunt

I think it's highly significant that you never read about anybody who's
stoned on pot being stopped by the police for driving under the
influence, unlike drivers who are stoned on booze. That simple fact
seems pretty objective to me. If pot caused you to weave and drive
weird, the cops would stop a stoner once in awhile.

wrote in message
ups.com...
It's a lot of fun to smoke and ride. But my impression is that, while
it makes you more enthusiastic about riding, makes you want to ride
more often and makes you want to take longer rides, it cuts down on
your wind so that perhaps you don't make as much progress toward your
fitness goals as you would make if you didn't get stoned. But would
you still want to ride as long and as often if you didn't fire a blunt
before the ride? Maybe not. So maybe it's an even trade-off. Anybody
else have any thoughts on this?


funny subject. you'll probably see lots of conflicting responses here (maybe
better than helmets!).
I hope this makes sense: i quit years ago because of the fact it made me
MORE attentive and made riding more enjoyable. i didn't want to need it, and
i could not remember if it was the smoke, or just a general deadening
without it...so years later i can tell you it's both, but at least it's not
on my mind that "i could be enjoying this more with smoke..." i know this
sounds like punishing myself but i still enjoy bicycling straight very very
much!

Mark Hickey wrote:
Bill Baka wrote:


and then a relatively mellow 15 mile pedal on the flats to get back home
and that was the end of that buzz. I was a lot more contemplative and
attentive on the ride back home, and, like, "Wow, did that really just
happen?".


I'd challenge the "attentive" - at least in terms that could be
interpreted as "more careful / less likely to be involved in an
accident".

Should I change that for 'paranoid' as in very attentive?

You may have FELT "more attentive", but that extra attention was
probably focused on things like the fact that you could "hear" Jimi
Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' in the road buzz coming up from the road
though your hands. ;-)

Nope. Much more tuned to the fact that I could get flattened by a car
from the rear.

In short - there's nothing about smoking pot that's going to make you
a better / safer driver or rider (unless you're stoned enough to not
be able to make it to the road). ;-)

Safer goes with paying more attention. When I was younger and a
cager/biker (motor) I never had the urge to speed or run red lights when
I was 'lit up'. You can't say that about drunks or speed freaks or any
addicts of any kind. Pot was never an addiction, just an occasional
diversion and when I got home I usually cleaned out the fridge and went
to bed.
Bill (been there, done that, know the effects)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame