Frustrated thatt my outdoor bike workouts aren't hard enough

I was thinking the same thing today while I was riding the bike at the gym (no trainer yet). I had my Garmin on track my HR, and realized that I kept a pretty consistent pace. Now... looking at the ride I did a few weeks ago outside with my Garmin, my HR would be all over the place because of all the stopping I did. Being in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex, there are not many places close by that have long stretches without traffic.

I can log the miles and hours to where I'm pretty tired afterwards. But I'm not really winded, I'm more exhausted and sore than anything else. Makes me wonder if I would get a more consistent workout using a trainer instead of going outside. 

I'll admit I have the same problem. I have been lucky enough to live in some beautiful places. When I ride I just enjoy being out on some good country roads. I like to attack hills/mountains and ride fast, but doing hard interval training has not been part of my world. I've come to understand that this is a big hole in my training regimen that is holding be back on race day. Funny is that I can train much harder with my bike up on a trainer. I guess it is more like pool swimming: it's not about the scenery it's just about the training. While cycling outdoors is like open water swimming: it's all about the (fun) experience. 

^^ What he said (sort of).

Are you following some plan or are you just going out riding for riding's sake?  And why are you worried about "pushing it" in the off season??  You are better served for next season by doing longer and less intense stuff to begin with.

Try this workout and let me know if its not hard enough - hee hee -

12' wu, then 5x10-20" at 90% effort. with 1' recovery. Increase the effort on each 10-20" effort.
Then the fun begins:
Pedal as hard as you can for 20", then recover for 10" - no more than 10" - do as many reps as you can - MAX of 8 reps! Note your wattage for each rep.
Do a nice easy 10' cool down.
Total time of 25-35'. Good luck!

Newbz has some good advise.  I also agree that you should go to MapMyRide and find some routes that suit your training needs, or a cycling club in your area may have some weekly group rides scheduled that may give you a ride for your money.

Also, if you are using an heart rate monitor, keep in mind that your your LT may be a few beats higher when on a bike, so don't be afraid to push it.

Look for fast group rides.  There is nothing like getting dragged around like a fish on a hook to get you faster.

As for time in the saddle, it depends on what distance you are training for.

Socal if this is in the LA area I can recommend several rides that will give you a good workout.  PV loop, Malibu, Seal Beach to Dana Point on PCH or one of the bike paths next to a river (drainage ditch) 710, 605 etc.. http://www.labikepaths.com/

i can see how that could be for the OP. but then i'm one to push myself and have fun with it. i love to compete against myself and see how hard i can push. i power up every hill i find, which is pretty much everywhere i go around where i live. also, whenever i get to this one part of my ride, a bridge that is dead flat, i TT it across and back to see what i can do, or not do.

if your workout isn't hard enough, make it harder, physically or mentally. power up the hills and focus on good pedalling technique then on the way down, focus on body awareness. turnout high cadences and really push your cadence up a hill or on a flat for better neuromuscular facilitation, then later or on the downhill, drop into your big ring and trash your quads. have fun and cook up some good workouts between lights or hill crests.

oh and i definitely spend more time on the bike. but that's natural. at least for me. i run everyday in soccer and i love to run.  but i'm not doing distance stuff, just sprints and olympics. so i absolutely spend more time on the bike, in the race and in training. i think my workouts are comparable, if you can really compare a run and bike workout. i think they're 2 different creatures and should be treated as such, that's what makes T2 so dang hard!