Calling All Cyclists!

KitTheRoadie

Hey Everybody!

The main reason I am on MFP is to keep my weight in check and watch what I eat. I have been lucky that I have never really been over weight, but now old age (34 ;O)) is setting in, I am finding it harder to keep that beer belly in check!

I commute to work and back every day which is around 20k and I try to get out at least once at the weekend. Although a new baby in the house put a stop to that for a while.

I have done a couple of sportives including the Gran Fondo Eddy Mercx, where I met the great man himself! I have also done a few Audaxes and in 2007 I completed the London to Paris for Action Medical Research.

This year I intend to really step it up a notch and complete more events and hopefully go for my first 100 miler.

At the end of this month I am moving further away from work so have no choice but to drive, this means I fully intend to go out at weekends and put in 50/60 miles if I have time.

Cycling is a bit of a passion of mine and I just wondered if anyone else out there enjoys getting out on their bike and feeling the wind in their hair/helmet?!

I'd love to hear your stories and make friends with any like minded people?!

Happy riding!

LazyDavid

Hi Chris,

I wouldn't say that I'm a cycling enthusiast to your degree but I do enjoy getting the old push iron out! Up until two years ago I lived in Holland, for 10 years or so, and we practically cycled everywhere; didn't have a car for the first six years!

Since repatriating I'm still getting used to cycling on the good old Yorkshire hills, I miss the flatness of Holland, but when I'm working in the office I do try to cycle to/back from work at least 1 - 2 times a week. At 46 I find that the bike is a pretty decent means of getting in additional cardio (busting that gut) whilst actually saving cash/fuel on my commute to the office!


I am also hoping that in the spring/summer I will be motivated to get the cycle out and rack up a few miles on the weekend.

I'd be interested in to hear how you go on your first 100 miler! Good luck.

Frannybobs

Hiya

I'm recently getting into cycling again. I used to cycle to get around until I passed my driving test in 2004. I moved to my own home nearly 5 years ago which is 6 miles from work. Last year I decided to get the bike out again and cycled to work and really enjoyed it. I then signed up to the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride (62 miles) which took place in July last year, so was out most weekends doing 30-40 miles - just up and down the cycle path on the East Lancs cos I don't really trust motorists.

My commute to work I do a couple of times a week, but I don't like cycling in the dark. I got knocked off in the dark about 9 years ago and I've been wary of it ever since. I'm a member of Sustrans and donate monthly by standing order. I can't believe the cycle network infrastructure is created by a charity and not the government - it's really bad. There are hardly any cycle lanes around where I live, I wish I lived in Oxford or somewhere properly geared up for it.

My commute is fairly hilly, it's gradually uphill all the way to work, and on the way back mainly downhill but with 2 pretty bad ones! I got a new bike in October as part of the Cycle To Work scheme which means I pay for it out of my salary but before tax and N.I. - got a really nice Specialised Ladies Hybrid

I'm looking forward to it being light again and getting back on my bike :-))) Not sure I'm ready for 100 miler just yet though !!

Kap10

I have just started cycling again (last week) enjoy it but thiose first few rides albeit only 5-10 miles certainly affect the derrier. Enjoy it but not got a great bike.

KitTheRoadie

Thanks for your replies, it's great to hear your stories and see your motivations!

I have just registered for my first events of the year...

100K Audax in March
100K Sportive in April
100M Sportive in October

Hopefully along with my regular training I will be 'on form' for the 100 mile event in October?!

I will keep you all posted and let you know how they all go!

Ride safe!

simples88

Bought my first adult bike last year and am loving it! I'm signed up for the Christies Manchester to Blackpool ride in July, 60miles and started training in Jan, unfortunately this weather is causing me probs so have been going to the gym to get the miles in.
Kap10- get yourself a comfy gel seat and a pair of padded cycling shorts. These will be your saviours!

Frannybobs

Bought my first adult bike last year and am loving it! I'm signed up for the Christies Manchester to Blackpool ride in July, 60miles and started training in Jan, unfortunately this weather is causing me probs so have been going to the gym to get the miles in.
Kap10- get yourself a comfy gel seat and a pair of padded cycling shorts. These will be your saviours!

I did that ride last year and LOVED it !!! You don't need to train doing 60 mile rides, I basically went up and down the East Lancs and did probably max 45 miles. There are some rest stops with refreshments along the way (free if you do it for Wigan & Leigh Hospice). I am thinking of doing the Manchester 100km ride this year, after the Manchester - Liverpool one which is just over 40 miles. Enjoy :-)

simples88

Im doing the training to get fitter as well, plus shifting a bit of weight! Looking forward to doing it easily if you know what I mean? There are other rides later in summer, 80and 100miles that I may have a go at once I get into my stride.
Plus, most importantly love being out on my bike!

Frannybobs

Yeah I love being out on my bike too - can't wait for it to get light at 7am so I can start commuting to work a couple of times a week and get back into it. I only got my new bike in October, so only used it a few times so far !

At the end of the day, if you enjoy the exercise you do you're more likely to stick to it :-)

kyle4jem

The Hubster & I bought new bicycles last summer before I'd even given any serious thought to losing weight. The day we went to pick them up it pissed down with rain and that set the tempo for the weather that season.

We went out together twice: once... cycled down to Wivenhoe and back on the Wivenhoe trail - 8½ mile round trip with a 30 min stop in the village for a pint (himself Stella, me diet coke):drinker: and then another time we went up to a nearby retail park rather than taking the car as we weren't after anything too bulky or heavy at the time.

My poor love hasn't found his balance yet; he won't ride on the open road and even gets panicky on the cycle lanes when someone comes towards him in the opposite direction.

I took to cycling again like a duck to water, but I've spent all my childhood on bikes (after having taught myself to ride one so that mum & dad would buy me one :laugh: ) Then like LazyDavid I too lived in the Netherlands and the Dutch have a saying "ik fiets, dus ik besta" Cycling is akin to breathing and if you don't have a bike you are a social exile.

Although I hadn't really ridden a bike since I moved back to the UK, it's been wonderful getting back in the saddle. I'm not a racing/road cyclist by any means, but I love getting out on the bike and now cycle to and from the gym/pool in the mornings and some weekends I'll go out for a longer ride in the reasonably flat north Essex countryside, as long as it's not wet or too windy.

annareeves0

Completely out of the blue and on the spur of the moment during a 'lets get fit' week I signed up for Nightrider http://www.nightrider.org.uk/ and in early June will be cycling 100km round the sights of London in the middle of the night in aid of Mencap. Up to now my cycling has consisted of a 5 miles round trip at 5 mph a couple of times a week! I have a ton of work to do but am chosing to rise to the challenge!
I have a couple of stone to lose and a ton of fitness to gain but Im definatley up for the game. Im focussing on the fact its just 3 months out of my life to see what Im really capable of physically and hopefully set myself up for the future

Frannybobs

Good for you - sounds a great challenge!! 3 months is plenty of time to build up speed and stamina. It's great having a focus to aim for...enjoy!

I'm back on my bike for commuting to work now, yesterday was first ride of the year, can hopefully cycle in 2-3 times a week (other nights I have gym and gym classes as I like to vary exercise). Loving the new bike but the saddle is a little hard, hopefully I'll toughen up soon!!!

Keep us updated with how you go on

Sjvarley123

I LOVE my bike! i cycle pretty much everywhere and only really use the car for long trips, or heavy shopping ( although hubby very good at carrying all sorts on his bike), and feel bereft when the weather is really too foul to use it.

Have just signed up for a 50mile ride with hubby and 10year old son and we try and get out most weekends now the weather improving for a ride.

For me cycling is the most fantastic exercise as i can fit it into daily life easily, and its amazing for toning legs and butt!! Good luck with your cycling goals!

TransTina

Wow Chris, thats brilliant.

I was thinking the other day of getting a bike and using it as a different form of excercise and take in some countryside.... I searched on line..... JESUS??!!!


When I was akid, I had the choice of a Claud Butler Racer or a Raleigh Chopper..!!?? .. . I COULD NOT believe the amount and different types available, and even bikes around the £1000 get slated (although this I am sure is elitism).

Perhaps ypu could send me in the right direction? I have about £1000 to spend.

mostaverage

Yup, I love cycling and it's the exercise I fell back on when I started my weight loss trip, bought a city commuter hybrid style bike and build up from a very wheezy 8 miles to an easy 45 miler last summer and plan to aim for a century ride this summer. I have 8 pounds to lose to reach my main benchmark weight loss, the reward for which is a new bike :-D Still deciding on what to go for..so many choices...so little cash.

When I was akid, I had the choice of a Claud Butler Racer or a Raleigh Chopper..!!?? .. . I COULD NOT believe the amount and different types available, and even bikes around the £1000 get slated (although this I am sure is elitism).

Perhaps ypu could send me in the right direction? I have about £1000 to spend.

Tina - the choice is bewildering but it helps to narrow down what kind of riding you want to do - purely road, off-road, pootling round the town, long distance day events, touring holidays and so on. Then you can narrow your scope to road bikes, mountain bikes, commuters, audax/sportive and tourers. There will still be a lot of choice in the £1k price bracket as this is the limit for the cycle to work scheme so there's a lot of competition from manufacturers and builders.
I would recommend looking at a website like bikeradar where you can find lots of useful advice, retailer evans bikes have a massive range of bikes to look at online and once you have narrowed your choices down you can pop along to a bike shop and have a sit on a few to get a feel for riding position and comfort.
Whatever style of bike or riding you go for ease yourself in gently and ensure the saddle height is set correctly for your leg length, this will help avoid injuries. Good luck & HTH.

Frannybobs

I got a bike on the Cycle to Work scheme. Most of my riding is on roads, so I went for a hybrid, but one which was more like a road bike than a mountain bike. It's a Specialized and is a ladies bike - which means the proportions of the frame and handlebars are more designed for a female. It's really light and has slimmer tyres than my last one, and rigid forks which means that all the energy is used in going forward, but if you do go off road it's a bit of a bumpy ride!! I absolutely love it, and it was only £600.


I have just signed up for the first Great Manchester Cycle. On bank holiday Monday in June they are closing the Mancunian Way (busy A road motorway type road near centre of Manchester) and it will be a 13 mile loop starting and ending at Manchester City's ground (booooo)!! I have signed up for the 26 mile route, for which you have to be able to average 13mph on the flat. So I'm going to start building up my speed on these middle distance rides. I wanted to do the 52 mile option but you had to be able to average 18mph on the flat (to ensure you finish before the road re-opens!!!) and I can't keep that speed up over that distance. That's in June so is a focus for now. Commuted in twice this week and just getting back into it - remembered how much I love it!!

I did loads of research on the internet on different types of bikes and my colleague is a keen cyclist and he helped me pick one out. Let us know how you are getting on with your research :-)

cazwillis99

Hi, I have a bike but it has been years since I rode one properly (not just round the block) I live in london & I need to be able to go out away from roads to get my confidence back up - does anyone know if there is anywhere to go in West London (Ealing area) to do this - I think if I went on the roads I would probably cause an accident and our local park is not much good for cycling round.

Sjvarley123

Hi - message for poster above......transport for london produce free leaflets of bike routes for all areas in london ( they should do them at your local tube station if not you can order from tfl web site) give lots of advice for quiet and off road routes. happy cycling!

TransTina

Thanks for all your help and advice.

I am still looking.

I want abike that can carry a small load, as I quite fancy an overnight trip(s) in the summer to the New Forest. (about 20 miles from me).

Bike radar is good for searching.

I will keep you posted

AirCircleI

I live in London and cycle to and from work every day - it's about 10k each direction. I LOVE it. I put it off for ages because I was afraid of cycling in the city, but then went for it as a way to save money (my bike cost £350, and my monthly transport cost $130, so it didn't take long to start making big savings). My first few trips to and from work were terrifyingly exhilerating, but I got more confidence, found some safer routes, and generally found that cars and buses are, for the most part, respectful of cyclists and are used to them (as there are so many now).

Now I cycle everywhere that I can and avoid public transport as much as possible - being on my bike on a cold wet day is WAY better than being on a crowded tube, and most days are really nice. It wakes me up in the morning and clears my head in the evening - definitely a big mood booster!!

_mr_b

Hello!

Don't really do road cycling, although after one of the guys I ride with cycled to Barcelona last summer I'm tempted to borrow a bike from my local shop and give it a try.

Mountain biking's my thing, generally out for at least one ride a week with a few of the guys. We've done a few organised rides but generally we work stuff out between us and head out - I've done Bracknell to Brighton off-road which was a fun morning and a bit knackering as we were racing some mates doing London to Brighton on-road (we won by the way), we're all off to the Peak District this weekend which should be a great laugh.

Glad you're all enjoying your riding too, it's not about what, where or when you ride, it's just about getting out and having fun!

HisMissus

Hello all!

I'm a complete novice when it comes to cycling but a mate of ours had 2 bikes going spare. At 38 I'm finally biting the bullet and trying to learn how to ride a bike. Only had two sessions so far and managed to fall off both times. My legs are bruised black and blue and I'm not very confident at braking, turning or going at speed. I'm still on the flats but am adament I'm going to crack it. I really love the idea of being able to go out for the day cycling and explore new places.

Frannybobs

That's fantastic, good on you!!! It must be really hard to learn to ride a bike as an adult, as kids just bounce if they come off, but we're more wary as adults and it hurts!! When you get the hang of it you'll love it I'm sure!!

jodieoh

I bought a mountain bike the other week - my other half is mad on cycling and I wanted to be able to join in : ) Anyway - not to put too fine a point on it, but YOWZA it hurts! Y'know...downstairs :-D Any cycling gals got any tips for minimising the agony?

Lplou

Hi all!
I am training for London to Paris in August. Am a little bit scared lol! Feel free to add me! X:happy:

katozdad

Hi everyone,

Like Chris I am mainly on MFP to lose weight. I'm hoping the diary function will keep me in check and introduce a level of discipline with the food I eat (portion sizes mainly). Anyway, I have been cycle commuting on and off for a few years now and am on my second bike. First is a Ridgeback Nemesis (with an eight speed internal gear hub) and the second is a Specialised Rockhopper. I intended the Ridgeback for Winter use and there is no Deraillure to get grubby and pose on the Specialised in the Summer.

I started up again in October last year, mainly on the Rockhopper, which is now 2 years old, but my weight (and the Sheffield roads) caused me to bust the back wheel (spokes popping every 2 minutes). The Ridgeback was no better and I stopped until I could get the wheels fully re-built to a better spec. With Christmas and money going south for the winter, I have re-started my cycling again from February onwards.

In March I was really getting back into the saddle, when someone opened their car door on me down Campo Lane round the back of Sheffield Cathedral, I was pretty bust up for a couple of weeks, but nothing broken. Anyway, got my bike checked out, got a new helmet and have got straight back in the saddle. Hoping to go for three commutes each week (10 miles each way), and would really appreciate some support from all the Team Uk members, so please feel free to add me.

jenniferpowell1980

Hi
I brought a bike in a box from Halfords last year, rode it most of last summer pulling a trailer with a toddler in and found it hard work, i put it down to my weight. Got it back out a few weeks ago to go cycling with a friend and at one point in the journey we swapped bikes, i was shocked by how easy it was to ride and how good the breaks were, even on slight inclines it seemed to just go, where as mine you still have to put in effort downhill lol. So took mine to a shop to get looked at, ive set it up all wrong lol, looking forward to getting it fixed and been able to ride with ease.

KitTheRoadie

Hi All!

It's great to see such a good response to this thread!

I have had a bit of a change in circumstances since I started this thread and I am no longer commuting to work everyday. I really miss it, as some weeks it was the only chance I got to ride because of our new little man.

At the moment I am not even able to get out at weekends, which is not great as I have a series of events coming up, one of them being a 180k at the start of May! This will be the furthest I have travelled in one day on a bike and although I am looking forward to it, I am worried I have bitten off more than I can chew! Ah well I am going to just plod along and hopefully get round before it gets dark! :ohwell:

I am training for London to Paris in August. Am a little bit scared lol!

Lplou - Good on you and such a great cause too! When I signed up for the one I did in 2007 I absolutely bricked it and doubted myself the whole time! Are you doing it on your own or with a group? I did it on my own which was a bit daunting but when I arrived at the start, there were so many like minded people that suddenly it hit me that I wasn't on my own at all and it was me and nearly 400 other people all in it together! You will have an amazing time I am sure, it was the best experience I'd ever had and if I thought I could raise that sort of money again I would do it again, no question! Good luck and I look forward to hearing all about it on here when you get back! The only tip I have is make sure you are happy with your bike postion because my knees were a bit sore come the end.

Everyone else - Thanks for sharing your stories and motivations it's great to see so many of us getting out there and riding our bikes whatever the motivation! Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and that will make it even more enjoyable!

Happy riding everyone! :bigsmile:

Frannybobs

I bought a mountain bike the other week - my other half is mad on cycling and I wanted to be able to join in : ) Anyway - not to put too fine a point on it, but YOWZA it hurts! Y'know...downstairs :-D Any cycling gals got any tips for minimising the agony?

A gel saddle cover and/or padded cycling shorts or padded cycling trousers. The padded trousers really make a difference, as I know *exactly* what you mean. Especially as my new bike has a smaller harder saddle and as the bike is all white and meant to be light I don't want to put a black gel cover on the saddle or get a more padded and therefore heavier saddle!

jenniferpowell1980

I bought a mountain bike the other week - my other half is mad on cycling and I wanted to be able to join in : ) Anyway - not to put too fine a point on it, but YOWZA it hurts! Y'know...downstairs :-D Any cycling gals got any tips for minimising the agony?

My bike came with the hard small type of seat, i replaced it with a wider seat and put a gel cover on it, no pain, think its the thin seats that are uncomfortable for us girls.

jodieoh

Cheers chaps :-) I got a saddle with springs under it and a wider seat and it's helping loads.