Calling All Cyclists!

missdottyuk

Hello! I have an old mountain bike sitting in the garage and have been wanting to get out cycling for months. However so far I haven't had the confidence to do it! However reading through this thread and some cycling blogs has got me thinking about it even more, even to the point where I am thinking of investing in a new bike. I might enquire about the scheme to get a bike through work and I have to say I just read about the London to Paris ride and oh my goodness that is certainly on my list of goals to work towards!

Treadmillmom1st

Hello,

Anyone here in Birmingham, this may be of interest to you:

http://toptubemap.com - non traffic cycle map of Birmingham

http://www.macarts.co.uk/event/discover-cycling-day - cycling day Cannon Hill Park Saturday 28th April 2012

I love to cycle, cannot cycle enough, truly.

When the weather is dry I cycle week day mornings before the kids wake up 6am - 7pm, then I cycle them to school, on to work, back to school and on to home.

When commuting with the children the youngest sits on a seat carrier on the rear of my bike but when it's a more leisure cycle I use a Trailgator.

Just out of interest, does anyone know the calorie burn for transporting a child in a seat carrier?

_mr_b

Quick one regarding saddle comfort, buy padded shorts, they're well worth the investment.

Another thing, the reason why performance saddles are small is to reduce chaffing, wider saddles can cause chaffing against the saddle which is the cause of saddle soreness so beware saddles that look really comfy as there's a possibility they can make things worse.

Best thing to do is speak to your local shop about what's best for you and your bike - and I'm talking proper cycle shop here, not Halfords.

PrincessSaffy

Hi all

Firstly, good luck to all those who have events coming up!

I started cycling about 2 months ago after not having ridden my bike since I was a teenager. At first it terrified me and I had to stop every couple of minutes as I couldn't breathe properly. I couldn't go further than a mile and a half. Two weeks ago I did my first twenty miler and I am loving it!

I have signed up for the Peaks 30 miler in May (which has lots of hills - gulp!) and the Mamchester to Chester 50 miler in July.

At the moment I have a hybrid bike but I have just joined the cycle to work scheme and I am deciding which bike to get. I much prefer off-road (on-road still scares me a little) and there are some fantastic cycle routes near where I live. I just love being out on my bike in the woods and through fields.

Does anyone have any advice on what sort of bike to go for with my cycle scheme money?

katozdad

I've been looking for challenge and the peaks 30miler might be just right for me. I currently do a 20mile round trip to work three time a week. Not too far from where I live too. Thank you for the heads up on this one.