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Calling All Cyclists!

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  • HisMissus
    HisMissus Posts: 119 Member
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    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
    Frannybobs Posts: 741 Member
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    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
    jodieoh Posts: 18 Member
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    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
    Lplou Posts: 15
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    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
    katozdad Posts: 298 Member
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    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
    jenniferpowell1980 Posts: 68 Member
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    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
    KitTheRoadie Posts: 641 Member
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    Hi All!

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

    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! :smile: 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! :smile:

    Happy riding everyone! :bigsmile:
  • Frannybobs
    Frannybobs Posts: 741 Member
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    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
    jenniferpowell1980 Posts: 68 Member
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    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
    jodieoh Posts: 18 Member
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    Cheers chaps :-) I got a saddle with springs under it and a wider seat and it's helping loads.
  • missdottyuk
    missdottyuk Posts: 7 Member
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    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
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
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    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
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
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    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
    PrincessSaffy Posts: 3
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    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
    katozdad Posts: 298 Member
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    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.

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